CHAPTER 10: Fundamentals of the New Age cultural expansion o New Age cultural contraction o fundamentalism & evangelicalism Softening the Boundaries--New Spirituality and the Emerging Church
New Age Movement since the 60s energy healing o chakras & crystals channeling o Helen Schucman – A Course In Miracles UFOs & otherworldly visitors o Shirley MacLaine – Out on a Limb
Religious Roots of the New Age Transcendentalists New Thought Theosophists o “I AM” Movement – Guy Ballard o Arcane School – Alice Bailey Asian & Native American teachers
Cultural Roots of the New Age quantum physics humanistic psychology parapsychology holistic healers astrologers ecological movement
New Age Beliefs expectation of a new age desire to find God/Self within correspondence power of Mind combination
New Age Rhetoric “energy” “healing” “harmony” “universe” “planet” o earth as a living being
Types of New Age Ritual Work 1)harmony with the material world o Reiki 2)mental journey to nonmaterial worlds o New Age shamanism
Conservative Protestantism in the 1940s Fundamentalists o American Council of Christian Churches Evangelicals o National Association of Evangelicals o Christianity Today o Billy Graham
Search for Conservative Identity premillennial dispensationalism o rapture o Left Behind series literal belief in the Bible separatist tendency
Trends in Conservative Christianity regional religion megachurches dominion theology charismatic experience
Conservative Evangelism electronic church o Christian radio o televangelism o internet ministries Christian booksellers
Christian Right Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition Condemnation of secular humanism creationism countertrend: Sojourners
Conservative Religion centrality of Jesus “born again” rhetoric missions & revivals Bible study & prayer Personal holiness
New Spirituality and the Emerging Church Changing patterns in American religion Softening boundaries and moving away from poles Incorporating culture
New Spirituality New Age dissolving into new spirituality “Sheilaism” generation of seekers widespread beliefs o self-help o energy o holistic healing
Emerging Church Evangelicals and postmodernism o Salvation from postmodernism o Learning from postmodernism o Being both evangelical and postmodern Prophetic impulse o Restoring early church practices o "Candles and incense" Being missional Postevangelicalism and (liberal) politics
Similarities of Conservative Christians & New Agers millennial themes direct experience personal transformation ongoing revelation language of healing
OVERVIEW Expansion New Age new spirituality channeling energy & healing self-help Contraction Fundamentalism Evangelicalism Christian Right Bible & Jesus millennial themes Combination and loosening boundaries New Spirituality Emerging Church