In September 2006, Christianity Today International partnered with Zondervan Publishers to commission Knowledge Networks to conduct an attitudinal and behavioral research of U. S. Christians. What resulted were five (5) distinct segments emerging within the Christian Community. According to Christianity Today, “Each group represents about one-fifth of those identifying themselves as Christians, with Active Christians most likely to have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that affects their beliefs and inspires an active church life; Cultural Christians are least likely to align their beliefs or practices with biblical teachings, or attend church. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–>Between the two is a range of beliefs, commitments levels, and public practice of faith” (Christianity 1).<!–[endif]–>

As a result of the study, it was determined that there was a need for apologetics within the Christian community. Interestingly, the survey revealed, “self-identified Christians hold a wide range of theological and doctrinal beliefs. For many, private and cultural Christians in particular, Bible-reading is minimally important. Thus, as churches encourage their congregant to engage with the surrounding communities and build relational bridges with people, they must simultaneously equip these Christians to handle the questions and attitudes they may encounter, both with non-Christians as well as other Christians who [now] hold different beliefs”(Christianity 4). <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–>The most astonishing result of the survey was that for a “vast number of people who consider themselves Christian, Christ is not the central figure of their faith” (Christianity 5). <!–[endif]–>

On Monday, March 3, 2008, Oprah Winfrey launched her webnar, A New Earth Online Class. According to Chuck Norris in his World Net Daily (WND) column on March 4^th, “More than 500,000 people in 125 countries have signed up for the World Wide Web seminar.” Oprah said of her webnar online class that she didn’t “think there’s anything more important than awakening and also knowing what your purpose is” (A New 1). While this may sound like a terrific idea, what is this new class really about?

After downloading the 45-page transcript and reading it, I found myself making a preponderance of notes in the margins, clarifying reality from stillness, the Holy Spirit from consciousness, God from god, the great I Am from me/myself, the collective relationship from an individual personal relationship, polytheistic religion from monotheistic religion, Christ-consciousness from Christ-salvation, One Way, One Truth from many truths, many ways, and the Christianity of Jesus Christ from A New Earth - an emerging new age spirituality.

While I expected to read the normal new age diatribe, what I didn’t expect to find was some of the comments Oprah makes in relation to her belief of who Christ is to her – a Christian. Perhaps the most telling statement is when Oprah says, “Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly more paths to God other than Christianity” (A New 14). She goes on to say, “I am a free-thinking Christian who believes in my way, but I don’t believe that it’s the only way, with six billion people here on the planet” (A New 14).

Furthermore, Oprah claims, “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” (A New 14). Sadly, Oprah is one of the many individuals in America today, referred to in the afore mentioned study who believe bible-reading is minimally important.” If Oprah had taken reading the Bible as more than minimally important, she would have recalled Timothy forewarning of <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–>“a time [that] will come when people will not listen to accurate teachings. Instead, they will follow their own desires and surround themselves with teachers who tell them what they want to hear” (Timothy 4:3). <!–[endif]–>

What is ultimately more disturbing for me as a Christian who does whole-heartedly embrace Jesus Christ as the son of God and thus the doctrine therein, is that through Oprah and her webnar, thousands upon thousands are being fed a false doctrine that will not lead them “to spiritual freedom and peace” (A New 14) but eternal damnation. <!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> <!–[endif]–>

While Oprah is entitled, if she so wills, to string a necklace all her own, those in her audience who are not well versed in the theological doctrine of their faith are being led astray because they do not know - or they have forgotten - that Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one<!–[if !supportEmptyParas]–> comes to the Father but through Me.”<!–[endif]–>

No matter how Oprah, Eckhart Tolle, or anyone else “reconciles these spiritual beliefs with [their] Christian beliefs” Oprah is right in on one point: “Man made god in his own image, the eternal, the infinite, and unnamable was reduced to a mental idol that you had to believe in and worship as my god or our god” (A New 12). However, it is not the theology of Christianity that has missed the mark and reduced god to a mental idol, but people like Eckhart Tolle who are trying to shift the Christian faith away from a focus on God and Jesus Christ to a collective consciousness that focuses on self.

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Sources

1. Christianity Today.com, 5 Kinds of Christians. 1 Oct. 2007. 12/6/2007. http://www.ctlibrary.com/le/2007/fall/1.19.html

2. Oprah.com, A New Earth Online Class. 3 March 2008. 4 March 2008.

http://images.oprah.com/images/obc_classic/book/2008/anewearth/ane_chapter1_transcript.pdf

3. World Net Daily.com, Oprah’s new Easter. Chuck Norris. 3 March 2008. 5 March 2008. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57827