Episode 70 - Sweet Dreams

🎙 Sweet Dreams: Paganism, Cults, and the Return of Mysticism

In this episode of Teleios Talk, host Wendell Martens confronts a sobering truth: paganism, cults, and mysticism aren’t just outside the church anymore — they’re being welcomed in. From New Age crystals and “Christian” tarot readings to self-styled prophets and inclusive spirituality, the modern church is blurring the lines between truth and tolerance.

Drawing from Scripture, history, and cultural analysis, Wendell exposes how ancient deceptions are reappearing in modern forms — and how believers are being subtly drawn into syncretism disguised as “self-care” and “spiritual awakening.” Through a deep dive into paganism, cults and mysticism, and the crisis of tolerance within today’s church, this episode calls Christians to return to holiness, discernment, and uncompromising devotion to God’s Word.

Featuring insights from thinkers like Tom Holland, Rodney Stark, and Nancy Pearcey, along with timeless warnings from Scripture, Sweet Dreams challenges listeners to wake up to the spiritual war within the church.

Because not everything labeled “spiritual” is sacred — and not every silence is grace.

Transcript

SWEET DREAMS

Introduction

Today, we confront a sobering reality: paganism, cults, and mysticism are not just outside the church —they're being welcomed in. From New Age crystals to Christian tarot readings, the lines are blurring, and tolerance is replacing truth. As Paul warned, in 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine” Have we reached that time? 

Join us as we expose the subtle deceptions infiltrating pulpits and pews —and call believers back to the holiness and discernment God commands in Romans 12:2. This isn’t just cultural assimilation — it’s spiritual war!

In 2025, a viral TikTok trend called “Christian Witches Unite” gained over 50 million views. Young influencers proudly displayed crystals, chanted incantations, and claimed Jesus was just another “ascended master.” They blended Scripture with spells, quoted both the Bible and “The Secret,” and labeled it inclusive spirituality. And what was more shocking? Many churches said nothing.

This isn’t a new idea. In ancient Rome, Christianity spread in a world saturated with paganism, mystery cults, and mystical rites. The early church stood in radical contrast —proclaiming Christ as the way, as we read in John 14:6, and not just another way. But today, the spirit of syncretism has returned. Modern mysticism is dressed in self-care, tolerance, and spiritual exploration —but its roots trace back to Baal, Babylon, and burning incense to demons.

The church’s tolerance in the name of “love” is becoming complicit in these actions. As Israel once did, we’re mixing holy and profane, and God’s warning still echoes: “They have forsaken Me and have followed other gods” (Jeremiah 11:10, NASB). This episode is a call to awaken — to expose the seductive lies infiltrating our faith and return to the purity of the gospel. Because not everything labeled “spiritual” is sacred — and not every silence is grace.

Paganism

We are going to look at Paganism in Scripture and ancient cultures as well as how it influences how we worship God and our view of God.

Paganism isn’t just ancient idol worship. It’s any system that replaces the one true God with a counterfeit — whether that’s Baal, Artemis, or “manifesting your destiny.” The Bible is clear when it says in Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before Me”. Yet from Genesis to Revelation, God's people are repeatedly tempted to blend in with the world’s spiritual systems.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah faced down 450 prophets of Baal. The people of Israel had turned from Yahweh to fertility gods who promised prosperity in exchange for sacrifice. The result? Spiritual compromise, national decay, and divine judgment.

In Acts 17, Paul confronts Athens —full of idols, philosophies, and an altar “to an unknown god.” Paganism always seems to multiply its gods to match human appetites. Christianity, by contrast, is exclusive: In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me”.

In his book “Dominion” historian Tom Holland writes that early Christians “redefined what it meant to be religious… by rejecting the gods of Rome entirely” (Holland, 2019). From the start, the true church refused to compromise with pagan culture —and that refusal made it dangerous.

Worship forms us. Who or what we worship shapes our desires, ethics, and identity. Paganism doesn’t just distort doctrine — it disfigures the soul. Psalm 115:4–8 declares: “Their idols are silver and gold… Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them.” In other words, we become what we worship. Ancient Israel’s worship of Molech led to child sacrifice, as we read in Jeremiah 32:35. Fertility cults promoted sexual anarchy. Even in Rome, the gods mirrored human vice: lust, rage, deceit, and drunkenness.

Today, modern paganism is far more subtle. Yoga, astrology, energy crystals, horoscopes, and even progressive spirituality are repackaged forms of ancient mysticism. These practices teach self-deification, relativism, and emotional truth over God’s revelation. As John Mark Comer puts it, “We are not becoming less religious —we are becoming differently religious… The West is not secularizing. It is re-paganizing” (Live No Lies, 2021).

Paganism appeals to the flesh by giving spiritual legitimacy to sin and self-worship. And when the church embraces this mindset, it loses its witness and warps its worship. Paganism had a negative effect on believers in the old Testament, new Testament, early Church, and today's modern church.

In the Old Testament: Paganism infected Israel again and again. God’s people built golden calves (Exodus 32), married idol-worshippers (Judges 3:5–6), and even brought pagan idols into the temple (2 Kings 21:7). Every time this happened, God responded with judgment and exile.

During the New Testament: Paul addressed syncretism head-on. In Galatians, he rebuked believers for returning to “weak and worthless elemental things” (Galatians 4:9, NASB). In Corinth, he warned against mixing temple sacrifices with the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 10:21). Pagan thought and practice was a clear and present danger to the church’s purity.

Even in the Early Church: we see Tertullian, ,writing around 200 AD condemned the blending of Christian and pagan ideas: “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church?” (Prescription Against Heretics).Compromise wasn’t debated —it was rejected.

Our Modern Church is guilty as well: the Barna Group reports that 62% of self-professing Christians believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life.” Meanwhile, churches host New Age wellness events, spiritual formation retreats steeped in Eastern meditation, and even services with horoscope readings “for fun. ”The result? A shallow, confused, and powerless church —unable to call sin what it is or to offer a distinct alternative to the world.

But has there been a positive effect of Paganism on believers in the Old Testament, New Testament, early Church, and modern church? Despite its dangers, paganism has also clarified true Christianity. Persecution forced believers to choose between cultural religion and costly discipleship. Church historian Rodney Stark observed, “The early Christians’ refusal to compromise with pagan rituals set them apart morally and spiritually… and their distinctiveness drew many to the faith” (The Rise of Christianity, 1996).

Even today, as New Age spirituality rises, a remnant of believers is awakening. Paganism has made the church uncomfortable —and that discomfort is exposing who truly follows Jesus and who simply uses His name. Isaiah 8:19–20 warns: “When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should a people not consult their God? … If they do not speak in accordance with this word, it is because they have no dawn.”

The solution is not to retreat into fear —but to stand on the Word and expose darkness with light.

Cults and mysticism, the lie of syncretism

Why do believers turn from faith to follow the lie? Cults and mysticism are not new. They appear throughout Scripture as spiritual counterfeits —offering false revelations, secret knowledge, and emotional highs that subtly draw people away from God’s Word. In Deuteronomy 13:1–3, God gives this strong warning: “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder… saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods,’ … you shall not listen to the words of that prophet… for the Lord your God is testing you.”

Mysticism in the Bible often centers around visions, ecstatic experiences, or unauthorized access to spiritual realms —essentially, attempts to bypass God’s appointed means of revelation. Cults build on this by claiming new prophets, hidden truths, or "special enlightenment."

In the New Testament, Paul warns the Colossians against those who “delight in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen” (Colossians 2:18). These false teachers promised spiritual fullness through mystical experience, not Christ. This is the essence of syncretism —combining biblical truth with unbiblical practices. It's not just error — it's idolatry in religious disguise.

Mysticism has a long history in religious thought. In Judaism, Kabbalah emerged during the Middle Ages as a mystical interpretation of Scripture that claimed hidden meanings accessible only to the spiritually elite. While not all mysticism is cultic, it often elevates subjective experience over divine revelation. Christian mysticism developed alongside early monasticism, often emphasizing contemplation and union with God. Saints like Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross wrote about deep spiritual intimacy with God —but always within the guardrails of Scripture.

The danger arises when mystical practice abandons Scripture for spiritual experience. Scripture consistently warns against this. Jesus Himself warns in Matthew 24:24:“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Paul echoes this concern in 2 Corinthians 11:3,: “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds will be led astray… from the purity of devotion to Christ”. Mysticism becomes dangerous when it seeks God apart from God’s Word —or when it invites other spirits into what only the Holy Spirit was meant to occupy.

Mysticism in Judaism and Christianity reflects a longing for direct communion with God that transcends ordinary understanding. In Judaism, early mysticism appeared in Merkavah traditions, centered on visions of God’s throne as described in Ezekiel 1. These writings emphasized ascents into heaven, angelic encounters, and awe before God’s glory. However, rabbinic teachers consistently placed warnings around such pursuits. They taught that only those deeply grounded in Torah and of mature character should attempt them, since unprepared seekers could be led into error, pride, or even spiritual destruction. Mystical speculation was never meant to replace obedience to God’s law.

In Christianity, mysticism has historically focused on union with Christ through prayer, meditation, and self-denial. From the desert fathers of the early church to medieval figures like Bernard of Clairvaux, Christians sought intimacy with God’s presence. Yet church leaders also gave strong cautions: mystical visions or revelations must never supersede Scripture. The Apostle John reminds believers, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1).

As Gershom Scholem observes in his classic study “Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism”, mystical experiences carry both “profound insight and dangerous distortion if not rooted in tradition” (Scholem, 1941, p. 4). Both Judaism and Christianity affirm that genuine encounters with God must flow from humility, obedience, and the authority of God’s Word, not private speculation or mystical pride.

Today, mysticism and cult-like teachings are gaining ground in churches, especially under the banners of emotional health, spirituality, and deconstruction. In 2020 the Barna Group reported that 54% of practicing Christians believe “all faiths are equally valid”, and nearly half believe in some form of New Age spirituality —such as reincarnation, karma, or “energy” healing. These are not fringe beliefs —they're mainstream.

Churches now host "prophetic activations" where people are trained to receive direct revelation, often without Biblical testing. Some Christians turn to enneagrams, horoscopes, or ancestral healing in the name of spiritual growth. Others practice “soaking prayer” that more closely resembles Eastern meditation than Biblical prayer. Ex-megachurch pastor Joshua Harris, who famously renounced his faith, exemplifies a growing trend: believers turning from orthodoxy not because of logic, but because they traded truth for emotional experience. As he explained, “I no longer believe in an interpretation of Christianity that demonizes everyone outside the faith.” (Instagram, 2019)

This is not compassion — it’s compromise. And it’s driven by the blending of Biblical language with unbiblical worldviews. Christian philosopher Nancy Pearcey warns, “The most powerful worldviews are not the ones shouted at us, but the ones quietly absorbed through cultural immersion.”(Total Truth, 2004) Mysticism cloaked in Christian language is still deception. No amount of incense, music, or altered consciousness can substitute for the Word of God and the power of the gospel.

In a world obsessed with self-discovery and spiritual experience, the church’s job is not to imitate the darkness but to expose it .Paul commands in Ephesians 5:11: “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” Ravi Zacharias once said, “The loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought would deliver the ultimate, and it has let you down.”(Deliver Us From Evil, 1997)

Mysticism, like all counterfeit religions, promises light but delivers shadows. It cannot satisfy the soul. Only Jesus can. The church must stand firm —not by rejecting emotion, but by grounding experience in truth. We worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24), not through altered states or borrowed rituals.

Tolerance and the Church

The modern church is in crisis - not because of persecution from the outside, but compromise from within. Among the most dangerous shifts is the redefinition of tolerance. Once understood as respectful disagreement, “tolerance” now means affirming lifestyles, beliefs, and behaviors that directly contradict Scripture.

As a Mennonite, I come from a tradition rooted in peace, nonviolence, and radical discipleship. We’ve often been countercultural —holding firm to biblical views on marriage, sexuality, and holiness. And while that stance can be mistaken for harshness, it’s rooted in a conviction: truth and love must never be separated. Yes, we seek to be peaceable and kind — but that does not mean we abandon biblical authority. Many churches today confuse being nonjudgmental with being morally indifferent. That tension — between cultural engagement and faithfulness to Scripture — isn’t just a Mennonite issue. It’s a global one.

Reinhold Niebuhr once quoted G.K. Chesterton who wrote, “Tolerance is the virtue of people who do not believe in anything.”[Niebuhr, An Interpretation of Christian Ethics, 2021] This is deeply relevant. Many “affirming” congregations promote messages that suggest all lifestyles are acceptable without repentance. But a church that refuses to call sin what it is, leads people away from salvation, not toward it.

The Simpsons — yes, the animated show — often satirizes religion by portraying churches as hypocritical. While it’s comedy, it reflects a real cultural skepticism toward churches that claim moral authority but abandon their own standards in the name of tolerance and inclusion. The most harmful churches today are those that affirm sin and call it love. To welcome someone in their rebellion without pointing them toward transformation is not compassion — it’s complicity. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:13–14, “the way to life is narrow”. Affirming churches widen the path to destruction.

When churches avoid calling people to repentance, they strip the gospel of its power. Luke 19:10 says Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost” —not to affirm them in their lostness. We often hear: “God is love,” or “love is love.” But the early church never equated love with moral neutrality. Augustine, in Confessions, emphasized that love must confront sin in order to heal the soul. True love doesn’t ignore the wound —it binds it with truth.

Inclusive churches often highlight grace, but neglect repentance. That’s not biblical. Paul writes in Romans 6:1–2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Far from it!” Grace is not a license for sin —it’s the power to overcome it.

The fruit of tolerance culture is already visible. A 2020 Barna study showed that 60% of churched young adults felt unequipped to defend their faith or engage moral issues. Congregations that overemphasize affirmation tend to experience both moral drift and disengagement.[Barna Group, https://www.barna.com/research/current-perceptions] David Kinnaman’s book, ‘You Lost Me’ further highlights this. Many young believers are leaving church —not because it’s too strict, but because it offers no moral clarity. He states,“ Reactionary thinking plagues much of evangelicalism… We need a courageous commitment to Biblical authority to frame any efforts at reform.” [Kinnaman & Hawkins, You Lost Me, 2011]

When churches echo culture rather than correct it, people lose confidence in both the church and Scripture. The result? A generation spiritually confused, morally disarmed, and biblically illiterate. Ancient believers knew better. The Didache, one of the earliest Christian texts, emphasized moral accountability and community discipline. The early church didn’t win converts by mirroring the world —it did so by offering a holy alternative to it.

Charles Spurgeon in his book ‘The Soul Winner' wrote, “To love a sinner is to point them to salvation, not to condone their sin.” [Spurgeon, The Soul-Winner, 1895] That’s the heart of gospel-centered tolerance: a call to transformation, not affirmation. God’s love is holy. His mercy calls sinners to repentance, not acceptance of their rebellion.

In Habakkuk 1:13, the prophet says, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrongdoing…”God’s holiness doesn’t waver. He doesn’t “tolerate” evil in the way we define the word today. His justice demands righteousness. Greg Koukl drives the point home, saying, “Accountability is the natural outcome of a life lived in the light of the truth… If we are to love others well, we must help them… face the reality of their actions and their consequences.”[Koukl, Tactics, 2009]

Closing

We are living in an age where ancient deceptions wear modern disguises. Paganism, mysticism, and cultic ideologies have not vanished —they’ve simply become more palatable. From spiritual influencers to affirming churches, the language of love, energy, and “authenticity” often masks a rejection of God's authority. But Christ did not come to make us comfortable in our confusion; He came to make us holy in truth.

Tolerance without truth is not compassion, it’s cruelty. The gospel doesn’t bend to culture; it calls culture to repentance. It doesn’t affirm our sin; it offers rescue from it. As the world shouts for acceptance, the church must echo the call to transformation. “Be holy, for I am holy,” God commands us in 1 Peter 1:16.

This is not the time to blend in. It’s the time to stand out, not in arrogance, but in faithfulness. Not in judgment, but in love that dares to confront lies. The narrow road has never been more unpopular, but it has also never been more necessary. Christ alone. Scripture alone. Truth alone.

Let us walk that road, not because it’s easy, but because it leads to life.