Another Encounter with The New Age Movement

I have just returned from a meeting with a parent. Her daughter, who was visiting with one of her friends, recently made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ at church. After arriving at the parent's home, we chatted about the weather and the current housing market. I then moved into telling her about her daughter's decision for Christ. I have done this a hundred times, and you never quite know what to expect. Tears of joy, laughter, an angry parent, a confused parent, etc. After delivering the news of her daughter's decision, this mother pondered for a moment, and then said, "well, we of course know that all paths lead to God." Once again, I was hurled into a conversation with a New Ager.

This post is not to convince you New Agers that you are wrong. This post is a plea for Bible believing Christians to have a solid and ready defense for the accuracy and historicity of the Bible. Now, the Bible does not need our help. Charles Spurgeon once said that the Bible is like a lion. You don't have to help a lion; "just turn him loose." But Christians need to always be ready to "make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3:15).

As our conversation began, she told me about another church that had recently visited her. The two people from the church continually said the same thing, "Your heart is wrong, you need the truth." Although that may be a fine beginning point, they were unable to move forward with why her heart was wrong, specifically, why she needed to believe the Bible. Apparently, the conversation took an ugly turn and the church guys left upset. A ready defense of your faith and the Bible does not lead to anger in a conversation. Rather, it leads to a calm, confident, knowledgable discussion. Here is what happened today with me:

We finally melted down her belief structure to this point: the Bible is not reliable because it was written and researched by man. I hear this attack of the Bible more than any other single concern. To her credit, this parent remained very calm, and she allowed herself to listen, just as I was making sure she knew I was listening to her. That is the next point. You must listen when defending your faith. They will not listen to you if you do not listen to them.

I wish I could tell you that she immediately accepted Christ on the spot. But, we had a wonderful discussion. A very powerful seed was planted, and at the end of our discussion, she commented on how calm I was and that she had never seen a Christian remain so calm talking to her. Now, this has nothing to do with how great I am. All that happened was that I was ready with my defense, I did not get angry or blow up, and I listened to her. Those three simple things were radical to her, and as I left, she said, "I may need to adjust a few things so that my daughter can continue with her decision." She then gave me a tour of her house because I had told her that Andi and I were looking! What could have been a horrible experience was a divine appointment for me. What appointments does God have for you today?

Three things to remember when talking to a New Ager.

1. Have a ready defense of your faith. Not, "I just have always believed that way."
2. Do not get angry or flustered.
3. Listen to what they are saying.

If you want to know some great literature on the accuracy of the Bible and making a defense of your faith, send me an email. I will be happy to help you.