The Church of Oprah Exposed

Oprah's remarks rile some evangelical Christians

By HELEN T. GRAY
The Kansas City Star

Oprah Winfrey has offended evangelical Christians, and they are fighting back.

For the first time, 23 Christian newspapers across the country united for a joint investigative project. Their aim was to explore the spiritual beliefs of the popular entertainment mogul.

An article titled “Oprah’s God” ran in all the papers’ May or June issues, along with each one’s local input. Among the papers was Kansas City’s Metro Voice.

“The issue has produced the most feedback of anything we have run,” said Dwight Widaman, Metro Voice publisher and editor.

The effort is a result of mounting discontent over statements Oprah has made. Evangelicals believe her remarks are not in line with biblical Christianity.

Some of these statements were shown on a widely circulated YouTube video called “The Church of Oprah Exposed.” This came to the attention of Lamar Keener, a Christian newspaper publisher and president of the Evangelical Press Association.

“Personally, not being a viewer of any daytime television, I was unaware of both the magnitude of Oprah’s audience and the influence as well as the full nature of her message that is decidedly New Age and very much in conflict with biblical Christianity,” he said in a Christian Newswire report.

This came at a time when Oprah’s loyal fans were reading her latest book club selection, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. Also, the May issue of O: The Oprah Magazine focused on spirituality. The first feature set the tone for the many articles that followed: “Welcome to the Banquet” was the headline.

Oprah’s empire also was the subject of a recent New York Times article that examined various reasons for an apparent dwindling in her appeal.

It noted that while Tolle’s book “sold faster than any of the previous 60 selections of Oprah’s Book Club, it also has attracted some criticism for Ms. Winfrey on her Web site, where some of her fans have said that the book’s spiritual leanings go against Christian doctrine.”

One segment of the YouTube video, taken from Oprah’s show, is a prime example of what angers many evangelical or traditional Christians.

“There are many paths to what you call God,” Oprah says.

When someone in the audience challenges that Jesus said he was the only way, Oprah retorts, “There couldn’t possibly be just one way.”

Widaman said the beliefs of other entertainers, such as Tom Cruise and Madonna, have come under quite a bit of scrutiny.

“But because Oprah is who she is, the media is much less willing to tackle her strange beliefs because of the power she holds through her production company, television show and magazine,” he said.

“We thought her views warranted examination as anyone who is using their power to spread them,” he said. “She really is using her television show as a pulpit for her gospel.”

In his investigative article, Steve Rabey gives further reasons for Christian discontent.

“Oprah speaks less about salvation through Christ than she does Christ-consciousness,” he writes. “Likewise, she describes heaven not as an eternal destination but an inner realm of consciousness.”

He quotes Larry Eskredge, associate director of the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College in Illinois: “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.”

Rabey says Oprah was raised in a Baptist church and frequently uses Christian language. She also uses her show’s influence to promote Christian projects.

Among Oprah’s supporters are people associated with Unity School of Christianity near Lee’s Summit, where Tolle spoke last month.

“Oprah has made a courageous commitment to raising the level of consciousness on this planet, and we at Unity applaud her for that,” said Paula Coppel, vice president of communications. “Her Web series with Eckhart Tolle was a phenomenal gift to the world and life-changing for many people.

“I have to wonder if Oprah’s critics have read Tolle’s book or watched any of the Web series beyond the inflammatory clips on YouTube.”

Coppel said Unity is “very much aligned” with the principles that Oprah and Tolle have been presenting.

“Unity teaches that there are many paths to God, that no one path is right or wrong,” Coppel said. “For fundamentalists who are happy with their beliefs, that is fine. We would never call them wrong.

“But we also know there are many Christians with questions who are looking for another way of relating to Jesus and his teachings that is progressive and empowering. We offer that alternative, and Oprah is doing the same thing.”

Coppel said Unity is “quite in sync with Oprah’s focus on the Christ-consciousness within each of us.” She said Unity defines “Christ-consciousness” as “the perfect mind that was in Christ Jesus.” It results from a process of self-mastery and “spiritual unfoldment,” she said.

Loyal and occasional viewers and former fans are divided on Oprah’s spirituality.

“I used to watch her all the time, but for the most part, I don’t even turn her on anymore,” said Bernice McKinney of Kansas City, Kan. “She lost me as an audience.”

McKinney said that if at one time Oprah accepted Christ as her Savior, then she needs to repent and get back to the teachings of the Bible.

“Otherwise, she is going to be held accountable for leading thousands of people astray,” she said. “I’m fearful for her. I just pray for her.”

Meg Shipley of Gardner agrees that Oprah’s spiritual views contradict the Bible.

One example, Shipley said, is Oprah has said that God is a feeling experience and “if God for you is still about a belief, then it’s not truly God.”

Shipley said she also has heard Oprah speak of teachings that God is a jealous God and how that didn’t seem right.

“At first I thought, wow, Oprah sure thinks highly of herself to assume that God is jealous of her,” Shipley said. “But then I began thinking, the verse she references means that God detests idol worship, and since Oprah now has such a huge spiritual following, it could easily be thought that she has followers who worship her, and it may very well be that God is now ‘jealous’ of her, but not in a flattering way.”

But Jessica Mellinger of Olathe praises Oprah for promoting spirituality instead of religion.

“It seems like a lot of people my age (26) are very intimidated by a lot of religion,” she said. “I was not brought up in a strict religious household. Oprah promotes spirituality.

“With spirituality there is a higher power, and you are connecting with your inner self. Oprah is not pushing a religion. She has said numerous times, ‘I believe in God, and whatever you believe in is your choice.’ Her audience is across the world, not just traditional Christians.”

Mellinger said she wants to be more open to other beliefs, and Oprah has shown her how to do that.

Widaman said feedback from the Oprah piece in papers across the country has been mostly positive. But some people have asked why they were picking on Oprah.

“We just wanted to shed light on her beliefs,” he said. “One result we are hoping for is that people would be more cautious in being influenced by her beliefs, especially Christians.”