CGG Link: Oprah Winfrey’s Teachings Not Truly Christian
Earlier today I visited CGG’s website, and although there was no particularly relevant CGG news there to report here, it had a link to the following news story about Oprah Winfrey:
Christian Apologists: Be Careful of Oprah’s Spiritual Teachings
By Michelle A. Vu|Christian Post ReporterVienna, VA. – She is persuasive, influential and does a lot of good, but Christians should be careful when Oprah speaks about spirituality, warned two apologists who recently co-authored a book on the subject.
To a crowd of more than 1,500 people at McLean Bible Church outside of Washington, D.C,. on Friday evening, renowned apologist Josh McDowell and up-and-coming apologist Dave Sterrett explained the danger of adopting Oprah’s spiritual teachings from a Christian perspective.
They pointed out that the talk show queen and the spiritual teachers she promotes teach pantheism – God is all and all is God – and that there are multiple paths to reach God. She also emphasizes that people should carry out their inner longings instead of restraining themselves if the act is said to be a sin by the Bible.
“Here is where you got to be careful,” emphasized McDowell. “Not only Oprah but others use Christian or religious terminologies that Christians would accept as Christian.”
“The Christian God is a personal creator God which all truth resides, who is totally outside of ourselves and outside of our universe,” explained the best-selling author of More Than a Carpenter. “When Oprah and others refer to God, it is an impersonal force. And I think one way that comes out is that they will say, ‘Look within you and find yourself from within. Find that God-consciousness. That is God.’”…
McDowell warned Friday that reliance on this inner consciousness is dangerous because it can justify sin since people should follow what they feel rather than an absolute Truth. McDowell recalled an episode on an Oprah Winfrey Show last year where former evangelical leader Ted Haggard, who was involved in a gay sex and drug scandal, and his wife Gayle were guests. Gayle said that her husband has struggled with homosexuality since he was 12 years old and that he is trying hard to bring the desires under control and defeat it.
Oprah reacted by standing up and saying she disagrees and that one needs to look within oneself, to find the inner longings and live them out in order to be authentic.
“But wait just a minute,” the respected apologist cautioned. “What if he was a child abuser? Would Oprah say the same thing? To be consistent she has to. What if he was a rapist? She would have to say the same thing.”…
The apologists also addressed the opinion of Oprah and others who subscribe to religious pluralism – which says multiple religions, often contradicting, are equally true – saying that Christians are intolerant for saying Jesus is the only way. The apologists pointed out that people who say they cannot tolerate people who say Jesus is the only way are in fact showing they are intolerant with that statement. If they were as open-minded as they claim, the authors argued, they would tolerate people who disagree with them.
“I am not called in the Bible to be tolerant,” McDowell declared emphatically. “I am not. I refuse to be tolerant. I think it demeans people. I am not called to be tolerant; I am called to be loving. I am not called to tolerate people; I am called to love people…
Meanwhile, Melanie McFarland, 29, a member of McLean Bible Church, appreciated McDowell’s argument that if people followed Oprah’s teaching on acting on their inner longings then child-abuse and rape would be acceptable…She added, “I don’t watch Oprah but it’s just amazing people take her word and don’t look for the truth.” http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100125/christian-apologists-be-careful-of-opra-s-spiritual-teachings/index.html
Having only ever watched Oprah Winfrey’s show once in its entirety, I have little direct observation about her beliefs. However, based upon her endorsement of Barack Obama when he was a presidential candidate, and I few other things I have heard her say in interviews, the fact that she is reportedly promoting a pantheistic form of religion comes as little surprise. Many secular people of fame also do so.
Because many millions do watch and pay attention to Oprah, it is probably wise to point out that she does not seem to base many of her beliefs upon the Bible. But then again, neither do her Protestant critics.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally?
The Bible: Fact or Fiction? This is a booklet written by Douglas Winnail that answers if the Bible is just a collection of myths and legends or the inspired word of God.
Read the Bible Christians should read and study the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading.
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Augustine show?
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Hope of Salvation: How the Living Church of God differ from most Protestants How the Living Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background.
