Compiled By S. E. Ray

Since the mid-nineteenth century, many new esoteric spiritual movements have often portrayed Jesus as a sage, philosopher and occult teacher, whose views have been in alignment with Eastern teachings. This idea runs for example through works of the ‘Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ’ and the work of Madame Blavatsky of the Theosophical movement, Rudolf Steiner and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Ironically, these depictions have a great deal in common with the concepts, which increasingly dominate the mainstream biblical scholarship in today’s seminaries, especially following the rediscovery of the Gnostic Gospels found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. In modern scholarly writing and Christian movements, Jesus has become more of a Gnostic mystic than the traditional orthodox Christian understanding as being the redeemer of mankind.

In the last quarter-century, the New Age Jesus has rapidly become known as one who taught mystical teachings related to those of various clandestine orders and traditions, and that early Christian doctrine involved Buddhist teachings like reincarnation and meditation. Moreover, these works present Jesus as a Gnostic revealer of mysteries whose deeds have a symbolic rather than historical importance. Forgeries like Levi Dowling’s Aquarian Gospel, which replicated much of the early texts like the ‘Gospel of Truth’ and others, had little impact on the mainstream churches in the 60's. In the last 40 years, these radical interpretations managed to reach a wide audience through the diverse esoteric movements that attracted millions of people worldwide. Long before the discoveries at Nag Hammadi, the public was softened and conditioned to accept the different portraits of Jesus contained in the new gospels.

There is a common thread that ties earlier pseudo-gospels to contemporary New Age and esoteric writings. The Jesus of today's movement is seen as someone who could equally speak for Buddhism or Hinduism as for any form of Christianity. Largely ignored by most writers regarding Christian trends, the New Age Jesus continues to flourish, and to stimulate countless books from New Age leaders and Christian writers. One of the best known of such efforts was Jacob Needleman’s study, which bore the title of 'Lost Christianity'. Also very popular has been the book 'A Course in Miracles', and the many books it has spawned since its first appearance in 1975. The Course claims to be a series of revelations dictated by Jesus himself through a channeling process. The book shares the fundamental Gnostic principle that the material world is the product of false perception, of error and delusion. This premise may be familiar to many from the teachings of the Christian Science sect established by Mary Baker Eddy, to which ‘A Course in Miracles’ has many analogies. Gnostic teachings as a whole fully reject the concept of evil, the crucifixion, and any emphasis upon the resurrection.

What is known as the “New Age” is now being presented as “new gospel” within and without the church universal. These teachings are not new but have actually been around for centuries in one form or another. Whether it was ancient Gnosticism, the occultist teachings of Helena Blavatsky and Alice A. Bailey, or the present day “new gospel” channeling. They all teach we are all divine and fully connected to God without need of any mythical redemptive works of Christ. Each esoteric framework including Theosophical-Occult, Pseudoscientific, and Metaphysical declares that Jesus is not the unique son of God of orthodox Christianity, nor is his role as a spiritual teacher, though acknowledged as important, in any way exclusive. They will agree that Jesus is divine, but not more so than any other person.

The New Age presents Jesus Christ as the enlightened master or world teacher of the Piscean astrological dispensation. That Jesus is a man who, through a series of occult initiations that is considered to have taken place over multiple reincarnations, completes a process of spiritual evolution (or occult initiation). Through this he achieves the office of "the Christ" and joins a fellowship of other ascended masters, variously described as including Buddha, Melchizedesk, St. Germain and other important spiritual or occult figures of the past. According to ‘A Course in Miracles,’ Jesus was merely a man, but the first to remove the veil of unreality created by the ego and to fully understand the illusory nature of sin and evil. In doing this he was able to practice true forgiveness that the Course defines as denying the reality of one’s own sin and that of others. Jesus is thus the preeminent example of right thinking as promoted by the New Age.

'A Course in Miracles' with its attached 'Workbook for Students and Manual for Teachers' totals 1,188 pages. It was purportedly channeled through Helen Schucman, an atheistic Jewish psychologist at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, with assistance from Schucman’s colleague Dr. William Thetford. The writings are impressive both in the scope and in the apparently supernatural manner in which it was produced, and it is the combination of these factors that constitutes the argument for a supernatural connection to Jesus. However, as one should know, channeling is not of a benevolent origin. Channeling is a human transient for ancient fallen spirits dwelling upon the earthly plane, demonic spirits eager to deceive the easily beguiled in which there is abundant quantity.

As with the teaching of Jesus’ identity, there is complete agreement among the various New Age revelations that his message and mission do not correspond to the major doctrines of biblical Christianity, most importantly, that (1) man stands morally guilty before a personal, holy God; that as such (2) he is under the sentence of eternal punishment, and that (3) salvation is based on the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. None of the New Age teachings reject the Bible. Instead, they will (1) engage in its radical reinterpretation along non-historical lines, (2) attack the authenticity of its written message, (3) deny that the apostolic authors properly understood Jesus’ message, (4) reject the compiled New Testament canon in favor of Gnostic gospels, or (5) mix some combination of the first four methods.

Many New Agers state that one should question the biblical picture of Jesus’ person, message and mission on the basis of second and third century documents such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Nag Hammadi materials, which depict him as a teacher of Gnostic secrets, is dismissed by the majority of New Testament scholars. New Agers also claim the process of establishing the canon of the New Testament was a politically controlled and biased matter, with the Gnostic gospels excluded and suppressed because they embarrassed orthodox Christians. This position is not at all supported by an objective evaluation from the facts of history. While the scripture does not deviate from it's message and each proponent maintains a relevant position, the competing New Age Jesus revelations sharply conflict with one another. As with any lie, each position will be in conflict and while one may reasonably expect them to be consistent among themselves, they are not.

The content of New Age position stands diametrically opposed to what the historical evidence reveals about Jesus’ person, work, and message. For a New Ager to accept the historical Jesus described in the New Testament is to undermine the system for which they stand, but to reject the New Testament account is to discount the most substantial historical records for Jesus not withstand the other secular writings like by historian Flavius Josephus which clearly upholds the New Testament account. Commonly called “Catch 22” they are caught in a no win situation. The New Age Jesus revelations are both an "ignorance of history" and a departure from reason. They ignore history because they are established on subjective, contemporary experiences that contradict the factual historical records; they depart from reason because they can only be accepted as authentic by ignoring the contradictions upheld by Gnostic incongruencies.

Today, many undiscerning Christians are falling prey to the deceiving spirit of spiritual delusion. This same spirit has invaded the church and is breeding a new message not in alignment with the ordained scripture. Warren Smith in his book 'Reinventing Jesus Christ: The New Gospel' states "This spirit promotes that it is a time for “breakthroughs” and for the fulfillment of our “destiny”; that there is something “new” and exciting to be discovered. This teaching claims that we are in the midst of a great “transition” that will result in a “paradigm shift,” and that through “new revelation” and “personal experience” God is in the process of taking the church to a “new dimension” and to a whole “new level.” Many Christian leaders today are so sure that what they are hearing and experiencing is from God, they are rarely testing the spirits, or even considering the possibility that they are being deceived."

Paul taught that if he or anyone else preached any other gospel, new revelation or message of Christ, that person should be completely ignored (Galatians 1:8). The Bible warns us many times that we should not allow ourselves to be influenced or intimidated by teachings that originate from the corrupt spirit world and from the hearts of fallen men. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). “But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Mark 7:7).

The apostle Paul went to great lengths to warn the Corinthians not to be deceived by a “Jesus” that wasn’t Jesus Christ the Son of God, a spirit that wasn’t the Holy Spirit and a gospel that was not the true biblical Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Throughout the New Testament, believers are reminded not to be deceived by teachings that are not from God. Furthermore, Jesus Christ shared with his disciples that large-scale spiritual deception would be a sign of the end times (Matthew 24:3–4).