“Oprah& Eckhart Tolle’s: New Earth”
Acts 17:11
Open with 8 minute video clip
[“Mega Church Of Oprah.” available at www.carringtonsteele.citymax.com/page/page/5776487.htm]
Oprah Winfrey is a one-woman entertainment empire and her influence extends around the world. The “Oprah Winfrey Show” has remained the number one talk show on US television for 21 seasons and is now seen in over 132 countries around the world. In addition to her TV show she has her own production company (Harpo), her own magazine, (O Magazine), and soon she will have her own network, in 2009 the Discovery Health Channel will become OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network). She reaches more people in a day than most preachers can even dream of reaching in a lifetime.
Oprah Winfrey is without a doubt one of the most popular and influential women in the world today (Barna says she has a 83% favorability rating among born-again believers). One of the things that has made her so popular is that she uses her fame and influence for the betterment of others. As one of the richest women in the world, she has given away billions of dollars to various charities. She has built an academy in South Africa for disadvantaged girls, began the Angel Network and Christmas kindness to name just a few of the things she has done.
Oprah has very commendably aimed the direction of her show to provide information and encourage people to evaluate and improve their lives.
But as was observed in a 2002 article in Christianity Today called "The Church of O," as odd as it may sound, Oprah has emerged as an influential spiritual leader. "Since 1994, when she abandoned traditional talk-show fare for more edifying content, and 1998, when she began ’Change Your Life TV’, Oprah’s most significant role has become that of spiritual leader. To her audience of more than 22 million mostly female viewers, she has become a postmodern priestess—an icon of church-free spirituality.” [LaTonya Taylor. “The Church of O.” Christianity Today. April 1, 2002]
And while we may admire Oprah as a communicator and a humanitarian we must reserve strong reservations about her as a theologian. Oprah name is actually the misspelling of the bible character Orpah, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, mentioned in Ruth 1:14.
Because while she is doing all of these good things Oprah has been drifting further and further out to the fringes of “New Age” belief and many her fans have faithfully followed her there. There doesn’t seem to be anything that Oprah will not believe except the truth. Through a succession of guest with eclectic religious ties, such as Gary Zuhav, Marianne Williamson, and Deepak Chopra, Oprah’s show presents all religions as equally valid paths to God.
Oprah retains membership in Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (where Barack Obama is a member) and although hardly what I would consider a bulwark of conserve-ative theology the former pastor Jeremiah Wright has said of Oprah’s beliefs, “She has broken with the traditional faith, she now has this sort of God is everywhere, God is in me, I don’t need to go to church, I don’t need to be a part of a body of believers, I can mediate, I can do positive thinking’ spirituality. It’s a strange gospel. It has nothing to do with the church Jesus Christ founded!” [Ibid. “The Church of O.”]
Beginning in January she started a year long course on her XM Radio program taught by Marianne Williamson entitled “A Course in Miracles.” “A Course In Miracles” was written by a Jewish atheist psychologist named Helen Schucman. She claimed she received the material as channeled messages from an unknown entity in an audible voice. Does that really sound like the source you want to get your spiritual guidance from?
Last year her ongoing spiritual odyssey included a revelation called “The Secret” concocted by Rhonda Byrne. This supposed spiritual breakthrough was nothing more than repackaging and synthesis of existing “positive thinking” mumble jumbo. But many seem willing to believe whatever secret she has to share after all, who better than the richest woman in the world to tell us how to be a success in life.
Oprah’s latest spiritual guru is Eckhart Tolle, author of “A New Earth; Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.”
Both the book and the online course purport to be able to awaken you and our world to life’s grand purpose. Yet this is only old lies in new packaging. The oldest lies in the universe are: “your eyes will be opened,” “you shall be as gods,” and “you shall know the difference between good and evil.” (Gen 3:5)
But it is not enough for Oprah to simply embrace such beliefs herself she wants to convert her TV audience as well. Oprah has said, “Being able to share this material with you is a gift and a part of the fulfillment of my life’s purpose.” “It was an awakening for me that I want for you too.” [Oprah Winfrey Show. CBS Feb 22, 2008] As a result she has invited her TV audience to join her every Monday night on Oprah.com for a 10 week Web seminar. The classes started March 3, 2008 and last week two million attended the class.
This is cause for concern in that she is using her fame and influence to promote a false religion which will ultimately lead those who follow it to destruction. Equally of concern is that many of her followers are Christians who are confused and even seduced by this empty philosophy.
Eckhart Tolle’s version of enlighten-ment includes the belief in what he calls “painbodies.” These painbodies appear to be similar to what Scientologists call “Body Thetans” (BT’s) which is a pesky, negative and nasty thing that we should shed as soon as possible. Tolle’s theology is nothing more than a eclectic mix of western and eastern beliefs presented in a tolerant, non-threat-ening and nonsectarian way. What we are getting here is Eastern mysticism proclaimed with a German accent. Sure, there may be some truth mixed in with this error. And some of the observations and exercises in the book and seminar may be helpful to people with anxiety, anger, and depression. But at its very core, the teachings of Eckhart Tolle contradict biblical Christianity.
Just a few examples are, his statements that:
•“A growing number of followers of traditional religions realize that how spiritual you has nothing to do with what you believe.” [Eckhart Tolle. “A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose” p. 18]
•“We need to understand here that heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness.” [Ibid. p. 23]
•“The ultimate truth of who you are is not I am this or I am that but I am.” [Ibid. p. 23]
The article that I mentioned earlier in Christianity Today identified four things that Oprah’s appeal to so many Americans tells us about the current spiritual level of America.
1.Even unchurched Americans are spiritually hungry.
2.Americans are interested in practical spirituality. People are looking for a message of salvation that has the power to change the way they live their lives.
3.Americans yearn for a spirituality that offers them hope.
4.Americans like to dabble in a variety of belief systems. Oprah herself has said, “One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there is only one way. Actually, there are diverse paths leading to what you call God.” [Ibid. “The Church of O.”]
So What Is To Be Our Response?
1.Realize that Oprah is not our enemy she
is deceived by our enemy.
Apparently Oprah does not seem to be aware that she has been seduced by New Age world-view. On one of her shows a Christian in the audience challenged Oprah about being a adherent of the “New Age.” Oprah responded by saying, “I am not a new age anything and I resent being called that. I am just trying to open a door so that people can see themselves more clearly and perhaps be the light to get them to God, whatever they call that.” [“The Gospel According to Oprah” www.Jesus-is-Savior.com/Wolves/Oprah-gospel.htm] Yet if you examine what she says she believes it is New Age to the core.
Also it is instructive to note that her continual search reminds us that this kind of spirituality is ultimately unsatisfying. The smorgasbord of religions and ideas that make up her belief system suggest that she has not found what she is looking for.
2.Stand firm on the foundation of Jesus alone as Savior.
Oprah has said, “Jesus cannot be the only way!” My question for her would be, “Why?” Jesus says that He is the only way, and Oprah says he is not, so who are YOU going to believe. Unfortunately, for Oprah she is not the determiner of what is true. And just because she or anyone else for that matter says that it is not true, does not cause to be so!
Oprah says she is a Christian (which I find a little puzzling) and yet she argues that she can reconcile her Christianity with the teaching of Eckhart Tolle. One of dangers of this new online class is that Tolle and Oprah try to show participants in this class how Christianity can be blended together with other religious beliefs. Oprah describes herself as a “free-thinking Christian” and tells how she arrived at that point. Understand this when you blend Christianity with any other belief system it is not longer Christianity. Christ either is your Savior or He is not.
In chapter three of his book, Tolle uses
much deception to marry his false doctrine with that of Christianity (and a myriad of other religions). In fact Eckhart ends this chapter with a bang when he claims “… God is a feeling experience not a believing exper-ience. … If God for you is still about a belief, then it is not truly God.” (A New Earth, p. 45).
Yet Scripture clearly states in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is (exists) and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (NKJV) In fact believing is the very foundation of the Christian faith.
3.Point people to real truth found in the Bible.
One will find a much more thorough and
accurate picture of life’s purpose and the methods for overcoming its obstacles by reading God’s word! The real thing that Oprah and all those who follow her are seeking is the power, grace and love that can only be found through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
4.Be careful of needless exposure to false teaching.
If what Oprah tells you, or I tell you, or
anyone else tells you, contradicts the plain revelation of Scripture, reject it. Some of Oprah’s programs may be insightful and helpful but very careful of needless exposure to error. In researching this message I ran across the statement Oprah may have “jumped the shark.” I have to admit I had no idea what that phrase meant. So I looked it up in the Wikipedia. There I found, “The term jumping the shark alludes to a specific scene in a 1977 episode of the TV series Happy Days when the …..”Fonzie” …literally jumps over a shark while water skiing. The scene was so preposterous that many believed it to be an ill-conceived attempt at reviving the declining ratings of the flagging show. The phrase has become a term … used by TV critics and fans to denote the point at which the characters or plot of a TV series veer into a ridiculous, out-of-the-ordinary storyline. Such a show is typically deemed to have passed its peak. Once a show has "jumped the shark" fans sense a noticeable decline in quality or feel the show has undergone too many changes to retain its original appeal.”
[www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark]
It may be that we need to find a more productive way to fill our afternoons than to allow Oprah unlimited access into our homes.
