Why I Don’t Consider Myself “New Age To Jesus”

I came to accept Jesus as Lord over my life in 2020. What this simply means is that I acknowledged that God, who I came to know as a Spirit, was ultimately in control over my life and knew what is best for my fate.

Around 2020, many people, namely in the U.S., had been identifying as someone who was “New Age to Jesus,” to the point that it became a kind of a large-scale phenomena. I found it interesting because I had my conversion around this same time and you could see me as having been part of a trend, yet the whole movement never quite sat right with me.

Firstly, as someone who had been immersed in alternative spirituality (from the shallow to deep end of the pool), I noticed how traditional Christians used the term “New Age” was incorrect. If they were using the term “New Age” to mean the corrupt side of some mainstream spiritual circles, then it would make sense, but this was not what they were doing.

Instead, their belief was that any spiritual ideas or practices that are not traditionally Christian = New Age / Occult = Heretical / Anti-Christ = False / Sinful. Those who were drawn to alternative spirituality were unfairly stereotyped as being “deceived,” witches and warlocks, and other unflattering characterizations. (This misrepresentation still continues in most Christian circles.)

So right off the bat, I didn’t feel aligned with the movement as what was being called the “New Age” was not even accurate.

For some, this oversight is due to the fact that they never explored spirituality outside of Christianity at all, out of fear or simply lack of interest. This is your average Christian. But for others, this generalization was based on their limited experiences with toxic spiritual communities, ideas, or practices that made them feel misled by all non-Christian spirituality altogether.

While I do empathize with how they had negative experiences with various spiritual teachings and practices, this does not negate the fact that they are projecting their narrow experiences onto the entire realm of alternative spirituality in the name of “warning” others. It would be like someone who has had negative experiences in love or friendship, so believes all human connection should be avoided for everyone. While there are certain things that don’t have shades of gray, alternative spirituality is not one of them, and it is far too broad and vast to be entirely shelved as “dangerous.”

When I initially converted to Christianity, I did have a phase where I feared everything that all alternative spirituality could potentially be demonic. I read and watched material on demonic deliverance, did “house cleanings” to make sure I didn’t have any books or items that could potentially be “demonic portals,” and became somewhat rigid in my thinking.

I experienced much cognitive dissonance as one side of me felt it was okay for me to explore spirituality beyond the confines of traditional Christianity while another side of me feared that doing so would somehow damn my soul.

Eventually, though, I came to the conclusion that a reasonable God would not punish people for wanting to explore spirituality in a way that expanded their consciousness, and I had intuitively sensed that there were much truths in domains such as metaphysics as well. These domains are not of the “dark occult” as they are often generalized but spiritual disciplines which speak to the vast mysteries and realities that are not covered or even actively suppressed within organized religion.

Now, if someone was exploring their curiosities in a way that was dangerous (i.e. dabbling in black magic or any sort of magic that goes against the laws of nature), that is obviously different. Yet when it comes to the vast domain of alternative spirituality, it is important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak.

Another reason why I didn’t and still to this day don’t jump on board with the “New Age to Jesus” identity is that I was never drawn to many of the typical New Age circles and practices. I don’t mean to sound snobbish or self-righteous—as my path was just different—but I was never into the whole hedonistic hippie lifestyle or common cults many people who came out as “New Age to Jesus” fell into. That doesn’t mean I never had fell into deceptions myself—I will be humbly admit I have and I think that’s part of the journey for all spiritual seekers—but I always considered myself an outsider-looking-in and critic of mainstream circles. I always had a sense of caution and trepidation when it came to alternative spirituality because, like all spiritual traditions including Christianity, there is going to be the dark and light, evil and good, everywhere.

I think the problem is that many times people go into the New Age with rose-colored glasses because, for whatever reason, many people believe that being “spiritual” means people will automatically be “nice.” But this is usually due to positive projection after coming out of shame-based religious systems such as Christianity—which is why the New Age can seem like a welcome reprieve. (And when I say “go into the New Age,” this could be involvement in a literal physical community, but it could also mean simply taking on a worldview influenced by popular New Age ideas and practices.) This could include an interest in meditation, yoga, crystals, astrology, divination, past lives, chakras, ascension, twin flames, manifestation, and so on and so forth.

Just to be clear, I don’t think these interests are necessarily “bad” in itself, even if I may not agree with all of them. However, it’s often how a person relates to an idea or tool that affects whether it would be positive or negative for them. So for example, basic meditation is a very neutral and harmless practice, but if you are using meditation to escape from reality and dissociate, then that can be detrimental in the long-run. So it is always important to take things in context and utilize critical thinking.

When those who are spiritual (for lack of better term) or Christians with an interest in alternative spirituality like myself point out that there is validity in other spiritual traditions besides Christianity, most Christians get extremely defensive and say this cannot be the case.

However, what many fundamentalists don’t realize is that, just as in Christianity, there are truthful spiritual ideas and practices and false ones. Spirituality is far more vast and broad than what the mainstream New Age movement presents.

If they criticized the “New Age” movement as a subset of spirituality, this could be valid. But this is not what they are doing. They—meaning those who dabbled in the New Age or who have preconceived notions about alternative spirituality— literally believe all spirituality that is not traditionally Christian is “New Age” and, thus, wrong.

This is a tremendous oversight on their part which stems from an extremely oversimplified way of thinking.

The crux of the issue is that most Christian fundamentalists are under cult programming of organized religion. They fear that even opening their mind to non-Christian spirituality is dangerous, whether that is due to their negative, limited experiences with “New Age” spirituality or stereotypes about "New Agers” that have been propagated by the church. They will say it’s not fear and that it’s prudence or obedience, that they just “know” the truth (which is not even a valid argument), but I disagree. It is fear because they believe that if they even open their mind up to other spiritual perspectives, they will likely go to Hell.

Luckily, there are some people who see through the illusion. No, they are not “New Age Christians” as fundamentalists may assert but Christians of the New Age.