'Comfortable' Christianity contributing to growth of interest in Occult, Astrology among Millennials, pastors say

As millennials are increasingly turning away from organized religion and becoming more interested in the occult and astrology, some pastors have surmised that the trend is being fueled by unbelief and comfortable Christianity.

The industry analysis firm IBIS World has found that the psychic services industry — which includes astrology, aura reading, mediumship, tarot-card reading and palmistry, among other metaphysical services — has grown two percent between 2011 and 2016.

Meanwhile, a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center has found that a majority of American adults no longer believe that it is necessary to believe in God to have good morals.

Pastors who spoke with The Christian Post believe that churches have been unable to stop the trend due to lack of spiritual power and because Christians have become too comfortable.

Wanda Alger, a field correspondent with Intercessors for America, noted that some churches try to study the spiritual realm, but she believes that they are often marginalized due to "misunderstandings or possible lack of biblical integrity."

She noted that people have a "natural" desire to learn about the spiritual realm "our very DNA connects us" to that realm because human beings are made in God's image and God is Spirit.

"Unfortunately, unless the church provides the proper context for this reality, nonbelievers will look elsewhere to satisfy their spiritual hunger," said Alger, who is also a pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Winchester, Virginia.

She warned that all other experiences with the spiritual realm — be they from psychics, astrologists, or mediums -— are counterfeits that are aiming to replace something that is very real and powerful.

Alger had observed that Hollywood has recently been paying greater attention to the spiritual realm and the supernatural, leading unsuspecting seekers into deceptive experiences that only yield more spiritual darkness.

She said that the church needs to "wake up to the reality of this realm and begin to approach it from a Kingdom perspective which understands its place and purpose" rather than labeling everything supernatural as "demonic."

Ken Thornberg, executive director of Freedom Encounters, an interdenominational equipping and deliverance ministry in Boise, Idaho, said he believes that "the Enemy" has convinced church leaders that people will be disinterested in Christianity if they start to "walk in signs, wonders, miracles, and healing."

He had noticed that some youths who hear about stories of supernatural from people involved in the occult are intrigued, but he warned that those are "nothing but imitations of what the Holy Spirit can do in people's lives."

"But the youth don't know that because they have not been taught or they have not experienced it. But they want to," he added.

Thornberg observed that when he tells young people about the Holy Spirit's power and work in the world that he has seen personally, they are wide-eyed and engaged, but he lamented that many pastors seem to avoid such testimonies out of fear.

"But my Bible says that the Enemy is the author of fear," he said. "When millennials see the faith and the power and the excitement of others in the occult, they don't see fear, they see curiosity" and a call to do exciting things, when such language ought to be coming out of the leadership of the Body of Christ, he added.

He contended that churches cannot afford to ignore the demonic realm especially since it has been manifesting in the observable world in the last several years.