May
18
New Thought on the Bible and the Gospel
“Take every Christian definition you can think of. Then redefine it with a super spiritual metamystigorical definition. There. Now you have New Thought.” — Melissa Dougherty, Happy Lies
I hadn’t originally planned on doing another post citing Dougherty’s book this week, but… that’s how it turned out. Funny thing is, this section actually comes from the chapter immediately preceding the one I quoted last week. So, if you haven’t read last week’s post yet, you might want to read this one first, as it sort of flows into the other one. (See the last sentence cited below.)
This section includes — among other things — a couple of real-life conversations Dougherty had with people heavily influenced by New Thought. (The second one is even more concerning than the first, if that’s possible.) Dougherty also gives a great presentation of the (small “o”) orthodox Christian understanding of the Gospel.
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It’s odd how New Thought leaders and adherents talk about Jesus yet reject the Bible as being literally true. I once heard a progressive reverend say he believed the Bible is trash. (Yes, he used that exact term.) I couldn’t resist the urge to push back a little, so I asked him,
“You teach a lot about what Jesus said and taught. Where do you learn this?”
“The Bible,” he responded.
I was confused. Didn’t he just say he believed the Bible was trash?
“But you don’t trust the Bible. So how do you come to the conclusion that what you’re saying about Jesus is even true?”
He hesitated. “Well, if I’m honest… I don’t really think about that. I teach what resonates with me.”
That about sums it up.
In another eye-opening conversation, I was talking with a woman who worked on staff at a Christian church. I asked her simple questions about God, the gospel, and the Bible — Christianity 101 stuff. I readily agreed with many of her answers. But others astonished me.
First was her belief in spirit guides. This Christian woman, who is made in the image of God and is valuable in my eyes, told me she believed we could have spirit guides — which she called “angels” — who would give us guidance and show us how to live in light and love. Her guides gave her heavenly messages.
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Time out. I don’t know about you, but this immediately made me think of this passage:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:6-9 (ESV))
Notice how Paul repeats himself at the end in order to drive the point home. He ain’t playin’.
Returning to Dougherty…
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Then there was her belief in the Holy Spirit. To her, following the Holy Spirit is simply following our heart. Listening to our heart equals hearing the Holy Spirit. In her view, faith is experiential. It’s through experience and listening to our heart that we truly know who God is.
What shocked me the most was her belief in hell. I asked her if she thought hell was literal. She replied,
“Oh, hell is literal, but it’s not like how some people think.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“It’s more of a frame of mind. It’s like heaven. It’s something we can have here and now or not. So we bring hell or heaven here by what we say and do.”
“So what happens after we die?” I wondered.
She looked up thoughtfully. “If I’m honest, I’m not sure.”
“Jesus seemed sure,” I challenged.
“Yeah, some of the Bible is metaphorical, you see,” she replied. “We need to be spiritually attuned to know the true meaning of what we’re reading. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in.”
I could see what was happening. Some of her views were biblical, and others were built on what she felt was right. She was uncomfortable with the historic Christian view of hell. It didn’t sit right in her heart. Therefore, it must mean something other than what Jesus plainly taught. Keep in mind this was a staff member at a Christian church. The pastor had hired her. Something is wrong here. Remember, in New Thought, hell is simply a frame of mind that’s corrected by the right thinking. And Scripture is interpreted by what “resonates” with you. The biblical view of hell didn’t “resonate” with her, so she redefined it to her liking. My new friend’s beliefs don’t align with Christianity, which teaches that hell is a real place of separation from God, and that the Bible should be interpreted based on its original meaning, not through personal feelings or opinions….
God made an objective way to test [“later”] revelation: the Bible.
It’s always a red flag when any group or person claiming to be a Christian downplays the Bible and uplifts personal experience. Take away the Bible — the most important way to verify and test someone’s personal revelation — and anyone can make any audacious claim and say it was from God.
It’s crucial we prioritize regular Bible reading and study or we will be vulnerable to these hidden New Thought ideas. Those who don’t read and study their Bible consistently are the easiest to deceive by those who misuse it. One of Satan’s best tactics is working to keep Christians ignorant of the one spiritual weapon we have in our battle against him: our Bibles, the Sword of the Spirit. If you know your Bible and are prepared to stand for what’s true, you will be a snare to the devil’s schemes instead of an unexpected accomplice.
Understandably, this might be a lot to take in. I think of everyone reading this and the millions unknowingly influenced by New Thought teachings. As I write this, I’m taking a moment to think of you. No matter where you are mentally and emotionally with what we’ve covered, God knows exactly what you’re thinking. It doesn’t surprise him. His providence and sovereignty comforted me when I struggled with what to do to help Christians see what New Thought is.
I’ll never forget my first year attending church as I was unlearning many New Thought beliefs. I heard songs like “The Great I Am” and “Christ Be Magnified” with humbled eyes and ears. They brought me to my knees. The meaning of these words matters. Similarly, the history of New Thought matters. Where New Thought came from can help us understand where we’re going. Reflecting on why I had been so drawn to this positive form of “Christianity”, I realized it wasn’t just because I wasn’t reading or studying my Bible. It was also because of my perspective on myself. New Thought beliefs place you at the center, making you feel like the chosen one, the special one who must recognize and awaken your spiritual potential, almost like discovering a hidden superpower. This distorts the gospel message, the very thing people truly need.
If New Thought were true, then that would mean Jesus didn’t die to save us from sin and he didn’t physically rise again. It would mean our God is dead, and everything we go through in life really does depend on us. It would mean repentance is not about turning away from sin and following Jesus, but rather about inner transformation and mental renewal. I rejoice because none of that is true! Jesus did rise again, he did take away our sins, and the gospel is alive. Jesus’s death and resurrection is not an allegory or a metaphor. The God who created the world and became part of his own creation to save us is alive.
Jesus says to come to and follow him for rest. He never says to look within. Rather, Scripture warns us against doing so (Prov. 3:5-6; Jer. 17:9; Gal. 5:17; Matt. 15:18). All your pain, tears, burdens, doubts, and sins become his when you place your trust in him alone. Lay them on his shoulders, and he will carry them up the hill and nail them on the cross. There is no other way.
Unlike New Thought spirituality, which emphasizes individual power, following your heart and desires, and self-realization, the gospel focuses on grace and redemption, offering peace and eternal hope, which is what people are truly seeking. He doesn’t fix your heart. He gives you a new one. These lies are like a proverbial Instagram filter that distorts your soul. But the gospel remakes your soul. It provides the assurance of unconditional love, grace, and salvation through Jesus, offering a relationship with a personal and loving God. The beauty of the Christian message makes us look to the cross with awe and wonder. It brings comfort and assurance of a purposeful, eternal life rooted in truth.
New Thought might sound Christian, but it’s a different Jesus, a different gospel, and even a different truth. It’s always mutating and is not going anywhere anytime soon, which is why there’s another element of New Thought we must cover next. It’s the secret ingredient that brings everything into perspective. New Thought — and its effects — can’t exist without a fluid view of truth.
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There’s a lot of great stuff in there! Dougherty, of course, addresses a lot more in Happy Lies regarding the roots of New Thought and some of its major promoters, what it teaches and how that flies in the face of biblical Christianity. Yet, this dangerous way of thinking not only influences many false “Christians” but to some degree many otherwise orthodox ones, as well. Highly recommended! (The book, that is; not New Thought.) 🙂
