Revealing the New Age Jesus: Challenges to Orthodox Views of Christ

by Douglas Groothuis

The New Age movement spreads more and more confusing ideas about the identity of Jesus Christ. Now Douglas Groothuis examines the claims of leading New Age thinkers, comparing their picture of Jesus with the teachings of biblical Christianity. Meeting New Age beliefs about Jesus head-on, he demonstrates how the Bible gives a trustworthy record of the man who forever changed world history. This compelling book is the first to consider both Orthodox and New Age views of Jesus. It is an understandable introduction to the claims and work of Jesus Christ for all seekers. It appeals to anyone who wants to know more about the Jesus of Scripture and history.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Douglas Groothuis (PhD, University of Oregon) is professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado, where he heads the Apologetics and Ethics masters degree program. His articles have been published in professional journals such as Religious Studies, Philosophia Christi, Themelios, Christian Scholar's Review, Inquiry, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He has written numerous books, including Christian Apologetics and, most recently Philosophy in Seven Sentences.

Reviews

[Steven H]

AN EVANGELICAL PHILOSOPHER CRITIQUES VARIOUS "ALTERNATIVE" VIEW OF JESUS

Douglas R. Groothuis (born 1957) is currently Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary. He is also the author of books such as 'Unmasking the New Age,' 'Confronting the New Age: How to Resist a Growing Religious Movement,' 'Deceived by the Light,' 'Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith,' 'Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism,' etc.

He wrote in the first chapter of this 1990 book, "Despite the fact that everyone wants to claim Jesus as one's own, he is not a ventriloquist's dummy who gladly mouths whatever anyone likes... Our aim is to discover the authentic Jesus behind the welter of conflicting images. We are after the objective truth about Jesus of Nazareth... Therefore... we will concentrate on the controversy over Christ by comparing rival truth claims about his identity and teaching... anyone interested in Jesus should be willing to consider seriously the biblical record because of what there is to gain and because of what there is to lose." (Pg. 21, 23)

He observes, "In both word and deed Jesus was claiming the uniquely divine prerogative to forgive sins. It is one thing for me to forgive myself for something or to forgive you for offending me; it is quite another for me to forgive someone else for offending you! Imagine, then, someone claiming to forgive your EVERY sin... Jesus valued faith in him, not faith as an independent tool capable of plugging into a universal energy current. Jesus honored and encouraged faith in himself, a faith that heals and saves, a faith about Jesus." (Pg. 55-56)

He admits, "The Gospels record John [the Baptist] as coming from the wilderness (Lk 1:80; 3:2). This is likely to be near the Qumran community. John may have been somewhat influenced by the Essenes, but he ultimately stands apart from them. His clothing was not the white linen of Essenes but was made of camel's hair. His diet of locusts and wild honey was also more austere than the Essenes. A life of ascetic renunciation was known among the Jews outside of the Essenes through the Nazarite vow (1 Sam 1:11, 28)." (Pg. 180)

He points out that The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ "opens by affirming that 'Herod Antipas was the ruler of Jerusalem' during the birth of Jesus. This is close, since the ruler at that time was a Herod, but not close enough, because it was Herod the GREAT. Non-biblical, historical sources say Herod ANTIPAS, Herod the Great's son, ruled after and not during the time of Jesus' birth. The synoptic Gospels tell us Herod Antipas put John the Baptist to death (Mt 14:1-12) and tried Jesus (Lk 23:6-15)." (Pg. 205)

Although the "New Age movement" is now passé, such alternative views of Jesus still have wide currency in the modern world, and Christians of all types will find this book a very useful counterpoint to such views.

[Randy Harris]

This is a clear and exhaustive book on the New Age Movement and it's strange and twisted understanding and complicated manipulating of the person and the claims of Jesus Christ. I found it interesting how new agers would rather study Jesus supposed "Lost Years" or how and why Jesus was actually an Essene or how He really taught Gnosism than His simple and to the point claims. Groothuis iterates nicely and precisely between these heresies and what the Bible clearly and systematically teaches about Jesus. Leaving the reader with a clear vision of how the new age movement, when faced with the simple and clear teaching of the New Testament, quickly reverts to endlessly complex belief systems that include odd unsubstantiated works like The Gospel According To Thomas or The Gospel According To James, until they have removed all the sting and power and authority from the real Christ.