Glossary Index - Charts

  New Age Terms in the Church 

Compiled by Sarah Leslie

BUZZ WORD

TRADITIONAL MEANING

MISLEADING MEANING

REAL MEANING

New Age

Eph. 2:7 That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Jesus Christ.

Anything cutting-edge modern in the late 20th or early 21st century.

A time period marked by massive changes in human spiritual evolution, particularly when mankind reaches the point where he can facilitate his own evolution to the next level.

Holistic

The whole of something is greater than the sum of its parts.

A unity of various entities that creates a synergy greater than its separate parts.

Cooperative unity from different spheres of human activity that leads to creating a cosmic consciousness.

Synergy

Working together in cooperation.

The power of working together that creates a more effective accomplishment.

Combining the psychic energy of two systems into a potent new fusion of forces to facilitate the evolution of mankind.

Transfor-
mation

To change the form or outward appearance.

To change the way of doing something from the old-fashioned way to a new-fangled way.

A plan to change the entire spiritual, cultural, educational, economic, social and political structure of man’s life on Earth.

Paradigm

A pattern, example or model.

A transformative model or worldview that brings in abundant new material and practices.

A pattern for the unfolding of events in the New Spirituality, particularly the evolutionary leap of mankind.

Paradigm Shift

(Tipping Point, Critical Mass)

A shift from one worldview or belief system to another.

A shift from the traditional Judeo-Christian mindset to eastern mysticism. In the church, a shift to a higher level of spiritual understanding and practice.

A spiritual shift where man becomes a co-creator in his own destiny; an evolution in the consciousness of mankind.

Alignment

An arrangement in a straight line.

Spiritually, in the church growth model, bringing your will into conformity with the vision and goals of your local church.

The metaphysical belief that one must coordinate their bodily, mental, emotional and spiritual functions with the forces in the Universe for maximum benefit and effect.

Resistance

BAD: Resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). GOOD: Resist the devil (James 4:7)

Resistance to change, due to an improper clinging to old worn-out theology, which if left unchecked could cause disunity and delay progress.

Resistance to change threatens the entire evolutionary process. Resistors/laggards possess remnants of a reptilian brain and will not evolve. They must be eradicated.

Change Agent

Recent term meaning one in charge of making changes.

A person designated to be in charge of the transformation of an organization.

A highly-trained leader in psycho-social group manipulation techniques who forces transformation through a series of set stages.

Leadership

The first shall be last and the last first. (Mark 10:31)

A leader is a servant who is willing to sacrifice himself in order to transform the church.

Transformational leaders ensure followers embrace the vision and goals, rewarding the compliant and penalizing laggards.

Team

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labour. (Eccl. 4:9)

Small number of people with complementary skills committed to a common purpose.

Indoctrinated sheep who are controlled by peer pressure, rewards and sanctions, and who see themselves as part of a greater transformative plan.

Collaboration

Working together in a literary, artistic or scientific undertaking.

Working together, especially through networking various organizations, in order to achieve a common purpose.

Merging delivery services at all levels, fully networking so that independence and individual identity are lost.

Networking

A system of interconnected groups or individuals.

New Age slang for linking people up who have common vision on a global scale. In the church, linking ministries globally for a common purpose.

A system of interconnected organizations, including churches and political entities, cooperating to build the New World Order and New Age on Earth.

Mentor

A wise advisor, teacher or coach.

Replacing the Biblical term “disciple,” a term that means coaching or facilitating changes in someone’s worldview, lifestyle and/or behavior.

A person who imparts their vital force (demonic) to another through spiritual means. Mentor was a professor of theology in Baghdad 1100 A.D. who was able to manage phenomena during seances.

Disciple

Noun: a pupil or learner.

Verb: Teach and train someone.

“Go and teach all nations,” a Great Commission mandate to reach the lost.

Rigorous adherence to a prescribed program or set of teachings in order to convert whole groups of people to the New Spirituality.

Learning

Acquiring new knowledge, wisdom or skills.

Processing new information via affective and cognitive domains and applying it to common goals, visions, plans and purposes.

Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Tim. 3:7)

Spiritual Gifts

Special gifts that come from God and are bestowed upon individual believers for the edification of the body of Christ.

Talents and skills that show up on psychological-style assessments and inventories that plug a believer into a program at church.

Possessing superior spiritual knowledge and abilities through external manifestations (signs & wonders) and/or behavioral demonstration (being “with the program” and achieving results).

Results (Outcomes)

Anything that comes about through an action or process.

A narrowly defined performance objective, usually defined in terms of behavior. A goal to be attained.

An outcome that is pre-determined, which must be met behaviorally or attitudinally, and is either rewarded or sanctioned based upon performance.

Effective

Producing an efficient result.

Pre-set criteria for judging a result (see above).

A standard, based on uniform criteria, that must be met consistently without failure.

Accoun-
tability

Accounting for one’s actions; being responsible.

Meeting the obligations and requirements of an organization by demonstrating compliance.

Fulfilling the rigid, precise and exacting demands of a higher authority according to pre-set criteria.

Responsible Citizenship

Obeying the law and voting.

Getting involved in community-based organizations that assist the poor and needy or care for the environment.

Fulfilling State mandated requirements to engage in community service, volunteerism, and government funded (faith-based) charities.

Healthy

Possessing good health, well, sound.

Physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological well-being.

Demonstrating the proper opinions, beliefs, attitudes, values, behavior and physical attributes according to pre-set criteria of wellness.

Vision

Something seen in a sleeping dream; an extraordinary, God-given event.

A mental image formed in the mind by the imaginations and desires of the heart.

A metaphysical practice in which a mental image becomes reality, either through spiritual or physical endeavors.

Visualization

Forming a mental image of something.

Forming a mental image of something for the purpose of producing external effects.

A metaphysical practice in which spirits are called up, healing is achieved, a goal is attained, or the demonic world is explored.

Strategic Planning

Planning in a way that requires some strategy.

A method of making plans that requires facilitating the outcomes so there is group consensus.

A method of planning which requires the use of psycho-social group manipulation techniques to achieve the desired outcome.

Consensus

Agreement through open discussion.

Seeking mutual understanding on any given topic, especially by giving up one’s own preferences.

Forcing agreement by using psycho-social group manipulation techniques to reach the desired outcome. Requires that one give up their convictions.

Common Ground

Any ground held in common by the people; an area in which people mutually find agreement.

Using the dialectic process, an agreement among people reflecting a synthesis of the lowest common denominator.

Using the dialectic process, an agreement among people that “ameliorates the extremes,” thus effectually dispensing with tolerance for diversity.

Purpose-Driven

Setting a goal and seeking to attain it.

Setting an individual or organizational goal and taking comprehensive steps to achieve systemic change.

Outcome-based, peer-driven, performance, demands for accountability, and pre-determined results, based on pre-set global standards.

Standards

Ethical conduct derived from Biblical criteria.

A level of excellence to be attained by organizations or individuals, defined by new theologies.

A new level of mastery attained through radical transformation in structure and conduct.

Mastery

Attaining a high degree of skill, ability or knowledge.

Demonstrating that one has learned pre-determined attitudes, values, opinions, beliefs and behaviors.

Metaphysically pertaining to a spiritual master who has been trained to transmit knowledge, and exhibits a state of “self-actualization,” “God-consciousness” or enlightenment.

Systems

An arrangement of things that form a whole.

A theory that the world is a system and that everything is interconnected and interdependent to form a whole.

A esoteric belief that the Earth (Gaia) is a living, breathing organism, and that all systems on Earth must be brought into compliance and submission to the global governance system.

Revival

Stirring up religious faith among those who have been indifferent.

An experience-based event in which people profess change, make decisions, encounter phenomena, or undergo catharsis.

A global transformation of the church in which people are subject to experience-based events through occult influences and/or smoke and mirrors.

Seeker

Someone searching for the Truth.

Someone who seeks a path to truth, engaged in a course of self-discovery and self-actualization.

Someone who is on a quest to becoming an initiate into the occult through spiritual experiences.

Self-Actualization

Term not found in the Bible

In humanistic psychology, a term coined by Abraham Maslow which means living up to your full potential.

In the New Age, a term defining a spiritually evolved individual who has attained a higher level of consciousness.

Atonement

What Jesus did for us on the cross for our sins.

A restoration to wholeness from a fallen or injured state.

At-one-ment, making what appears to be divided into a whole; achieving perfection.

Path

“Blessed is the man that... standeth not in the way of sinners. (Ps. 1:1)

Any method of self-discovery leading to higher potential.

Spiritual progress towards a deeper encounter with the occult involving various experiences where one comes to a sense of purpose or enlightenment.

 

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