Oprah's New Jesus

Oprah has skyrocketed the career of another author on her book club. But this endorsement is a bit heart-wrenching. She's taking her fans through a year-long "Course in Miracles" by Marianne Williamson. Each day, her book club site features a different lesson on this essentially new religion. Here are some quotes from this book:

• "There is no sin."
• "A slain Christ has no meaning."
• "The journey to the cross should be the last ' useless journey."
• "Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross."
• "The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol... It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray."
• "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."
• "The Atonement is the final lesson he [man] need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation."

Last night, I told a longtime friend who is not a believer that I had stepped down as pastor of RCC. She replied, "Well it's hard to have a church that teaches what you believe. Most people aren't so narrow." [dagger in the heart] Jesus is indeed more appealing when he's not the way, the truth and the life. But any other Jesus is a whole other religion.

Comments

[Matt Brough]

I'm not surprized by Oprah at all. Too bad about your friend, though. I don't really know RCC or your preaching (and I'm sure I'm probably more liberal coming from the Presbyterian Church in Canada) but she probably doesn't get that the gospel is narrow and wide and deep at the same time. We're going to be singing a song on Palm Sunday which has this line in it (talking about Jesus): "You who walk each day beside us, sit in power at God's side. You, who preach a way that's narrow, have a love that reaches wide."

Most people like Jesus walking beside us loving us part, but don't want Jesus reigning in power and showing us the narrow door of discipleship.

[Ben Arment]

that was beautifully written Matt.

[Donnie Miller]

Ben,
Good stuff, it fits with what I'm preaching on Palm Sunday. The crowd's disappointment in Jesus.

[Clayton Bell]

Great post, great comment. Ben, thanks so much for bringing it to our attention. Regardless of what you believe about the role of women in the church, Oprah is the pastor of the largest church in America, and her's is not the gospel of Christ.

[TW]

This is awful, but I am not surprised.

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ."

Galatians 1:6-7

[Terry b]

Wow. I was just reading some of "Pierced for our Transgressions-the Glory of Penal Substitution" and was wondering if there really are people-even "Christians" who deny what was done at the cross.

Then I read this :(

http://www.amazon.com/Pierced-Our-Transgressions-Rediscovering-Substitution/dp/1433501082/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204151492&sr=8-1

[travis Spencer]

doesn't surprise me at all.
Here's a thought: How does Obama feel about these statements... i bet they are close in perspectives ...
hmmm....

[Ed Newman]

Theology seems to be anything you make it and anything else is close minded. This is slightly off topic, but I remember 20 years ago taking an IT class with a friend of mine who had just left the ministry and was switching careers. Over a break we were talking to a woman about our undergraduate degrees. When my friend said he had a degree in theology, the woman was dumbfounded. She had no idea that anyone even studied religion "because it was just old books that people made up" She told my friend she learned something new that night, because she had thought that people in the ministry took that career path because they weren't smart enough to go to school!

[Bart Lewis]

Hey I like how you’ve pulled out these specific quotes. If you’re not listening with a mental filter, these small sentences will slip right past you.

I’m going to link up to your post here with the quotes on my blog, Parents, Geeks, & God.

You may be interested in my post, “Anti-Christ, Oops, I Mean Oprah Reinvention of Jesus Picks Up Steam” from my blog 2 weeks ago. You can link to it at: http://www.parentsgeeksandgod.com/2008/02/20/anti-christ-oops-i-mean-oprah-reinvention-of-jesus-picks-up-steam/

It’s rich! Thanks! Chase Jesus!

Bart Lewis

[Bill Reichart]

Thanks for your post, I listened to Oprah's first webinar with Tolle and his new book, A New Earth, and I posted on how Oprah has transcended from talk show host to uber-evangelist.

you can go to my blog Provocative Church to get the link for the article:

http://www.provocativechurch.com/2008/03/is-oprah-next-billy-graham.html