What’s truly dangerous is the New Age spirit that’s infected the church: a spirit that refuses to name evil, that cannot say when a thing is wrong, and that sees moral clarity as judgmentalism rather than maturity. But to refrain from speaking plainly about sin, especially public sin, is not grace — it is cowardice disguised as compassion. It limits Chrsitans from speaking the Gospel to a world in desperate need. 

After hearing that Ozzy Osbourne had died — though it turns out reports of his death were, at least for now, greatly exaggerated — I posted a statement I believed to be utterly uncontroversial for any Christian: Unless he placed his faith in Christ, he is not at peace or at rest.

The reaction was, shall we say, instructive.

First came the Satanists, who responded with a level of online eloquence that cannot be quoted in this publication. Their basic message, once the profanity is removed, was: “How dare you say that. This is why we hate religion.” Now, this was puzzling. One might expect Satanists to agree. After all, if Osbourne rejected Christ, wouldn’t that — according to their own worldview — be a cause for celebration? “He’s with Crowley now,” or some other tribute to the horned rebellion. But no. Even Satanists, apparently, want Christianity to be warm, affirming, and vaguely pluralistic. Hell is fine — just don’t say anyone might actually go there.

Then came the New Agers, armed with fragments of Scripture. “Judge not, lest ye be judged,” they offered with a mix of condescension and floral emojis and promises to heal my aura. I had to double-check to make sure they hadn’t also quoted Buddha, Rumi, and a Celtic fertility goddess for good measure.

But let’s pause here. Because beneath the amusing absurdities of “stop judging you meannie” lies something serious: the creeping moral confusion not merely among spiritualists looking to travel the astral plane, but among professing Christians.

What was I being accused of? Judgment. As if that were itself a sin. But let’s remember that my original post was a conditional: “Unless he placed his faith in Christ…” I didn’t presume to know the secrets of Osbourne’s soul or the precise content of his final breath. I simply articulated the biblical truth that salvation is found in no other name but Christ’s. If that offends, it is the gospel that offends, not the one repeating it.

More importantly, Matthew 7:1 (“Judge not”) does not prohibit all judgment. If it did, Christ would contradict himself in John 7:24: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment.” And that’s why it is so humorous and ironic when New Agers judge others for judging. The point of Matthew 7 is not to suspend all moral discernment — it is to warn against hypocrisy and superficiality. The Christian is not to be a smug moralist with a plank in his eye.

Read More