Nuggets from Occult Invasion—The Charismatics’ “Mary Baker Eddy”

The Sandfords studied under Agnes Sanford, the charismatics’ Mary Baker Eddy. She is the founder of the Inner Healing movement in the church. Her serious heresies are too numerous to recite here, yet she remains highly honored in the evangelical church to this day. John Wimber, founder, of the Vineyard movement, enthusiastically promoted her books until his recent death. Much like Norman Vincent Peale, Sanford calls God “the very life-force existing in a radiation of energy…from which all things evolved.” She declares that “God…made everything out of Himself and somehow He put a part of Himself into everything.” This is pantheism.

To substantiate such heresies, Sanford cites Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin as her authority. Declared a heretic even by the Roman Catholic Church, Chardin was known as the father of the New Age movement. Sanford taught that the “God-force” can be turned on in one’s life by simply saying to it, “Whoever you are—whatever you are—come into me now!” What a great invitation to Satan! The true God, who identifies Himself clearly in Scripture and must be known and acknowledged for who He is, would not answer such a call—but Satan and his minions, who hide behind any mask, would gladly accept that invitation.

Bringing occultism into the church, Sanford taught that everything is a matter of thought vibrations which if “negative” makes us ill, and if “positive” heal us. Indeed, “positive thought vibrations” projected upon sinners can even turn them into Christians. Sanford wrote, “A new age is being born…when love-power [projected] at the command of ministers [and others] is sufficient to change hearts…we [have] an inner source of power that can be tapped at will.”