Case Studies
THE CASE OF THE STAR-STRUCK BOSS
During the birthday celebrations at my office, the birthday person's horoscope is read. Most laugh at the projections made in the local newspaper, but a few take the reading seriously. It used to be that only my boss carried out the astrology reading, but now even if he is not present others carry on the tradition. Also, the boss has been coming to a Bible Study that I have organized in the office.
Recently I approached him and suggested that the readings may open some spiritual "doors" that my not be beneficial to the office. I made it clear that I was not judging the people in the office, but I felt that something better could be done.
What do other offices do for celebrations? I do now want to appear fanatical, but as I have prayed for the office I have noticed a bondage (clearly due to the lack of each person's choice to follow Jesus) and do not want these readings to add to it. -C.O., Seattle
Christian Solution:
Our first reply comes from Judson Poling, the director of curriculum development and co-pastor of Willowcreek Community Church in Chicago:
There are two extremes you want to avoid in a situation like this. One is what I call the "spook mentality"-an excessively fearful reaction to any mention of the supernatural, as if the horoscope words themselves had some kind of evil power regardless of whether or not anyone in your office takes them seriously. This can have negative consequences for your evangelistic witness in the office-it might turn off your coworkers and brand you as some kind of fanatic. It can actually help to make astrology more fascinating than it ever would have been without your help.
The other extreme is equally dangerous: a cavalier attitude that does not recognize that horoscopes represent an approach to life and a view of causality that is forbidden in Scripture. In fact, it is described by God as abhorrent and sinful. Your challenge here is to walk that fine line of being in the world but not of it -of standing up for the truth without behaving in an unprofessional manner.
Here is a practical suggestion: talk to your boss and come at the problem on his level. Ask him if it's wise to foster an attitude in the office that could actually hurt office productivity. After all, would you actively promote the use of alcohol or drugs among your employees? Astrology is just as dangerous, because it encourages people to make important decisions not on the basis of marketplace data but o irrelevant external factors.
Horoscopes cause people to make hasty decisions, or to make them for the wrong reasons, or to postpone making any decisions at all. In fact, it's not unheard of for workers to call in sick and miss a day's work-just because their horoscopes told them this was not going to be a good day at the office! That kind of counterproductive nonsense should not be tolerated in the marketplace.
After all, why were the majority of Americans so angry about the Reagans' involvement in astrology? Outside the Christian community, most people could have cared less if Nancy dabbled in stargazing on her own time. But when it appeared that important presidential decisions were being based on something with no credibility, even the most secular of our citizens had good reason to object.
Ask your boss if it would be possible to have a fun, birthday celebration without validating a decision-making process that affects judgment and is grounded in superstition. And if he replies, "No one takes it seriously, anyway," then you can reply that the Bible takes it very seriously-a fact which, since he's attending your Bible study, he will probably not ignore.
Our next response comes from Linda Barrett, a public schoolteacher working in Los Angeles County:
Five years ago I would have been just like the people in your office who laughed at the horoscopes as if they were an innocent piece of pop culture. Then a teacher arrived at my school who was heavily into the New Age movement. She would read palms, carry crystals and peddle products like "molecularly altered miracle water" to her colleagues as school. And while few of us took her seriously, she soon gained a small but enthusiastic following.
After numerous discussions with her, I realized that although she always described her hobby in scientific language, it was, in fact, her religion. She talked about the New Age movement in reasonable terms, but her day-to-day life was mired in magic.
I began to research the subject for myself and discovered that the current interest in astrology is part of what New Agers consider to be a growing trend in this country-an Eastern/oriental religious movement that began in the '60's and will eventually be far more pervasive than it is now. They look forward to the day when Eastern philosophy becomes the norm for American life instead of the exception.
My point here is that when you confront astrology in the office, you are not dealing with an isolated, harmless incident, but a national movement that is changing the foundations of our society. And while the people in your office may not realize the implications of what they're toying with, I think you're right to take it seriously.
So what can you do about it? I would recommend more of what you're already doing-prayer. For years we've had a very active prayer group among the teachers at our school. We've seen specific school problems resolved as a result of prayer. And I feel that our prayers have helped to put the brakes on the New Age movement here-things have cooled down considerably in recent months. In fact, one teacher who had been heavily influenced by the New Age has since become a Christian.
Instead of praying by yourself, you might want to expand your Bible study into a prayer group. Be sure to take advantage of all the spiritual resources available and not limit your group to a particular denomination-although I'm Protestant, my closest prayer partner is Roman Catholic.
Approach potential members of your prayer group one-on-one instead of making some kind of general announcement-we've found from experience that it's best to keep our meetings low-key so they won't be a source of friction in the office.
Let me recommend some books that will give you a good, solid grasp of the New Age problem: The New Age Rage, a collection of essays compiled by Karen Hoyt and published by Revell; Unmasking the New Age and Confronting the New Age, both written by Douglas Groothius and published by InterVarsity Press. These are scholarly and reliable works in a field where lots of sensationalism is being published, even by Christian publishers.
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