The Popular New Age Movement

WE LIVE in a crucial age. Traditional values and life-​styles are constantly being questioned. The volatile mix of religion and politics propels us from one crisis to another. Science and technology have brought no permanent solutions to mankind’s problems. Many are convinced that such a state of affairs cannot be resolved unless a completely new world system is ushered in.

But how will such an era come about? By God’s intervention? If so, must we continue to wait? Or can we do something about it ourselves? Can we bring in the desperately needed new age? Millions of people around the world from every walk of life believe that they can play an active role in bringing about a new age of peace and brotherhood. They belong to the revolutionary New Age movement, and they want you to join them!

A Global Movement

Have you heard about the New Age movement? In many countries the term “New Age” has been loosely applied to some popular forms of literature, music, and art. Why, there are even New Age restaurants! Sports heroes and Hollywood stars promote the movement. Members hold regular conventions and expositions. The term “New Age” has also been widely attached to consumer goods, such as cosmetics, beauty products, vitamins, and health-​care items. New Age books are sold by the millions. Some stores have a separate section for them. Many of these books have a strong religious influence on readers.

In his book The Cosmic Self​—A Penetrating Look at Today’s New Age Movements, author Ted Peters refers to the movement as “the equivalent of a religious H-bomb in sustained explosion for nearly three decades now.” He adds that “new age prophets are making converts; and their teachings are being adopted . . . by Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, atheists, as well as the growing number of Buddhists and Hindus in North America.”

The Times of London reports that “New Ageism . . . is probably now the fastest growing faith in the West. Soon, it is estimated, 25 per cent of Americans will admit to some degree of New Ageism.” The Swiss magazine Fundamentum observed that, in the Netherlands, about a hundred theologians were meeting regularly “to discuss how New Age thinking can be introduced into church life and also into the sermon.” Another magazine proclaims that “countries around the world have their different approaches to New Age, but the appeal is universal.”

Business corporations have spent millions of dollars on New Age consultants and in enrolling their employees in New Age programs. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that “New Age thinking has permeated the highest bastions of America’s business institutions.” The newspaper adds that one survey of 500 companies revealed that more than 50 percent had some involvement with New Age thinking.

But what is the New Age trend, and how did it come about? Will it really bring peace and harmony to the earth? What does it teach, and how does it affect you?