Willis Harman's "Global Mind Change" Worldview
Willis Harman, a leading
Theosophist futurist who impacted a group of evangelical leaders back in the
late 1970s, has been a frequent topic on this blog. If one wishes to search out
the other posts on this New Age leader, simply type in his name in the search
box on the upper lefthand corner of this blog and all of the blog posts
mentioning this name will pop up.
Willis Harman wrote a book entitled Global Mind Change in 1988. The
full original title of the book was Global Mind Change: The New Age
Revolution in the Way We Think, and it was copyrighted by the Institute of
Noetic Sciences and published by Warner Books. Notice the use of the phrase "New
Age Revolution" in the subtitle. At the top of the front cover of this book is
an endorsement from the San Francisco Chronicle that says:
"There never has been a more lucid
interpretation of New Age consciousness and what it promises for the
future than the works of Willis Harman." [emphasis added]
The second edition of this book came out ten years later and was published by
The Institute of Noetic Sciences and Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. The full
title was changed to something slightly more bland: Global mind change: The
Promise Of The 21st Century. The endorsement by the San Francisco
Chronicle about a "New Age consciousness" had disappeared off the front
cover.
But these cosmetic changes didn't mean that the book's content was any less
heretical. The new edition of Harman's book included a section subtitled "The
Worldview Challenge." Harman described this futurist worldview:
"For the past three decades there have been ample
indications of a change in values emphasis, and indeed of a
shifting underlying picture of reality, among an expanding
fraction of the populace. Similar changes have been noted in most of the
modernized countries in the world. It would be premature to attempt to say with
certainty what this means; that will be the task of some future historical
analyst. However, among the elements of this paradigm change
that seem evident are the following three:
"1. Increased emphasis on the
connectedness of everything to everything--not only the 'things of
the outer world, but also our inner, subjective experience. This element tends
to be increasingly central in the ecological, feminist, holistic health,
'new spirituality,' and other social movements.
"2. A shift in the locus of authority from
external to internal. Whether in religion, politics, or science, we see
growing disenchantment with external authorities and
increasing reliance on intuitive, inner wisdom and authority. Perhaps
this shift is most apparent in emphasis on intuition and the assumption of
inner divinity in transpersonal psychology and
other forms of the 'new spirituality.'
"3. A shift in the perception of cause from
external to internal. The weak meaning of a statement like 'We create our
own reality' is that the we perceive the world around us (and ourselves) is
affected by the contents of our unconscious and preconscious minds. The stronger
meaning of such statements (and the assertion that there are no
coincidences, and that behind apparently accidental events may
lie hidden meanings and patterns) is that we are indeed
co-creators of that world and that ultimate cause is to be
sought not in the physical, but in mind, or consciousness." [bold
emphases added]
Reading the quoted material above gives an indication of just how far
neoevangelicalism has gone towards this Theosophical worldview. The shift in
authority from the Word of God to an "intuitive, inner wisdom and authority" can
be seen all around us. The focus in neoevangelicaldom has shifted to Harman's
search for the "hidden meanings and patterns" in experiences. Not unlike Rick
Warren's assertion in The Purpose-Driven Life that "It is no accident
that you are holding this book."
And note Harman's philosophy that we are "co-creators" of our world. This is a
heresy which is increasingly touted by mission organizations who are focusing on
building the kingdom of God on Earth.
The Truth:
"But draw ye hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and
the whore. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide
mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of
falsehood, Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the
children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?
"…For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name
is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart
of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:3-4; 15)
Posted by Discernment Research Group 7/24/06