U.S. adults who identify as Christians are just as likely as the religiously unaffiliated, and the population as a whole, to hold New Age beliefs, according to a recent report from Pew Research Center.

About 6 in 10 Americans overall (62 percent) hold at least one of the four New Age beliefs included in the survey: belief that spiritual energy can be located in physical things, such as mountains and trees; belief in psychics; belief in reincarnation; and belief in astrology. The share was virtually the same among Christians (61 percent) and “nones” (62 percent).

Forty percent of both Christians and “nones” affirmed belief in psychics, while roughly one-quarter of Christians and 32 percent of the unaffiliated said they believe in astrology. On the question of reincarnation, 29 percent of Christians and 38 percent of the unaffiliated claimed this New Age belief. And 37 percent of Christians expressed belief in spiritual energy inhabiting physical things, compared to 47 percent of “nones.”

Nearly half of evangelicals claimed at least one New Age belief.

While evangelicals were the least likely of any group to subscribe to New Age beliefs, nearly half (47 percent) of evangelical respondents nevertheless claimed at least one. “Nones” who identified as “nothing in particular” (as opposed to atheists or agnostics) were most likely to hold at least one New Age belief (78 percent), followed by historically black Protestants (72 percent) and Catholics (70 percent).

Other groups that were more inclined to hold New Age beliefs included women (69 percent vs. 55 percent of men); Democrats (67 percent vs. 56 percent of Republicans); racial and ethnic minorities (76 percent of black Americans and 73 percent of Hispanics vs. 57 percent of whites); and those who did not graduate college (about 66 percent of those with no postsecondary degree vs. 55 percent of college graduates).

This survey highlights the need for increasing biblical literacy in our churches. While 8 in 10 Christians say they believe in the God of the Bible, many fail to understand that New Age teachings, such as reincarnation, are unbiblical and incompatible with God’s revelation about himself and His plan of salvation.