For instance, in Christian Wicca, they believe in reincarnation. They believe that the Bride of Christ is the goddess of Christ. They care a lot about creation, which is a positive aspect of it.  They see the Holy Spirit, though, as being feminine. So, you can see how they are going the goddess route.   

I would say even aside from the Christian Wicca movement, we can see how Wicca, New Age and pagan philosophy are really finding their way into the church and into our culture. One great example is Oprah Winfrey. This year, she is having her Soul Series Webcast where she is introducing many New Age teachers. Many of the views she espouses show she does have a Christian spiritual background. Yet she is leading people away from that by bringing psychics, meditation teachers, people teaching New Age philosophy onto her show and espousing those beliefs.   

That is seeping into the church. In many contemporary Christian books, you will see [authors] combining Christian and biblical principles with New Age principles, and many of them don’t even realize that they are doing that.   

CW:  So, one of the main reasons you did all this research was to help guide parents. Dillon, you have worked a lot with youth. What is it about Wicca that attracts youth, specifically?   

DB:  There are a couple of things. One is that it is being promoted in the media more than ever before as an acceptable lifestyle or practice. So, you read a Harry Potter book, you watch Supernatural, you see a film on witchcraft, and you go, “That looks interesting. I wonder if that is true or what that is about.” So, you can hop online, type in a few words on Google, or you can go to your bookstore [where] there is an entire New Age section.   

In the process, some teenagers are going that next step … becoming involved as a solitary practice. Some even go further to joint covenants and become more of the mainstream movement because they find relationships which they didn’t have, and they were seeking. They find what they see as a purpose for their life and a destiny. 

They also see a spiritual power that they did not have in the past, and they did not see in Christianity. Unfortunately as Christians, we do not [always] show the real power that we have in the Spirit of God.   

CW:  You mention Harry Potter – a concern for many parents. 

DB:  You have to be careful with Harry Potter, because we can’t blame all the problems on J. K. Rowling and the effect that she has had. [But] she writes stories about witchcraft targeted toward children. That is the concern. If you are 8 to 12 years old, and you read a story that is fascinating about aspects of witchcraft, you want to know more. So, I don’t recommend [Harry Potter] for children, necessarily.