When it comes to healing trauma, the Bible doesn't say too much about it. Mental illness, which is the product of trauma, was considered a demonic possession (as were all forms of illness and why Jesus could heal on the spot). Today, other than the orthodox religious, we do not believe that mental or physical illness is the result of Satan's attacks, but rather biological defects. Because of this, it can be really hard to target specific people with comforting verses in scripture, because there are none that specifically address mental or even physical illness. This is because Christianity is dedicated to dying to self and lifting up our crosses. The problem with mental illness though is that it attacks the mind in such a way that the sufferer is essentially incapable of this sort of sacrifice.
I believe this is why New Age is popular - it addresses pain and stress in a very friendly and colourful way, and of course that is attractive. But it is rooted in emotionalism and is fleeting. Still, I am entertaining the thought that New Age can act as an appendage, adding a psychological component. Now, this is murky water for two reasons: 1) It suggests that the Bible doesn't have all the answers, and 2) It can water down parts of the Bible that are popular for the public to take from, but taken out of context.
I am feeling a very strong calling to open up to this idea though, because I have never been fully on-board with the born-again Christian community: their fear-tactics very rarely affected me because blood is thicker than water and I am a Masonic legacy. Now that I am starting my own ministry, this might actually be the time to remember that while Jesus is the narrow gate (Matthew 7.13-4), the highway for God's people is broad, so that they don't lose their footing (Psalm 18.36).
I know I have come down hard on the New Age community since my born-again experience on July 19, 2019, but that is only out of love for all who are like myself - broken and defeated, and I want to warn against the self-exertion of self-healing that we do and attempt through the New Age movement. I have been mentally and physically ill from the New Age and what it asked of me and what it "offered" me, to the point I believe there is permanent damage. But I also see in it the beauty of inclusivity, the virtue of hope, and the aspiration of strength.
It hasn't been easy for me to minister the Gospel, to have my words fall on closed ears and shuttered hearts, and by no means will I compromise the message of the cross in order to win followers, but I am willing to walk with a bit of the way until it becomes evident that God will walk the entire way. I have the advantage of knowing Jesus and of never having been afraid of the New Age as my colleagues have, and so this places me in a position of timeliness that I believe is genuine and can be extremely fruitful, for both myself and those willing to get honest with themselves and God.
I have been extremely damaged by the New Age to the point that even some of its language repulses me, and I have experienced for myself and observed in my peers fruitless results. But I also believe that there is an ideal within it that might be effectively tapped into. It is within that spirit of forgiveness, healing, science, progress, sacrifice, and peace that I will work to be of the utmost service, while still maintaining the integrity of the violence that those who gave us the Bible had to endure.
I believe this is why New Age is popular - it addresses pain and stress in a very friendly and colourful way, and of course that is attractive. But it is rooted in emotionalism and is fleeting. Still, I am entertaining the thought that New Age can act as an appendage, adding a psychological component. Now, this is murky water for two reasons: 1) It suggests that the Bible doesn't have all the answers, and 2) It can water down parts of the Bible that are popular for the public to take from, but taken out of context.
I am feeling a very strong calling to open up to this idea though, because I have never been fully on-board with the born-again Christian community: their fear-tactics very rarely affected me because blood is thicker than water and I am a Masonic legacy. Now that I am starting my own ministry, this might actually be the time to remember that while Jesus is the narrow gate (Matthew 7.13-4), the highway for God's people is broad, so that they don't lose their footing (Psalm 18.36).
I know I have come down hard on the New Age community since my born-again experience on July 19, 2019, but that is only out of love for all who are like myself - broken and defeated, and I want to warn against the self-exertion of self-healing that we do and attempt through the New Age movement. I have been mentally and physically ill from the New Age and what it asked of me and what it "offered" me, to the point I believe there is permanent damage. But I also see in it the beauty of inclusivity, the virtue of hope, and the aspiration of strength.
It hasn't been easy for me to minister the Gospel, to have my words fall on closed ears and shuttered hearts, and by no means will I compromise the message of the cross in order to win followers, but I am willing to walk with a bit of the way until it becomes evident that God will walk the entire way. I have the advantage of knowing Jesus and of never having been afraid of the New Age as my colleagues have, and so this places me in a position of timeliness that I believe is genuine and can be extremely fruitful, for both myself and those willing to get honest with themselves and God.
I have been extremely damaged by the New Age to the point that even some of its language repulses me, and I have experienced for myself and observed in my peers fruitless results. But I also believe that there is an ideal within it that might be effectively tapped into. It is within that spirit of forgiveness, healing, science, progress, sacrifice, and peace that I will work to be of the utmost service, while still maintaining the integrity of the violence that those who gave us the Bible had to endure.
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