There is something strange going on in Oprah land. Apparently she is being coached and primed on how to “boldly profess Christ,” and convince people she is a Christian. This in spite of the fact that Oprah Winfrey has publicly said that Jesus is NOT the only way to salvation or heaven, thus denying Him and calling Him a liar.
Who is coaching her? A lot of people: Movie producer Tyler Perry, who made a huge splash with Oprah when the two attended Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church last November, and the modalist preacher to the stars, T.D. Jakes, who has also appeared on her program.
On Monday during her “Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour” broadcast, she very intentionally aligned herself with Christianity. Her show’s theme: “Spiritual Solutions,” featured New Age guru Deepak Chopra. Here is what she said:
“I am not talking about religion. I am a Christian. That is my faith. I’m not asking you to be a Christian. If you want to be one I can show you how. But it is not required. I have respect for all faiths. All faiths. But what I’m talking about is not faith or religion. I’m talking about spirituality.”
How does she define her spirituality? In her program, she said it’s about:
1. Living life with an open heart through love.
2. Aligning with the values of tolerance, acceptance, of harmony, of cooperation and reverence for life.
She said she believes there is a divine thread that connects spiritually to something greater than ourselves:
“My favorite Bible verse—because I am Christian—is Acts 17:28. It says, ‘In God I live and move and have my being’.And you want to know why I’m so successful? Because I knew that at 4 years-old … I wouldn’t be who I am today without a spiritual consciousness, without spiritual values and ultimately without spiritual love.”
Oprah Winfrey at the White House for the 2010 ...
Do you question the New Age-iness of this statement, or wonder why her actions and profession of faith do not square with what the Bible says about sin, syncretism, salvation and Christ’s atonement being the only way? Because if you do, the Black Christian News Network (BCNN) says you surely must be a Pharisee. The BCNN is now working to defend and promote whenever and wherever possible the sincerity of Oprah’s faith:
“Now we know that some people are going to doubt Oprah’s profession of faith in Christ and some are going to say negative things about this because she has different people of different faiths on her show and so forth. But before you Pharisees say all of that, please understand that OWN is not a Christian network. It is a network for all people. OWN is Oprah’s business, and we as Christians know what that is like when you’re doing business in a secular world. So Oprah’s business side is going to be different, but it does not take anything away from her faith in Christ.”
BCNN gave kudos to Oprah’s longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham (who founded two PR firms and is a marketing consultant/guru), public relations, Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes and others who “wisely” encouraged and coached her on how to make her public profession of faith in Christ before the world.
And here is where it gets real interesting. BCNN wrote: “We believe that Oprah’s true ‘next chapter’ is to finish her life leading millions to the Christ that saved her. We want to encourage all Christians to pray for Oprah as she grows in her faith in Christ.”
On Monday during her “Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour” broadcast, she very intentionally aligned herself with Christianity. Her show’s theme: “Spiritual Solutions,” featured New Age guru Deepak Chopra. Here is what she said:
“I am not talking about religion. I am a Christian. That is my faith. I’m not asking you to be a Christian. If you want to be one I can show you how. But it is not required. I have respect for all faiths. All faiths. But what I’m talking about is not faith or religion. I’m talking about spirituality.”
How does she define her spirituality? In her program, she said it’s about:
1. Living life with an open heart through love.
2. Aligning with the values of tolerance, acceptance, of harmony, of cooperation and reverence for life.
She said she believes there is a divine thread that connects spiritually to something greater than ourselves:
“My favorite Bible verse—because I am Christian—is Acts 17:28. It says, ‘In God I live and move and have my being’.And you want to know why I’m so successful? Because I knew that at 4 years-old … I wouldn’t be who I am today without a spiritual consciousness, without spiritual values and ultimately without spiritual love.”
Oprah Winfrey at the White House for the 2010 ...
Do you question the New Age-iness of this statement, or wonder why her actions and profession of faith do not square with what the Bible says about sin, syncretism, salvation and Christ’s atonement being the only way? Because if you do, the Black Christian News Network (BCNN) says you surely must be a Pharisee. The BCNN is now working to defend and promote whenever and wherever possible the sincerity of Oprah’s faith:
“Now we know that some people are going to doubt Oprah’s profession of faith in Christ and some are going to say negative things about this because she has different people of different faiths on her show and so forth. But before you Pharisees say all of that, please understand that OWN is not a Christian network. It is a network for all people. OWN is Oprah’s business, and we as Christians know what that is like when you’re doing business in a secular world. So Oprah’s business side is going to be different, but it does not take anything away from her faith in Christ.”
BCNN gave kudos to Oprah’s longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham (who founded two PR firms and is a marketing consultant/guru), public relations, Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes and others who “wisely” encouraged and coached her on how to make her public profession of faith in Christ before the world.
And here is where it gets real interesting. BCNN wrote: “We believe that Oprah’s true ‘next chapter’ is to finish her life leading millions to the Christ that saved her. We want to encourage all Christians to pray for Oprah as she grows in her faith in Christ.”
Given the New Age Jesus Oprah has described, and considering her star power, are you ready to watch her lead millions to that Jesus?
Posted by: Amy Spreeman
Amy is co-host and blogger for both Stand Up for the Truth and Naomi's Table, two ministries that give her the opportunity to write and talk about Jesus all day long. She has written, produced and broadcast in the realm of television and radio news, magazine business journals and marketing materials. She continues her freelance work as a writer and social media consultant.
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