Ashby and Coalville Methodist Circuit

What the New Age Is Still Saying to the Church
by John Drane

Synopsis
Christians are often dismissive of the New Age, condemning outright its values and spiritual messages. Yet the New Age has a huge following and has in recent years expanded and deepened its influence throughout the world. John Drane has spoken to New Agers across the world and in this book explores how the church can learn to address the real need of these people. He explains what the New Age is and looks at themes such as "going within", "searching for the unknown" and "healing".

Reviewed by Philip Johnson
This book is a revised and expanded edition of What is the New Age Saying to the Church?, which was published in 1991. Since that time New Age spirituality has saturated much of western culture, and this new edition reflects the author's mature reflections in the intervening years.

The text charts the basic territory of how to recognise the elements of New Age spirituality, considers various definitions, and explores why this spirituality has had such an impact on western culture. Drane argues that the assumptions of modern culture, with its exclusive emphases on science and rationalism, has collapsed. The crisis of western culture has produced an alternate way of viewing both the cosmos and life. This perspective, known as postmodernity, accepts the benefits of modern discoveries, but sees its denial of the spirit as being dysfunctional. The cure for the malaise of our time is often viewed in the rediscovery of spirituality. In this respect, the postmodern spiritual seeker looks back to pre-modern sources, and then applies them to the modern world. If you wish New Age resacralises the modern world. Drane sees New Age as the spiritual expression of the postmodern mindset.

Drane also explores some unsettling questions for Christians. He asserts that New Age has not arisen in a vacuum, but rather seeks to shore up what has been found lacking in the institution of the church. He believes that the church has become so enmeshed in the tools and mindset of modernity that it is losing its way in nurturing people. He believes that the New Age is addressing theological challenges to the Church in several areas such as spirituality, community, creation theology and healing. He argues that rather than being a threat, New Age goads Christians to re-explore their own heritage and to reimagine and redefine the faith.

This is an eminently readable book and deserves wide circulation in Christian circles. Unlike a lot of other literature than encourages "satanic panic" about new age, Drane calmly and sensibly points the way forward for Christians to be effective servants of Christ in postmodernity.

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