| If you thought the Gospel was a message of salvation | | | | Now, which would you put your eternal faith and |
| through faith alone in Christ alone, listen to what | | | | hopes in after you die? Some religion that makes you |
| Oprah's new age philosophy teaches. She believes | | | | work for it and would have you hope you did enough |
| that the path to being accepted by God and to eternal | | | | to get saved? Or, by "...not having a righteousness of |
| life and salvation comes from good works; being a | | | | my own derived from the Law, but that which is |
| good person, being virtuous and being generous. These | | | | through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes |
| are how you find favor with God. Notice that Jesus is | | | | from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:9)? |
| completely left out of the formula. I like Oprah and I | | | | I put all my chips on the table and gamble it all, my |
| love that she does a lot of good things for a lot of | | | | eternal destiny and life after death, after One Who |
| people, but her personal view of religion is not biblical; it | | | | conquered death and promises us the same victory |
| is works oriented and regardless of what she says or | | | | over death. Plus the added value of peace; of not |
| how she tries to intellectualize it, this is not the Gospel | | | | having to endlessly worry about whether we have |
| of Jesus Christ. There is only one path and Oprah is | | | | done enough or not to be saved. It is absolutely sure |
| wrong telling millions of viewers that there are "many | | | | and Jesus says that nothing (man, death, etc.) can |
| paths to God". | | | | snatch us out of His hand, nor out of the hand of the |
| Christianity Today writer LaTonya Taylor declared | | | | Father (John 10:28-29). John 6:37 adds, "All that the |
| Oprah as "The Church of O" in which the magazine | | | | Father gives me shall come to me; and him that |
| has concluded that Oprah is now one of the greatest | | | | cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." |
| influential spiritual leaders since Billy Graham. In an | | | | I am willing to bet my whole life, my eternal life on it, |
| interview with The Examiner, Mrs. Taylor stated that | | | | because the stakes are so high that, what if these |
| "Since 1994, when she abandoned traditional talk-show | | | | other paths are the wrong path. They are sincere, but |
| fare for more edifying content, and 1998, when she | | | | sincerely wrong. I am at peace and can rest assured |
| began 'Change Your Life TV', Oprah's most significant | | | | in Him, because I don't have to worry like a Buddhist or |
| role has become that of spiritual leader. To her | | | | Islamic person to hope I did enough in this life to make |
| audience of more than 22 million mostly female | | | | it. This Faith in Christ is not a like Hinduism, Islam, & |
| viewers, she has become a postmodern | | | | the others, work related religions of the world. It is not |
| priestess—an icon of church-free spirituality."1 The | | | | a hope-so, but a know-so. Which are you willing to risk |
| sentiment was seconded by Marcia Z. Nelson, author | | | | your life on; something you hope will work out or |
| of The Gospel According to Oprah.2 | | | | something that you know will work out? I choose to |
| Oprah Winfrey and Eckert Tolle just love to tell people | | | | push all my chips in on this Hand and "I'm all in", betting |
| that there are dozens of ways to access God. But | | | | on Christ‘s Way. It is not the Gospel according to |
| what about Jesus? Oprah says that He "can't be the | | | | Oprah. |
| only way" to God.3 They both disagree that there is | | | | Jesus said I Am the way, the truth and the life, and |
| just one way. In fact, they would tell you that there are | | | | there is no other way! He did not say I am one of the |
| thousands of different ways that people can access | | | | ways. Oprah Winfrey and Eckart Tolle are absolutely |
| God. | | | | wrong saying and teaching that there are thousands |
| Some believe there are other paths to God, like | | | | of ways to God. There are not many paths to God or |
| Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. These religions all seem | | | | to heaven, but One Way and One Way alone. John |
| closely related and in some ways parallel each other, | | | | 14:6 is clear, saying "I am the way, the truth and the life. |
| while in other ways they are divergent in theory and | | | | No one comes to the Father except through me. " (my |
| practice. For example, in ancient India, there are two | | | | emphasis added) Oprah Winfrey interviews and |
| philosophical streams of thought, the Shramana | | | | showcases several New Age luminaries.1 She boldly |
| religions and the Vedic religion. These two parallel | | | | proclaims that there in fact may be millions people |
| traditions have existed side by side for thousands of | | | | finding different ways to God. But when a Christian |
| years.4 Both Buddhism and Jainism are continuations | | | | woman in the audience asks Oprah, "What about |
| of Shramana traditions, while modern Hinduism is a | | | | Jesus? ", Oprah insists that Jesus "can't possibly be |
| continuation of the Vedic tradition. These co-existing | | | | the only way to God"; and the sparks fly! 1 I |
| traditions have been mutually influential. Then there is | | | | recommend watching this video clip of Oprah talking |
| Islam. On the Day of Judgment, if a Muslim's good | | | | about this "many paths" philosophy.1 |
| works outweigh his bad ones, and if Allah so wills it, he | | | | Although she was raised Baptist, Oprah Winfrey's faith |
| may be forgiven of all his sins and then enter into | | | | has undergone a significant transformation towards |
| Paradise. Therefore, Islam is a religion of salvation by | | | | New Age spirituality. Oprah denies the Biblical Gospel |
| works because it combines man's works with Allah's | | | | of Jesus Christ. People today are asking the way they |
| grace. | | | | asked in the early church's day about how can they |
| These and other world religions, save for Christianity, | | | | be saved: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And |
| are "works" related. That is, salvation comes through | | | | they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou |
| personal effort and works, something that the Bible | | | | shall be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:30-31). There is |
| does not teach. For example, Buddhism insists that one | | | | no other way, no other path, no inward |
| has to work for salvation oneself and by oneself alone, | | | | "Christ-centeredness" as Oprah says. In fact, Acts 4:12 |
| therefore no one can blame others for their failure to | | | | is clear about this, saying that "…there is no other |
| achieve salvation. The Buddhists' salvation depends on | | | | name under heaven given of men by which we must |
| the good deeds of a person. Then there is Hinduism, | | | | be saved." I know about what I believe in and am |
| where once again, one attains salvation as per one's | | | | persuaded to risk my eternity on something I am sure |
| own fate and deeds. There are four paths or four | | | | of. These other ways or other paths are not worth |
| yogas to attain salvation: Karma Yoga, which is called | | | | risking my eternal destiny on. There is only one path |
| the Way of Good Works, the Bhakti Yoga, which is | | | | and it goes through Jesus Christ alone. |
| the Way of Love and Faith, The Jnana Yoga, which is | | | | |
| the Way of Knowledge, and the Raja Yoga, the Way | | | | 1. Rabey, Steve. Christian Examiner. 2008 Oprah's |
| of Salvation. If any of these chains are broken or | | | | ‘gospel'. Web. May, 2008. May08 |
| works are not perfectly done, then salvation is | | | | Art_May08_02.html |
| impossible. All of these stress "works" and so no one | | | | 2. Nelson, Marcia Z. The Gospel According to Oprah. |
| can rest assured if they have made it to heaven, or | | | | Westminster John Knox Press. Louisville, Kentucky. |
| Nirvana, or whatever. Faith doesn't help them at all and | | | | 2005. |
| their good works may be insufficient. Conversely, the | | | | 3. Oprah on Jesus. Web. n.d |
| Bible declares "therefore having been justified by faith, | | | | 4. Helmuth von Glasenapp, from the 1950 Proceedings |
| we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus | | | | of the "Akademie der Wissenschaften und Literatur. |
| Christ…" (Rom. 5:1). | | | | |