Marsha West
Oprah's at it again, declaring she's a Christian
By Marsha West
Why is Oprah trying so hard to convince us that she's a Christian when what she believes about Jesus Christ flies in the face of historic, orthodox Christianity? For 25 seasons she promoted, not Christianity, but a New Age-New Thought worldview. Many of her guests were purveyors of Eastern mysticism.
Oprah has consistently, and unapologetically, rejected an essential tenet of the Christian faith: There is only one path to God, through the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus stated unequivocally, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Yet Oprah rejects Christ's own words while at the same time declaring: "I'm Christian!"
What does Oprah believe about God? She embraces the Hindu belief in pantheism — God is all and all is God. To her, God is an impersonal force...Consciousness...Universal Energy...the UltimateBeing.
What about religion? She holds to religious pluralism, the worldview that no religion is the absolute source of truth.
What about Jesus? Now, here's where the rubber meets the road. Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries wrote a piece titled Oprah Winfrey speaking as a Christian and included several quotes from a transcript of her online class with Eckhart Tolle, "a leading guru of the New Spirituality." In the class, Oprah and Tolle promoted his book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Oprah clearly states what she believes about Jesus:
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): And you know, it's been a journey to get to the place where I understand, as I said on the pre-show here, that what I believe is that Jesus came to show us Christ consciousness.
I am embarrassed for Oprah. This woman has such a high opinion of herself that she actually tries to convince her fans that she has the truth about Jesus, which can only mean that she thinks the Bible has it all wrong! To her way of thinking all the Christian theologians who have invested their time and talent in the study of sacred Scripture are boobs!
In order to explain what the real Jesus is like one must first consider the historical evidence. Any theologian worth his salt would disagree with Oprah that Jesus was a spiritual leader who wanted to show us how to live in the body. Further, no committed Christian believes that "Jesus came to show us the way of the heart" or that Jesus came to "show us the higher consciousness." If that is their belief, they are deceived. Oprah is correct that Jesus didn't come to start Christianity. Jesus came was to die for the sins of the world. (John 3:16)
Jesus was more than a political revolutionary, as some people believe. He was more than a miracle worker...a prophet...a sage...a spiritual guide. Jesus was God incarnate! As such, He had the authority to speak for God the Father. He stated plainly "I and the Father are One" and "If you reject me, you reject the Father."
For those who stubbornly choose to believe that Oprah is a Christian listen, again, to her own words. During Oprah's Lifeclass: The Tour broadcast from New York's Radio City Music Hall, she said the following:
I am a Christian, that is my faith. I'm not asking you to be a Christian. If you want to be one I can show you how. But it is not required. I have respect for all faiths. All faiths. But what I'm talking about is not faith or religion. I'm talking about spirituality.
What Oprah ignores is that God has set a requirement for getting into heaven. Those who enter must be followers of Jesus Christ. How do I know that? The Apostle John stated: "He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life" (1 John 5:12). It is clear that Oprah doesn't believe this. If she did she would be deeply troubled that people in other faiths are perishing. But instead of showing people how to become a Christian, she chooses to show them respect? If she is indeed a Christian she must stop worrying about her ratings and start telling people truth!
But I digress. Spirituality has such a nice ring to it. During Oprah's Lifeclass she defines spirituality as:
[L]iving your life with an open heart, through love... allowing yourself to align with the values of tolerance, acceptance, of harmony, of cooperation and reverence for life.
Moreover she believes:
There is a force, energy, consciousness, divine thread...that connects spiritually to all of us, to something greater than ourselves.
Christianity does not hold to the view that God is an impersonal force, like energy. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is personal! Scripture tells us that He is transcendent and lives outside of His creation. God "created us, loves us, is concerned for our being, desires to provide for us, and sent the Son to redeem us." (More on who God is here)
Oprah also believes:
If you are living in the space of an open heart, you have a blessed life. I believe that there is no life without a spiritual life...because we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. (Watch the video here)
The Bible says nothing of the kind. So what Oprah is purporting is not orthodox Christianity. Her touchy-feely ideas on "spirituality" come from a mishmash of Christianity/Gnosticism/Eastern Mysticism/New Age/New Thought — a bit of truth sprinkled with lies and deception.
This may not sit well with some readers, but Oprah Winfrey is what the Bible terms an anti-Christ, meaning she is not only not a Christian, she is anti-Christian.
It may be that Oprah's "Christian" friends have helped form some of her ideas. Lately she has been hobnobbing with notorious Word of Faith prosperity preachers T. D. Jakes and Joel Osteen. Unfortunately for Oprah (and her fans) these men are not solid Bible teachers they are controversial pastors whose teaching is outside the pale of Christian orthodoxy. In other words, theirs is not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both men preach the "gospel of health and wealth." They teach that God's will is for believers to be healthy and to prosper financially. So if a follower of Jesus is sick or poverty stricken he/she is outside God's intended will. Christians who have adopted word-faith theology believe that we have within us the power to create the world the way we wish it to be so we can have whatever kind of life we want. In other words, we can create our own reality. Moreover, they believe words can heal and words can kill. This teaching is unbridled heresy. (More on word-faith here
In our fast food "have it your way" culture, instead of the Jesus of Christianity, deceivers are serving up a McJesus Happy Meal. And to please the palate "Christian" publishers provide us with a whole host of Bible versions. In the future look for the "Have It Your Way Bible" for the narcissist...the "Green Letter Bible" for environmentalists...the "Rainbow Bible" for "gays" and lesbians...you think I'm kidding?
We live in a world where liberals want to control our speech. They cry foul when the clergy puts a spotlight on sinful behavior. To them there's no right and wrong so there's no need to feel bad about anything we do. Bible passages that include any little thing that liberals disagree with must be tossed in the rubbish heap. Anything that might hurt our feelings, anything that convicts us of our sins, anything "negative" is deemed intolerant and unloving. It is hateful to preach on (gasp) hell! Sermons must be positive and uplifting otherwise our self-esteem will suffer and we will be robbed of our joy. Liberals may agree that the Creator set boundaries, but God doesn't actually expect His creation to color within the lines. We're only human!
That of course is liberalism's reality. In Matthew 7:21the Lord Jesus stated this hard truth:
Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
He wasn't pulling our leg.
One last thing. I love Oprah. Therefore it's critical that I speak truth to her. So I'll say again that Jesus made it clear that there is only one way to heaven — through Him. Listen to what He said in John 10:9:
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Now listen to Luke:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:2).
Lastly, Paul:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle — I am telling the truth, I am not lying (1Timothy 2:5-7).
These passages leave no doubt as to what the Bible teaches. Why is Oprah so determined not to believe it?
Recommended reading:
Links to articles on New Age Spirituality — On Solid Rock Resources
Links to articles on Word-faith Positive Confession — On Solid Rock Resources
Oprah Shifts to the Dark Side
Oprah's Counterfeit Christianity
Oprah Peddling Snake Oil
John MacArthur takes down Joel Osteen, The Secret, The Shack, and the Word of Faith — Video
© Marsha West
May 7, 2012
Why is Oprah trying so hard to convince us that she's a Christian when what she believes about Jesus Christ flies in the face of historic, orthodox Christianity? For 25 seasons she promoted, not Christianity, but a New Age-New Thought worldview. Many of her guests were purveyors of Eastern mysticism.
Oprah has consistently, and unapologetically, rejected an essential tenet of the Christian faith: There is only one path to God, through the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus stated unequivocally, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Yet Oprah rejects Christ's own words while at the same time declaring: "I'm Christian!"
What does Oprah believe about God? She embraces the Hindu belief in pantheism — God is all and all is God. To her, God is an impersonal force...Consciousness...Universal Energy...the UltimateBeing.
What about religion? She holds to religious pluralism, the worldview that no religion is the absolute source of truth.
What about Jesus? Now, here's where the rubber meets the road. Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries wrote a piece titled Oprah Winfrey speaking as a Christian and included several quotes from a transcript of her online class with Eckhart Tolle, "a leading guru of the New Spirituality." In the class, Oprah and Tolle promoted his book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Oprah clearly states what she believes about Jesus:
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): And you know, it's been a journey to get to the place where I understand, as I said on the pre-show here, that what I believe is that Jesus came to show us Christ consciousness.
-
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): That Jesus came to show us the way of the heart and that what Jesus was saying that to show us the higher consciousness that we're all talking about here. Jesus came to say, "Look I'm going to live in the body, in the human body and I'm going to show you how it's done." These are some principles and some laws that you can use to live by to know that way. And when I started to recognize that, that Jesus didn't come in my belief, even as a Christian, I don't believe that Jesus came to start Christianity...
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): You have a rich array of gems from which to draw illumination. The world's religious traditional, mythology, psychology, healing methods, scientific wisdom, your own experience and that you can begin to string a necklace all your own... And so it's really a question of...this material [which] strikes a chord within you.
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): Something in you opens up and wants, you know, feels alive and is awakened to that. And yet there is the ideology that says what to you...
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity.
OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): I'm a free-thinking Christian who believes that, who believes in my way, but I don't believe that it's the only way, with six billion people here on the planet.
(Online source, emphasis Ken's)
I am embarrassed for Oprah. This woman has such a high opinion of herself that she actually tries to convince her fans that she has the truth about Jesus, which can only mean that she thinks the Bible has it all wrong! To her way of thinking all the Christian theologians who have invested their time and talent in the study of sacred Scripture are boobs!
In order to explain what the real Jesus is like one must first consider the historical evidence. Any theologian worth his salt would disagree with Oprah that Jesus was a spiritual leader who wanted to show us how to live in the body. Further, no committed Christian believes that "Jesus came to show us the way of the heart" or that Jesus came to "show us the higher consciousness." If that is their belief, they are deceived. Oprah is correct that Jesus didn't come to start Christianity. Jesus came was to die for the sins of the world. (John 3:16)
Jesus was more than a political revolutionary, as some people believe. He was more than a miracle worker...a prophet...a sage...a spiritual guide. Jesus was God incarnate! As such, He had the authority to speak for God the Father. He stated plainly "I and the Father are One" and "If you reject me, you reject the Father."
For those who stubbornly choose to believe that Oprah is a Christian listen, again, to her own words. During Oprah's Lifeclass: The Tour broadcast from New York's Radio City Music Hall, she said the following:
I am a Christian, that is my faith. I'm not asking you to be a Christian. If you want to be one I can show you how. But it is not required. I have respect for all faiths. All faiths. But what I'm talking about is not faith or religion. I'm talking about spirituality.
What Oprah ignores is that God has set a requirement for getting into heaven. Those who enter must be followers of Jesus Christ. How do I know that? The Apostle John stated: "He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life" (1 John 5:12). It is clear that Oprah doesn't believe this. If she did she would be deeply troubled that people in other faiths are perishing. But instead of showing people how to become a Christian, she chooses to show them respect? If she is indeed a Christian she must stop worrying about her ratings and start telling people truth!
But I digress. Spirituality has such a nice ring to it. During Oprah's Lifeclass she defines spirituality as:
[L]iving your life with an open heart, through love... allowing yourself to align with the values of tolerance, acceptance, of harmony, of cooperation and reverence for life.
Moreover she believes:
There is a force, energy, consciousness, divine thread...that connects spiritually to all of us, to something greater than ourselves.
Christianity does not hold to the view that God is an impersonal force, like energy. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is personal! Scripture tells us that He is transcendent and lives outside of His creation. God "created us, loves us, is concerned for our being, desires to provide for us, and sent the Son to redeem us." (More on who God is here)
Oprah also believes:
If you are living in the space of an open heart, you have a blessed life. I believe that there is no life without a spiritual life...because we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. (Watch the video here)
The Bible says nothing of the kind. So what Oprah is purporting is not orthodox Christianity. Her touchy-feely ideas on "spirituality" come from a mishmash of Christianity/Gnosticism/Eastern Mysticism/New Age/New Thought — a bit of truth sprinkled with lies and deception.
This may not sit well with some readers, but Oprah Winfrey is what the Bible terms an anti-Christ, meaning she is not only not a Christian, she is anti-Christian.
It may be that Oprah's "Christian" friends have helped form some of her ideas. Lately she has been hobnobbing with notorious Word of Faith prosperity preachers T. D. Jakes and Joel Osteen. Unfortunately for Oprah (and her fans) these men are not solid Bible teachers they are controversial pastors whose teaching is outside the pale of Christian orthodoxy. In other words, theirs is not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both men preach the "gospel of health and wealth." They teach that God's will is for believers to be healthy and to prosper financially. So if a follower of Jesus is sick or poverty stricken he/she is outside God's intended will. Christians who have adopted word-faith theology believe that we have within us the power to create the world the way we wish it to be so we can have whatever kind of life we want. In other words, we can create our own reality. Moreover, they believe words can heal and words can kill. This teaching is unbridled heresy. (More on word-faith here
In our fast food "have it your way" culture, instead of the Jesus of Christianity, deceivers are serving up a McJesus Happy Meal. And to please the palate "Christian" publishers provide us with a whole host of Bible versions. In the future look for the "Have It Your Way Bible" for the narcissist...the "Green Letter Bible" for environmentalists...the "Rainbow Bible" for "gays" and lesbians...you think I'm kidding?
We live in a world where liberals want to control our speech. They cry foul when the clergy puts a spotlight on sinful behavior. To them there's no right and wrong so there's no need to feel bad about anything we do. Bible passages that include any little thing that liberals disagree with must be tossed in the rubbish heap. Anything that might hurt our feelings, anything that convicts us of our sins, anything "negative" is deemed intolerant and unloving. It is hateful to preach on (gasp) hell! Sermons must be positive and uplifting otherwise our self-esteem will suffer and we will be robbed of our joy. Liberals may agree that the Creator set boundaries, but God doesn't actually expect His creation to color within the lines. We're only human!
That of course is liberalism's reality. In Matthew 7:21the Lord Jesus stated this hard truth:
Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
He wasn't pulling our leg.
One last thing. I love Oprah. Therefore it's critical that I speak truth to her. So I'll say again that Jesus made it clear that there is only one way to heaven — through Him. Listen to what He said in John 10:9:
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Now listen to Luke:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:2).
Lastly, Paul:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle — I am telling the truth, I am not lying (1Timothy 2:5-7).
These passages leave no doubt as to what the Bible teaches. Why is Oprah so determined not to believe it?
Recommended reading:
Links to articles on New Age Spirituality — On Solid Rock Resources
Links to articles on Word-faith Positive Confession — On Solid Rock Resources
Oprah Shifts to the Dark Side
Oprah's Counterfeit Christianity
Oprah Peddling Snake Oil
John MacArthur takes down Joel Osteen, The Secret, The Shack, and the Word of Faith — Video
© Marsha West
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
