‘This Is the Core Belief of New Thought’: Apologist Uncovers Deceptive Theologies

Published

2 days ago

June 4, 2025

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Share Tweet By Tr Goins-Phillips Editor
June 3, 2025

With more than half of American adults accepting at least one New Age belief, according to the Pew Research Center, it’s no wonder adjacent New Thought ideas are creeping into the church.

There are, though, very distinct differences between the doctrines of the New Age and New Thought.

While the New Age movement a product of the 20th century merges a myriad of Eastern religions and a pantheistic view of divinity, New Thought beliefs arose in the 19th century and are rooted in early Christian ideas and view Jesus as the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment and achievement.

Melissa Dougherty, a Christian apologist who once subscribed to the tenets of New Thought, appeared on the most recent episode of CBN’s “Faith in Culture,” where she warned against the dangerous doctrines many believers might be tempted to accept as part of the Christian faith.

“I believe that New Thought will deceive Christians before the New Age will, because it’s made to look and sound Christian,” she said, going on to concisely define New Thought as “the positive thinking movement in America with Jesus as its mascot.”

The “core belief” of the New Thought movement, Dougherty explained, is human beings are in and of themselves “divine.” But that is not what is found in the pages of Scripture.

Dougherty is the author of “Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World,” and she approaches the New Thought movement from an interesting vantage point: as one who once unwittingly adopted its dangerous doctrines.

Some of the Bible verses that, on the surface, might seem to align with New Thought ideas are (NLT): “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” John 14:12 “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21

In the first passage, being made “in the image of God” means human beings possess certain attributes like souls, personalities, the ability to reason, a desire for truth and purpose that, unlike animals, help humans relate to their Creator. It does not mean, however, that humans are co-creators on par with God.

The second passage, in which Jesus said His followers will do “even greater works,” is not an indication human beings will surpass the Son of God in the quality of their works, like performing more impressive or robust miracles or supernatural phenomena. Rather, Jesus was explaining those who succeed Him as His disciples will perform a greater quantity of works in Jesus’ name than He did over the course of His three-year ministry on earth.

In the third passage, when Solomon asserted that the words humans speak “can bring death or life,” the author was highlighting the real and significant consequences that accompany what people say. For example, sharing wisdom with friends can set healthy trajectories for their lives, while withholding critical information from them in times of need can result in serious harm.

Check out the “Faith in Culture” Podcast:

Dougherty said the context of Scripture rather than the readers’ feelings should determine how it is interpreted.

“What I should be asking is: ‘Who wrote it? ‘Why did they write it?’ ‘Who did they write it to?’ ‘What is the actual purpose of this message?’” she said. “And then draw [lessons] from [the Scripture].”

You can watch the rest of our conversation in the video above or check out the extended “Faith in Culture” Podcast, where Dougherty spoke at length about her personal testimony and how the New Thought movement is infiltrating the Christian church.

As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwires daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.

Politics

Scottish Labour win Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election as SNP suffer shock defeat

Published

29 mins ago

June 6, 2025

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Scottish Labour win Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election as SNP suffer shock defeat

Scottish Labour’s Davy Russell has won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.

Mr Russell took top spot with 8,559 votes. The SNP placed second with 7,957 votes, with Reform UK closely taking third with 7,088 votes.

The new MSP said he was “proud” to have been elected, adding: “I said in this campaign that I will put this community, our community first.

“I will work every single day to do that.”

The by-election was called following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.

The Scottish government minister died in March at the age of 57, having last year taken medical leave to undergo treatment for secondary breast cancer.

South Lanarkshire councillor Katy Loudon had hoped to retain the Holyrood seat for the SNP, given her party’s heavy losses to Labour at last year’s UK general election.

First Minister John Swinney congratulated Mr Russell following the result.

In a post on X, the SNP leader said Ms Loudon had “fought a superb SNP campaign”.

He added: “We have made progress since the election last year but not enough. We still have work to do and we will do it.”

All eyes were also on Reform UK and whether it would enjoy a “tartan bounce” in light of the party’s recent slew of local election wins in England.

With Reform UK never having won an election in Scotland, party deputy leader Richard Tice said candidate Ross Lambie coming in third was a “massive boost for us”.

He added: “It’s a fantastic result, just a few hundred votes away from the SNP, nobody predicted that.

“I think that sets us up with excitement and momentum for the next 11 months into the Holyrood elections.”

Mr Russell said the constituents had voted to “take a new direction” with his party.

He added: “Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP.

“They’ve broken our NHS, wasted our money, and after nearly two decades they don’t deserve another chance.”

Mr Russell said the community had also “sent a message” to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage “and his mob tonight”.

He added: “The poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland, and we don’t want your division here.

“Reform have no real answers to the issues we face, and they can’t beat the SNP here or replace them across Scotland.”

Mr Russell said his party was ready to “fix” the NHS and “end the SNP’s addiction to wasting your money”.

He added: “The road to a new direction for Scotland in 2026 – with Anas Sarwar as first minister and a Scottish Labour government – begins right here. So, let’s go and win it together.”

Ten candidates went head-to-head in the Holyrood by-election:

• Collette Bradley, Scottish Socialist Party – 278 votes
• Andy Brady, Scottish Family Party – 219 votes
• Ross Lambie, Reform UK – 7,088 votes
• Katy Loudon, Scottish National Party (SNP) – 7,957 votes
• Janice MacKay, UK Independence Party (UKIP) – 50 votes
• Ann McGuinness, Scottish Green Party – 695 votes
• Aisha Mir, Scottish Liberal Democrats – 533 votes
• Richard Nelson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party – 1,621 votes
• Davy Russell, Scottish Labour Party – 8,559 votes
• Marc Wilkinson, Independent – 109 votes

The votes were verified and manually counted at South Lanarkshire Council headquarters in Hamilton.

Campaigning became heated in the run up to the by-election, with Reform UK accused of running a “racist” ad on Facebook against Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Reform leader Mr Farage continued to double down, accusing his rival of “sectarian politics”.

In response, the Scottish Labour MSP branded Mr Farage a “poisonous little man” and accused him of running a “campaign of dirt and smear”.

First Minister Mr Swinney had earlier warned it was a “two-horse race” between the SNP and Reform UK, urging voters to “defeat the gutter politics” of Mr Farage.

With less than a year to go before the Scottish parliament election, the result potentially offers a snapshot of how the political landscape north of the border could look in 2026.

Mr Sarwar said: “I think people need to change the script, because we’ve proven the pollsters wrong.

“We’ve proven the commentators wrong, we’ve proven the bookies wrong. We’ve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.”

UK