What is New Thought spirituality?

New Thought is a metaphysical belief system that emphasizes the power of the mind, positive thinking, and self-realization. It often teaches that humans can co-create reality with God through words or thoughts, which conflicts with biblical teaching on God's sovereignty and human dependence on Him.

How is New Age different from New Thought?

While both are rooted in spiritual self-empowerment, New Age focuses more on mysticism, energy, and occult practices, whereas New Thought tends to merge self-help psychology with spirituality. Both distort the gospel and deny the sufficiency of Scripture.

Why should Christians be concerned about these teachings?

These teachings undermine biblical truth, promote self-dependence over God-dependence, and introduce counterfeit spiritual practices into churches and Christian media. Discernment is essential to remain faithful to God's Word.

Where can I learn more about New Age and New Thought deception?

Doreen Virtue’s book, 'How to Avoid New Age and New Thought Deception,' offers a helpful biblical critique of these spiritual movements and shares her personal journey out of deception. You can find it on Amazon or through her website.

New Thought and New Age With Doreen Virtue

Name: How to Avoid New Age and New Thought Deception
Author: Doreen Virtue

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 1 min read

Exposing New Age and New Thought Deception with Doreen Virtue

In this episode of Contending for the Word, Dave Jenkins is joined by Doreen Virtue to examine the rise of New Age and New Thought spirituality and its growing influence on the culture and the church.

Drawing from Scripture and Doreen’s powerful personal testimony, they expose how mysticism, self-help ideologies, and false teachings infiltrate Christian language and beliefs. This conversation highlights the vital importance of biblical authority and discernment in recognizing and rejecting deception.

Topics We Cover:

The difference between New Age and New Thought beliefs
Why these deceptions attract Christians
How mysticism and self-help culture distort the gospel
The blending of New Age ideas with prosperity theology
Biblical authority as the standard for truth
Doreen’s powerful testimony out of deception
How to stand firm in God’s Word and help others discern truth

📚 Get Doreen’s book:
How to Avoid New Age and New Thought Deception

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https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-wordpage/

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📆 Coming Saturday on The Weekly Watch – July 12
📺 Biblical Authority vs. Modern Mysticism: Testing Every Spirit in the Age of Feelings

Dave Jenkins( Executive Director )

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.

Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.

He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).

You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.

When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.

Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

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