|
KC couple
makes difference at Wycliffe
Safe water can be first step
to the gospel
Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
The busy freeways of America seem a million
miles away from the poorest areas of the earth. They might
as well have been for Paul Foxworthy, a successful civil
engineer who had a hand in building those freeways. That
is, until God told him to take the path less traveled.
Foxworthy worked for Applied Research Associates
of Albuquerque, N.M., a leading pavement engineering design
firm. At age 59, he felt called to missions. He and his
wife Mary moved to Orlando, Fla., in June 2007 to work with
Wycliffe Associates, an organization better known for Bible
translation.
Whoever brings water wins the hearts of the
thirsty: This truth motivated Wycliffe Associates to launch
Operation Clean Water, one of the most aggressive global
campaigns in the history of the organization. Wycliffe Associates
will invest funds and volunteer help to provide millions
of people with clean water in regions where sanitation and
water supplies are extremely compromised. Two hundred million
of these thirsty people also do not have the Word of God
in their own language, so they are thirsty spiritually as
well as physically.
“Operation Clean Water got its start late
last year with some training for individuals in bio-sand
filter technology in east Asian countries,” Foxworthy said.
“The simple technology proved so successful that the organization
felt it should be expanded for a truly global impact.”
A child dies every l5 seconds from diarrhea
-- most of which is caused by poor sanitation and bad water,
according to research. Foxworthy feels compelled to help
change that. Now he and his wife are missionaries with Wycliffe,
translating scripture and applying his engineering expertise
to develop simple technology that is making a big difference.
The technology is simple but effective. A
concrete structure, 4 feet high by 18 inches square, is
filled with sand and other chemicals that produce 30 to
40 gallons of clean water per day. Dirty water goes in at
the top, and clean water, free from pathogens and bacteria,
comes out the bottom. Enough water is produced to supply
drinking water to several families for three to six months.
"Without clean water, many are forced
to drink from dirty, toxic and disease-ridden sources,”
said Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.
“This results in a variety of sicknesses and infections,
some of which are fatal.”
A lack of drinking water has a devastating
impact on people groups, communities and even Bible translation
work. Missionaries and Bible translation teams cannot operate
in areas where fresh water is not available. Many of these
languages and the people who speak them also are located
in areas where a community development project such as Operation
Clean water will allow missionaries to gain favor with governments
that grant visas.
“Currently, we have four couples who are training
to go overseas and start installing clean water systems,"
said Bart Maley, Operation Clean Water program manager.
In the short term, Operation Clean Water will
provide filtration systems to purify existing water, as
well as educate people about the hazards of allowing human
waste to pollute their water sources. Long-term goals include
providing spring/ground water or rain water through catchment
systems in communities that lack a water supply. Wycliffe
Associates seeks to raise $l70,000 to get this project started.
"What effect will this have?” Smith asked.
“Lives will be saved, suffering will be eased, Bible translation
work will accelerate and translators will be able to remain
in the field longer. These benefits will, in turn, pave
the way for many to find faith in Christ."
Foxworthy plans to share the technology with
as many people as possible. “We want this filter to be in
use for a long time,” he said. “We are getting ready to
contact Engineers Without Borders to make use of this technology.
We think it is a life-altering technology for 1.2 billion
people who don't have access to potable water right now.”
For people interested in using the technology
on church missions trips, Wycliffe will conduct this training
just about anywhere. The organization uses a mobile trailer
to haul the supplies around the country.
Meeting people's physical needs will open
the door to talk about spiritual needs as well, he believes.
“My primary purpose is translating scripture,”
Foxworthy said. “If the indigenous peoples we're working
with don't have clean water, they're not going to be very
interested in, or even survive long enough, to read scripture.
“It has been a non-stop, exciting experience.”
What
would Jesus fly?
It's not on the wings of
eagles these televangelists soar
(EP News)--Billionaire Warren Buffet became
one of the richest men in the world by knowing what adds
value to a corporation, and what does not. And one of the
things that does not, he has argued for years, is a corporate
jet. They're a luxury in almost every case, a necessity
for only a few, and he would often rail against them in
the annual reports of his company, Berkshire Hatha-way,
and elsewhere.
That's why, when Berkshire Hathaway finally
bought a corporate jet in 1989, he somewhat ashamedly called
it “The Indefensible.”
But try telling that to Fred Price, Creflo
Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland.
They are among the more than 30 churches and Christian ministries
who have luxury jets (see sidebar), according to an investigation
into the use of luxury jets conducted by EP News. And according
to Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation, a Dallas-based
ministry watchdog, the ownership and use of luxury jets
are one of the surest indicators that donor money is not
being used for ministry purposes.
“There are incredible abuses of these corporate
jets for personal use,” Anthony said. “Mind-bending abuse
that they do with impunity.”
Using ministry resources for personal use
is prohibited by IRS regulations, but the IRS almost never
investigates tax-exempt organizations. Of the more than
one million tax-exempt organizations in the country, less
than 10,000 get audited each year. When a media organization
uncovers abuses of an executive jet for personal purposes,
Anthony said, the televangelists say they've reimbursed
the ministry. “But it's just a claim,” Anthony said. “They
are not required to, and almost never do, provide anything
that resembles real documentation of the claim.”
Jet-Setting With Jesse Duplantis
A look at the flight records of televangelist
Jesse Duplantis provides a telling glimpse into this world.
Duplantis is one of the charismatic movement's stars, though
he is not as well-known outside of those circles as Kenneth
Copeland, Benny Hinn, and the other members of the “Grassley
Six” who are currently being investigated by Sen. Charles
Grassley. Nonetheless, this Louisiana-based televangelist
- who in his youth was a guitarist in various heavy metal
rock bands -- has been preaching since the late 1970s. He
is known for his Cajun accent and his exuberant style and
humor, as well as for his shock of silvery-white hair and
his taste for high-end jets.
Over the years, he has owned several. But
his current vehicle of choice is a Falcon 50. It is fast,
with a top speed just below the speed of sound thanks to
its three-jet engines. In fact, it is the only plane in
this class with three engines, and is also considered a
“super-medium” or “long-range” plane, capable of almost
3,000 miles between re-fuelings. That gives it the capability
of flying literally around the world. When Duplantis bought
the plane in 2006, he wrote in his ministry's magazine that
it was an “amazing tool for world evangelism” and he thanked
his “partners” for making the purchase possible. In September
of 2006 he took the plane to Russia for a series of meetings
and preaching events.
An examination of flight records compiled
by the Trinity Foundation revealed that from April 2006
to March 2008 Duplantis made 469 flights - an average of
almost one a day - and logged hundreds of thousands of miles
on his Falcon 50. Three of those trips were to Las Vegas,
and four of them were to Hawaii. On one of the Hawaii trips
(May 14-22, 2007) he took a “side trip” to American Samoa,
and on another one (Feb. 23-March 7, 2007) he engaged in
a bit of “island hopping” in Hawaii, making at least a half-dozen
flights within the Hawaiian Islands during that trip.
“It's almost impossible to imagine that all
these trips could have been ministry trips,” said Trinity
Foundation's Ole Anthony.
Michael Wright is the director of marketing
for Jesse Duplantis Ministries. He defended the plane's
use.
“We've sent our schedule to Delta and other
airlines and asked them if they could get us where we need
to be, and they can't,” he said. “They can't get us from
point A to B to C to D at the times we need to be there.
For us, the plane is a necessity.”
Jesse DuPlantis is by no means the only power
user of executive aircraft. In a seven-year period (2000
to 2007), a Gulfstream jet used by Price (with a retail
sticker price of about $37 million) filed plans for more
than 700 flights. Neither Price, Duplantis, nor any of the
televangelists with jets would disclose to EP News the total
costs of owning these jets. The operating costs can vary
widely. Used “entry level” jets can be found for less than
$2-million, while new top-end jets can sell for more than
$50-million. However, experts say that the “fully loaded”
costs for these jets (including insurance and depreciation)
can easily go over $10,000 per hour, and even for the low-end
jets are almost never less than $2000 per hour. For most
owners, that translates to a cost of several million dollars
a year, even with minimal usage.
Are they worth it? Users of luxury aircraft
are fond of calling their jets “time machines” that help
get to business destinations faster and fresher. “We can
fly in to smaller airports, and we can often get Brother
Jesse to two places in one day,” Wright said. And if you're
taking up an offering everywhere you go, the more places
you go, the more offerings you get to receive. So for these
ministries, there is a direct financial return.
But what about for the donors? Most of the
organizations that have jets that have been investigated
by the Trinity Foundation and MinistryWatch.com refuse to
release financial information, so it is impossible to say
if donors would be pleased or shocked if those numbers were
released.
"If the general public and especially the supporters
of these ministries had any idea how much money is wasted
to support the 'vanity-airplanes' of these alleged men of
God they would be appalled,” said Trinity Foundation's Ole
Anthony. “Flying first class would be many, many times more
economical.”
Anthony made one other point: these jets are
not just donor concerns. “It is important to remember that
every American citizen is paying for their outlandish lifestyles
because their supporters can deduct their donations to the
ministries which makes our tax bill increase,” Anthony said.
Legitimate Aircraft Uses
Of course, some Christian ministries - especially
disaster relief and missionary organizations - have legitimate
uses for airplanes, but the planes they're using are not
luxury jets that can go literally around the world at nearly
the speed of sound.
Dwight Jarboe is the president and CEO of
Ohio-based MMS Aviation. MMS Aviation is a Christian ministry
that repairs and overhauls planes for the Christian aviation
community, mostly the mission aviation community. Jarboe
estimates that there are about 120 Christian ministries
that use aircraft in their ministries. “The majority of
these are small single-engine or twin-engine propeller planes,”
Jarboe said. These planes are used for disaster relief,
transportation to remote locations around the world, or
for special purposes in the United States.
“We work with a Maryland group who ministers
specifically to the Chinese community in the United States,”
Jarboe said. They have a 10-passenger King Air they can
use to move the entire team around at once, often traveling
to locations that do not have commercial service. “But it's
not a luxury plane,” Jarboe added. “It's basic transportation.”
MMS Aviation, which receives just over $1-million
a year in donations, does not charge Christian groups for
its services. “If an airplane is used in Christian ministry,
they don't pay for labor, only parts,” he said. Jarboe also
said his organization doesn't work on the kind of jets that
the prosperity gospel televangelists use.
Mission Aviation Fellowship and JAARS are
perhaps the most well-known users of aircraft for ministry
purposes. Their planes are generally outfitted to haul cargo,
not people, and while both organizations have fleets operating
in the United States, most of their planes are in remote
areas around the world.
Indeed, JAARS originally stood for Jungle
Aviation and Radio Service, and has an honorable and storied
history supporting Bible translation efforts and missionaries
in some of the most remote and hostile places on the globe.
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
(ECFA) takes a pragmatic approach on the issue. Dan Busby,
the acting president, told EP News, “It really comes down
to whether a charity can justify business purpose for a
jet, and many charities pass this test. If the business
purpose test is met, then it is an issue of documenting
any personal use and attributing the value of any personal
use for compensation reporting purposes. So, in short, the
proper use of jets for nonprofit purposes is a matter of
documentation, documentation, documentation.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
All six of the “Grassley Six” televangelists
own or lease luxury corporate jets. Kenneth Copeland owns
at least two. Paula and Randy White's Without Walls International
Church bought a Gulfstream II jet for about $1.5-million
in 2006. Before then, the Whites frequently chartered planes.
Was it these jets that put them on Sen. Grassley's
radar screen? Jill Gerber, a spokesman for Sen. Grassley,
told EP News, “The jet ownership itself isn't necessarily
a cause for concern. The questions are whether the ministers
use the ministry-owned jets for personal use and whether
they reimburse the ministries for any personal use.” However,
both Gerber and Grassley have said that reports by media
organizations and watchdog groups originally brought them
to our attention. And the ownership of jets was often what
brought these ministries into focus for media organizations:
airplanes landing in exotic locations make great visuals
for television news reports.
They should also provide powerful warning signs to donors
that God's money is being wasted. A former employee of Paula
White's Without Walls International Church told NBC News:
“We blew a lot of money out the tail of that jet.”
That is a fact of jet ownership that Warren
Buffett, sometimes called the “Oracle of Omaha,” could have
predicted.
Church
loses tax battle
Stephanie Boothe| Metro Voice
For the Rev. Herman Scales and developer John
Ivey, the construction of the Seed of Faith church was the
answer to their prayers. Scales’ journey of owning his own
church facility came to an end this past May. Entangled
in a fight with the county over responsibility for property
taxes, they lost the battle and had to move.
That journey started in 2001. Ivey, a well-known
Lee’s Summit commercial building developer, initially planned
to use the site for a state office building, but the deal
fell through. Scales and his wife led a rapidly growing
Seed of Faith Church.
In 2001, the church began holding services
in a 600-sqare-foot building on Second Street in downtown
Lee’s Summit and quickly outgrew the space. The congregation
then moved to a 3,000-square-foot-building on Third Street.
But everything changed when Scales and his
wife attended a conference in Houston.
"God kind of spoke to me," Scales
recalled. "And said, 'The Third Street location isn't
where I wanted you to be.'"
The message didn't make sense to Scales, so
he spoke to his wife, who said she heard the same thing.
When they returned to Lee's Summit and started
looking for property, they found a building on Lakewood
Way. That building didn’t work out, so the Scales kept looking.
"Three months later, we knew we were
under conviction to find another place," Scales said.
The couple was in St. Louis for a funeral
when they received a call from Ivey, who owned the building
on Lakewood Way they'd inquired about previously.
Ivey told Scales about another spot on Delta School Road
that only the foundation had been poured. Upon meeting he
told Scales to go home and draw up what he wanted the church
to look like.
"Never in our wildest dream had we expected
to have a church built," Scales said.
As a young church, Seed of Faith didn't have
the equity to purchase a building, so Ivey brokered a deal
in which the church would “lease to own” the property under
a contract-for- deed agreement.
"As soon as he built up some equity,
he was going to buy the church," Ivey said.
Scales said the congregation went by the site
each day of the construction so members could see every
phase.
"We moved in with great celebration," Scales said.
"It was really a miracle. John building that building
for us was really a miracle. We weren't really expecting
that."
But then the complications started – complications
in the form of property tax bills.
Neither Scales nor Ivey expected property
taxes to be an issue because the property was used only
for a church, a non-profit organization that is tax exempt.
"Seed of Faith was the only tenant,"
Ivey said. "It was solely used for a place of worship."
Bob Burnett, deputy director of the Jackson
County Assessment Department, said the property taxes were
based on the property’s legal ownership.
"Since (Ivey) owns the property it is
a taxable asset," Burnett said.
And because the property is zoned as a commercial
use, it's taxed at a higher rate than a residential use.
The value of the property steadily increased
over time, causing the taxes to go up. In 2003, the taxes
were $16,941; $16,942 in 2004, $17,406 in 2005; and $19,891
in 2006. Those numbers are how much was paid in taxes after
delinquent fees were applied.
The tax bill for 2007 came in at $18,535 and still hasn't
been paid. The total amount due is up to $20,523.
Burnett said the property value on a building
is based on several factors – how much similar properties
are selling for, how much it would cost to rent or how much
it would cost to build it in today’s dollars. In the case
of Seed of Faith, Burnett said the value was largely based
on how much it would cost to build it.
The first factor (how much similar properties
are going for) is generally used for residential properties.
"You probably won't pay more to buy a property than
you can to build it on your own," Burnett said. "Churches
are rarely rented."
Jim Devine, president and CEO of the Lee’s
Summit Economic Council, disagrees with Burnett. In fact,
he said renting church – especially new buildings – is rather
common in Lee’s Summit.
“Most churches in Lee’s Summit start by renting
space, usually commercial space,” Devine said. “It’s great
for a developer, because it fills a space for several years
until a business, that generally pays higher rent, can take
the space.”
Devine also said it makes the most sense to
do lease-to-own agreements.
“From a church’s point of view, rent to own
is a perfect solution. It gives congregations something
to work for.”
But renting church space isn’t just a practice
in Lee’s Summit. Suzanne Dimmel , senior principal office
broker for Colliers Turley Martin and Tucker (a real estate
firm which sells property all over the metro), said her
Overland Park firm has assisted several growing congregations
in renting facilities.
“We see a number of large congregations moving
to much larger facilities and new churches with congregations
of 75 to 300 either leasing space until their congregations
reach critical mass to fundraise for a purchase or buying
smaller church facilities with room for growth or land for
expansion,” Dimmel said in a statement.
Whether renting churches is a common practice
or not, Seed of Faith and Ivey found themselves in a bind.
The continuing increase in market value, which started at
$544,000 in 2004 and ended at $602,453 in 2007 led to an
insurmountable property tax debt for the church, who according
to the agreement with Ivey was responsible for any property
tax debt.
“You figure that you're struggling to pay
your lease bill," Scales said, adding an additional
$1,000 or more a month to pay for the property taxes would
have been too much for the church.
So Ivey stepped in and offered to help.
"Usually, I'd loan them the money so
they could pay it," Ivey said.
Scales and Ivey also appealed the tax for
several years. They argued the taxes should be based on
the property's use.
"We appealed because it was just used
as a house of worship," Ivey said. "They said
since it was in my name they couldn't change the property
tax."
Scales and Ivey also argued that Seed of Faith
was the owner because of the deed of contract, which said
once the debt was paid the deed would be handed over to
the church.
In fact, the deed was already in escrow. However,
the local tax commission said Ivey was still the legal owner.
And the state upheld the decision. According to the ruling
"Without a deed being recorded, the seller and not
the buyer is the owner of record."
The ruling also reads that the church has
not "under a contract for deed reached the status of
owner of the property that is subject of the contract. That
status cannot be achieved until a deed is delivered to the
grantee upon satisfactory completion of the contract."
Divine said a church would need a title on the property
to be tax exempt.
It would be tax exempt as long as it held
a title through a mortgage.
That meant Ivey was still the owner, and the
church owed thousands of dollars in property taxes.
"They were trying to pay it back, but
it became such a negative balance," Ivey said.
Scales, who had graciously accepted financial
help from Ivey over the last couple of years, knew the downturn
in the economy would make it difficult for Ivey to help
the church with the 2007 taxes.
"He's been nothing but accommodating,"
Scales said. "He has been just as great as he could
be through this whole thing."
So Scales and Ivey made the decision to part
ways.
In May the 125-member congregation moved out
of the 7,800-square-foot home built just for them. They're
now meeting at the River Christian Fellowship Church in
Raytown.
"It wasn't really fair to have Mr. Ivey
under that big obligation. It was the kind of situation
that made it impossible to meet there," Scales said,
adding the decision to leave wasn't hard until he had to
tell the congregation. "It was difficult to go to those
people who put so much work into it. That was hard. It broke
their hearts."
Ivey and Scales harbor no ill feelings toward
one another.
Ivey still believes the county’s decision
was unfair, and he said property should be assessed based
on how it is being used.
"I feel (Seed of Faith) made a valiant
effort to do all the things they should," Ivey said.
With the taxes still unpaid, Ivey knows he
has to get another tenant in the building soon and will
start to market it again.
Scales said the congregation hopes to get
back into a building of their own some day, but not in the
immediate future.
"This is all fresh," Scales said.
"Right now, let's just catch our breath."
Oprah's
God
Entertainment mogul preaches
'many paths' to God
Steve Rabey | Special to Metro Voice
Oprah Winfrey is such a big star that we know
her by one name, like Elvis, Madonna or Bono. She rules
an entertainment empire worth nearly $1 billion.
Yet she is so much more than an entertainer.
Thousands of articles have been written about
Oprah’s rags-to-riches life story and her philanthropy.
(Oprah’s Angel Network has raised more than $50 million
to fund nonprofit organizations worldwide).
But one of the most controversial aspects
of her cultural influence derives from the emphasis she
places on religion and spirituality. In 2002 Christianity
Today declared she “has become one of the most influential
spiritual leaders in America.”
A video called “The Church of Oprah Exposed”
was posted in late March on YouTube.com. The video, which
refers to Oprah’s viewers as “the largest church in the
world,” has since been viewed more than six million times.
And the operator of a Christian Web site calls
her “the most dangerous woman on the planet.”
Some may consider that an overstatement, but
many of Oprah’s Christian fans are growing increasingly
concerned about her promotion of spiritual views that they
consider “New Age” or, at the least, incompatible with biblical
Christianity.
Lately her favored spiritual teacher has been
Eckhart Tolle, author of “A New Earth,” a major best-seller
that mixes Christian and non-Christian views.
“I used to watch Oprah all the time,” said
Southern California resident Nicole Yorkey. “I was hoping
that she really was a Christian, so that she could positively
influence so many people. Then the last few months
she is into stuff that I think is New Age. I don’t want
anything to do with it.”
Many Christians are talking about Oprah’s
gospel. What does she believe? And what kind of “gospel”
are she and her associates promoting? The answers are complex
and include a mixture of Christian and other beliefs.
A media mission
Oprah is an unlikely mogul. She was born to an unmarried
mother and was raised in poverty. She was raped when she
was 9 years old and later bore a child who died in infancy.
She has triumphed over tremendous odds, so it should come
as no surprise that she has embraced and promoted a self-help
approach to spirituality.
Christianity Today writer LaTonya Taylor said: “To her
audience of more than 22 million mostly female viewers,
she has become a post-modern priestess—an icon of church-free
spirituality.”
Oprah speaks less about salvation through Christ than she
does Christ-consciousness. Likewise, she describes heaven
not as an eternal destination but an inner realm of consciousness.
And she dismisses the idea that there is “one way” to God,
when she says, “There couldn’t possibly be just one way.”
“One of the mistakes that human beings make is believing
that there is only one way to live,” she said. Instead,
“there are many paths to what you call God.”
Larry Eskredge, associate director of the Institute for
the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College in
Illinois, said, “Oprah’s theology seems to be a version
of America’s secular theology of self-improvement, doing
good to others, and the prosperity gospel. She is also able
to foster a tremendous sense of community around her TV
show. People who watch feel they are involved in a great
quest to improve society and improve themselves.”
In fact, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is guided by a mission
statement that emphasizes enlightenment as well as entertainment:
“I am guided by the vision of what I believe this show
can be,” Oprah said in the mission statement.
“Originally our goal was to uplift, enlighten, encourage
and entertain through the medium of television. Now, our
mission statement for ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ is to use
television to transform people’s lives, to make viewers
see themselves differently and to bring happiness and a
sense of fulfillment into every home.”
Guests and gods
Oprah was raised in the Baptist church and frequently uses
Christian language. She also uses her show’s influence to
promote Christian projects, such as the bestselling book,
“Mistaken Identity,” which was featured on her show the
week of April 1.
The book explores how personal faith in Jesus Christ helped
two families cope with a heartbreaking mix-up after one
family’s daughter was killed and the other family’s daughter
critically injured in an auto crash. Five weeks and one
funeral later, authorities discovered they had switched
the identities of the Taylor University students.
When a representative of the Cerak and Van Ryn families
asked Oprah’s staff to provide a room where they could pray
together before the show, Oprah asked permission to join
them.
But as Oprah has said, at a certain point in her life,
“I took God out of the box.” Oprah does not subscribe to
the view that Christ alone offers the way to salvation.
Instead, she argues that there are many paths to God, and
her TV show guests and associates reflect this religious
diversity.
Such is the case of Tolle, who has benefited from Oprah’s
on-air influence. His “A New Earth” book sold more than
3.5 million copies in the first four weeks after Oprah added
the work to her book club.
Every Monday night for 10 weeks more than a half million
online members join a live interactive Webcast, led by Oprah
and Tolle, complete with a workbook and Audio Meditations
and Awakening Exercises to study the teachings of Tolle’s
book.
According to Baptist Press, Tolle draws from Buddhism,
Islam and Christianity and teaches that humans should distance
themselves from their egos and open up to a “higher self.”
Don’t create your own suffering by stressing over the past
or the future, Tolle advises. Live in the now. Oprah says
this message is aimed at helping people “with spiritual
growth” and “the languaging of new consciousness.”
Oprah acknowledges the book may be a difficult read. In
a March 23 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer,
she is quoted as saying, “Don’t expect to immediately understand
this book. But keep at it, because we need to change the
world.”
Bethany House Publishers in Minneapolis will publish a
book analyzing Tolle’s theology this summer. According to
a company spokesman, Richard Abanes’ upcoming book, “A New
Earth, An Old Deception: Awakening to the Dangers of Eckhart
Tolle and His #1 Bestseller,” will expose the dangers of
Tolle’s teaching, including his misuse of Scripture, his
false teachings on God, and his disagreements with the Bible’s
teaching on evil and salvation.
“Tolle’s message is one of many modern versions of the
ancient quest to escape suffering and attain peace,” Abanes
said. “He denies that he’s offering a religion. But Christians
who buy into this are in danger of having their faith sidetracked.”
Oprah also promoted Rhonda Byrne’s book “The Secret” and
a related DVD program. Byrne teaches that the secret of
life is in what people think.
“Think about it and it will come to you,” reported Baptist
Press. “A Porsche, a cancer-free body, whatever. ‘The Secret’
aired on Oprah’s program and was lapped up by consumers.”
After Byrne appeared on Oprah’s show, the book came next,
becoming a best-seller and spawning Secret clubs across
the country.
“Millions of Americans are intrigued with this idea that
our thoughts create things,” reported Baptist Press. “It’s
another narcissistic, self-centered lie that denies the
sovereign, all-powerful creator God.”
One of the most detailed examinations of Oprah’s spirituality
and the beliefs of her guests was published in a 2001 issue
of the Christian Research Journal. In “Oprah Winfrey and
Her Self-Help Saviors: Making the New Age Normal,” author
Kate Maver talked about Tolle, Byrne, Gary Zukav, and Caroline
Myss.
Meanwhile, Liveprayer.com founder Bill Keller, who has
called Oprah “the most dangerous woman on the planet,” provides
a less nuanced overview in his “high-tech cyber debate.”
(Keller didn’t really debate Oprah, but created the “cyber
debate” by cutting and pasting video snippets into a montage.)
Christian viewers respond
More than 20 million viewers tune into “The Oprah Winfrey
Show” every day, many of them Christians. What do these
viewers think about Oprah’s spiritual views, and what do
they do about them?
Jillian Wasielewski of Seattle has been a big-time Oprah
fan.
“I have done everything Oprah at one time or another, including
visiting her Web site, watching her TV shows, buying all
the books she recommended, joining her online world book
club, and buying products from her Favorite Things lists.”
But Wasielewski, who is a Protestant,but attends church
with her Catholic husband, said that more recently she has
been taking what Oprah says with a grain of salt.
“At first I thought her beliefs were similar to my own,
but as time has gone by, I have found myself surprised by
some of her statements and lifestyle choices,” she said. “I
have worried over her success and power–which is both wonderful
and terrifying.
“I don’t know if Oprah has changed or if we just know her
better now, but at the end of the day, I must remind myself
that putting our trust and faith in human beings will often
lead to disappointment. When we put our trust and faith
in God, we are never disappointed. I can love someone
and still dislike or disagree with their behaviors or beliefs—and
rather than worry I can pray about things that concern me,
just as the Bible instructs.”
Where do area pastors stand? Hayden Groves is pastor of
Christ Outreach Ministries in Kansas City. He’s worried
what this message means for this generation.
“The Bible makes it clear that there is only one way to
the Father. If you’re saying that their are other ways to
God, than you’re saying that Jesus lied, that’s my opinion,”
said Hayden. “Oprah is saying that you could pick a God,
with no boundaries, and if you worship Satan, then she’s
agreeing with the Satan worshipper. I know this is really
unscriptural and a person who is weak-minded will buy into
the lie that they can do what they want to do and pick a
God with no boundaries. She’s setting it up for a lawless
generation.”
Hayden says he’s watched watched the Oprah show but isn’t
a big fan of the show. “She’s going to have stand
before judgment for that thought and accusation. She has
a lot of power and influence and with that is a lot of accountability
and responsibility whether she knows it or not.”
Assessing Oprah’s impact
Oprah is a complex person, and so is her impact. She is
a survivor and overcomer who has helped millions of people
overcome their own personal challenges.
She has also played a profound role in America’s racial
history by transcending black and white. Today few white
Americans think of Oprah as a “black” entertainer the same
way they think of Democratic presidential candidate Barack
Obama (whom Oprah has enthusiastically supported) as a “black”
candidate. Her ability to transcend divisive racial divisions
is impressive.
And even though many Christians disagree with her theology,
Oprah has used her powerful platform to promote spiritual
values at a time when many entertainers aim much lower—and
she has backed up her talk with her walk, supporting many
charitable organizations.
“Oprah’s theology is broad, eclectic and (almost too) generous,”
said Craig Detweiler of the Reel Spirituality Institute
at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.
“Her followers can receive her free therapeutic, booster
shots five days a week. But she also backs her claims with
genuine benevolence. That is a significant spiritual influence
that churches must take seriously.”
Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson addressed Oprah’s
spirituality in a 2005 “Breakpoint” broadcast.
“I’m not saying don’t watch Oprah,” Colson said. “She’s
talented and generally provides wholesome entertainment.
But don’t confuse it with the faith. Many people are turning
Oprah and TV into their own personal gods of self-fulfillment.
And that’s the kind of ‘religion’ that does far more harm
than good.”
Steve Rabey is an award-winning writer from Colorado.
This article was funded by a historic consortium of Christian
newspapers across the North America, including Metro Voice.
This is the first time Christian newspapers have joined
together for the purpose of investigative journalism.
National News
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