I was laying in bed this morning and these thoughts that I'm about to write down were roiling through my mind. I thought, I need to write this down or explode! So I decided to write them down here, praying all the way that I will be able to articulate this all without fumbling and with honesty and truth.
I am frustrated, worried, scared and angry at the state of Christianity in our country. Probably in other countries too, but I live here. We were sitting down with some friends last night and talking about the book called "The Secret". I have heard of this book before, and everytime I hear more about it a pervading sense of wrongness permeates my being. (Kinda the way I feel whenever Oprah is mentioned - but more on her later) Having not read the book, I am speaking third or fourth hand, so forgive me if I'm a little off, but the way I understand it, this book says that we can believe in a god as our creator, but don't need to have a personal relationship with him. It talks about how we can find all that we need in life within ourselves, we are our own salvation.
"The secret is knowledge. Not knowledge in the sense of acquiring information but an inner knowledge of your own potential to achieve wisdom, strength, compassion, and peace. " This was taken from a "Secret" website. Here's another one, "The Secret as the law of attraction, which is the principle that "like attracts like." Rhonda calls it "the most powerful law in the universe," and says it is working all the time. "What we do is we attract into our lives the things we want, and that is based on what we're thinking and feeling," Rhonda says. The principle explains that we create our own circumstances by the choices we make in life. And the choices we make are fueled by our thoughts—which means our thoughts are the most powerful things we have here on earth." Rhonda is the creator of "The Secret".
Wow, this all sounds so good, we control our own destiny. Never mind God, and you can throw out all ideas of Jesus, you control you. simple. scary. And what's scarier to me is that all sorts of Christian people are flocking to this way of thinking. The wolf in sheep's clothing. Never in my life has is seemed more clear to me than this moment that the wolves are everywhere. And all we are seeing are sheep. "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ferocious wolves." Matthew 7:15 And I am convinced that some people aren't even aware that they are the wolves, because they have been so taken in themselves.
This book is only one out of many, many books and people that preach this way of living. Oprah is the worst. Honestly, everytime I hear her name my skin crawls a bit. (no disrespect intended for those who thinks she's all that) She is the namesake for my title. I see her as the pied piper of our generation. Everyone loves her! She has an amazing following. If there is a book that she recommends, well, that book is a best seller in no time flat, because Oprah said so. What bothers me is not her popularity, but that people blindly follow her without questioning where she, and whomever she supports, gets her information.
Here's another excerpt from the Oprah show, by a reverend no less: 'Rev. Michael says that spiritual growth [means] our "real identity." "The love, the peace, the joy, the wisdom, the harmony—these are all qualities of the spirit that it's seeking to express through us," Michael says. "And so as we become more awake, more aware of that, our life is filled with that kind of vibration, that kind of feeling tone. To grow spiritually is to actually become more aware of who you really are."'
Sounds really good, except it's not biblically based! What really frosts me is that people will think, "well if a reverend supports it, then it must be good!" without actually thinking for themselves and looking it up in the Bible themselves. Sheep following a wolf. "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He annointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guarenteeing what is to come." 2Corinthians 1:22. It is His Spirit that helps us to grow spiritually, without It, we are simply settling for an imposter.
There are many good books out there that try to teach us to live better and get in tune with our spirituality. There are also a good many teachers, prophets (of what I ask) and gurus that walk us through a spiritual journey to find our "center" and connect with "god". The problem with this, is that many of them completely take Jesus out of the equation. People spend amazing amounts of time listening quietly for God, trying to connect, and many people do connect with a god. They feel "spiritually" renewed and feel really good. Red flags shoot up all over the place whenever I hear this. My little discernment antennaes start quivering fiercely! And I really really want to ask them, "Is this biblically based? From whom are you getting you information?" Since I can remember, and I don't know who taught it to me first, but I have always known that you must, must, must, test any spiritual information through the bible. A pastor once said to me, because I had questions on discernment, that you needed to first pray hard about it. Then check it with your Bible. Is it Spiritually sound? Then you should talk to a few trusted Christian leaders. I have spent time searching for God, and have found Him in amazing ways, but I have searched for Him with my Bible open in my lap, and before I found God, I always have found Jesus with His arms wide open. (and I do believe that many friends of mine have also honestly searched for God through Jesus, and authentically found Him)
It bothers me that people would sooner trust a secular gifted literary artist, than the one who wrote the most important Book in the world. People would rather believe that they can find "god" on their own. All they need to do is get in touch with their own spirituality, but not mention the "J" word. In the business of Salvation and becoming close with God, there is no room for ambiguity or greyness. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 People are trying all these different methods, and reading all sorts of books, but it is all in vain. They will even feel like they have the real thing, but in the end they will be mistaken.
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." John 5:39. Hmm, strike a chord? How about this one, "I come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" John 5:33-34
I'm just about spent, my fingers are tired and I think I've spouted off everything that was stewing in my brain. I am frustrated with the state of Christianity! People are settling for placebos, and it saddens me as much as it angers me. I wish christians would wake up and see the wolves for what they are. Does no one remember that Jesus warned us of this? That many false prophets would come and we would follow them like sheep to the slaughter? What do we all expect false prophets to look like? I don't think they'll come in long flowing robes! I think they'll come like the pied piper offering up a watered down version of "salvation" and hope and making it all look wonderful. In our apathetic state, many more will follow than not, I'm afraid.
I am frustrated, worried, scared and angry at the state of Christianity in our country. Probably in other countries too, but I live here. We were sitting down with some friends last night and talking about the book called "The Secret". I have heard of this book before, and everytime I hear more about it a pervading sense of wrongness permeates my being. (Kinda the way I feel whenever Oprah is mentioned - but more on her later) Having not read the book, I am speaking third or fourth hand, so forgive me if I'm a little off, but the way I understand it, this book says that we can believe in a god as our creator, but don't need to have a personal relationship with him. It talks about how we can find all that we need in life within ourselves, we are our own salvation.
"The secret is knowledge. Not knowledge in the sense of acquiring information but an inner knowledge of your own potential to achieve wisdom, strength, compassion, and peace. " This was taken from a "Secret" website. Here's another one, "The Secret as the law of attraction, which is the principle that "like attracts like." Rhonda calls it "the most powerful law in the universe," and says it is working all the time. "What we do is we attract into our lives the things we want, and that is based on what we're thinking and feeling," Rhonda says. The principle explains that we create our own circumstances by the choices we make in life. And the choices we make are fueled by our thoughts—which means our thoughts are the most powerful things we have here on earth." Rhonda is the creator of "The Secret".
Wow, this all sounds so good, we control our own destiny. Never mind God, and you can throw out all ideas of Jesus, you control you. simple. scary. And what's scarier to me is that all sorts of Christian people are flocking to this way of thinking. The wolf in sheep's clothing. Never in my life has is seemed more clear to me than this moment that the wolves are everywhere. And all we are seeing are sheep. "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ferocious wolves." Matthew 7:15 And I am convinced that some people aren't even aware that they are the wolves, because they have been so taken in themselves.
This book is only one out of many, many books and people that preach this way of living. Oprah is the worst. Honestly, everytime I hear her name my skin crawls a bit. (no disrespect intended for those who thinks she's all that) She is the namesake for my title. I see her as the pied piper of our generation. Everyone loves her! She has an amazing following. If there is a book that she recommends, well, that book is a best seller in no time flat, because Oprah said so. What bothers me is not her popularity, but that people blindly follow her without questioning where she, and whomever she supports, gets her information.
Here's another excerpt from the Oprah show, by a reverend no less: 'Rev. Michael says that spiritual growth [means] our "real identity." "The love, the peace, the joy, the wisdom, the harmony—these are all qualities of the spirit that it's seeking to express through us," Michael says. "And so as we become more awake, more aware of that, our life is filled with that kind of vibration, that kind of feeling tone. To grow spiritually is to actually become more aware of who you really are."'
Sounds really good, except it's not biblically based! What really frosts me is that people will think, "well if a reverend supports it, then it must be good!" without actually thinking for themselves and looking it up in the Bible themselves. Sheep following a wolf. "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He annointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guarenteeing what is to come." 2Corinthians 1:22. It is His Spirit that helps us to grow spiritually, without It, we are simply settling for an imposter.
There are many good books out there that try to teach us to live better and get in tune with our spirituality. There are also a good many teachers, prophets (of what I ask) and gurus that walk us through a spiritual journey to find our "center" and connect with "god". The problem with this, is that many of them completely take Jesus out of the equation. People spend amazing amounts of time listening quietly for God, trying to connect, and many people do connect with a god. They feel "spiritually" renewed and feel really good. Red flags shoot up all over the place whenever I hear this. My little discernment antennaes start quivering fiercely! And I really really want to ask them, "Is this biblically based? From whom are you getting you information?" Since I can remember, and I don't know who taught it to me first, but I have always known that you must, must, must, test any spiritual information through the bible. A pastor once said to me, because I had questions on discernment, that you needed to first pray hard about it. Then check it with your Bible. Is it Spiritually sound? Then you should talk to a few trusted Christian leaders. I have spent time searching for God, and have found Him in amazing ways, but I have searched for Him with my Bible open in my lap, and before I found God, I always have found Jesus with His arms wide open. (and I do believe that many friends of mine have also honestly searched for God through Jesus, and authentically found Him)
It bothers me that people would sooner trust a secular gifted literary artist, than the one who wrote the most important Book in the world. People would rather believe that they can find "god" on their own. All they need to do is get in touch with their own spirituality, but not mention the "J" word. In the business of Salvation and becoming close with God, there is no room for ambiguity or greyness. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 People are trying all these different methods, and reading all sorts of books, but it is all in vain. They will even feel like they have the real thing, but in the end they will be mistaken.
"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." John 5:39. Hmm, strike a chord? How about this one, "I come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" John 5:33-34
I'm just about spent, my fingers are tired and I think I've spouted off everything that was stewing in my brain. I am frustrated with the state of Christianity! People are settling for placebos, and it saddens me as much as it angers me. I wish christians would wake up and see the wolves for what they are. Does no one remember that Jesus warned us of this? That many false prophets would come and we would follow them like sheep to the slaughter? What do we all expect false prophets to look like? I don't think they'll come in long flowing robes! I think they'll come like the pied piper offering up a watered down version of "salvation" and hope and making it all look wonderful. In our apathetic state, many more will follow than not, I'm afraid.
4 comments:
Hmmmm ... I want to write a comment, but I think my comment would be as long as your post. heh, heh
I do believe that we have to be careful. But if I'm honest, I must say that I struggle to know who the wolves in sheeps clothing actually are. Is it Oprah, or is it the current president of the USA (who the majority of Evangelicals in the States swear is following 'God's' call/wishes, or is Hollywood?? I don't know. For me things are not as black and white.
I saw this on 100 Huntly Street a few weeks ago. They were warning viewers about this book and to tread VERY carefully should they read it.
5"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6
I really enjoyed reading this post. Very well spoken.
You set out to speak truth, and - in my humble opinion - did an awesome job!
I have not read the book, but surmise by the comments that I have heard and read about it that its message is indeed something to be wary of. It speaks contrary to God's Word, the Bible, in too many ways. James 1:16,17 reads, "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." The message of The Secret is all the rage today. I believe many are seeing many positive results from implementing its principles. But will it still be on the best-sellers' list 5 years from now? 20 years? 100 years? No, because in time there will be another best-seller even better than The Secret for Oprah to endorse! The Bible is milleniums old and It's principles have stood the test of time - that's the real secret to success.
Wow W...I read your post yesterday but had to give some thought to how I was going to respond.
I do agree with you that we need to be careful with where and who we put our belief into and who is and isn't wearing wolves/sheeps' clothing.
I can appreciate your concerns for the state of Christianity in our country, in the world and right here in our backyards. However, I am concerned about placing judegment on those that watch Oprah or find pleasure from reading secular works from popular artists. I personally, sometimes am encouraged by the stories shared on Oprah and appreciate a new perspective from some of the books I read that are of secular nature. Just because I appreciate these insights once in a while, does not mean that I am a follower of these people.
When it comes to placing judgement on others, I think we must really look at ourselves first. Are we ourselves saying and doing things pleasing to Jesus? Do we always act with kindness and treat people around us with the love and respect that Jesus would? Is it pleasing to God when we gossip, seeking for the latest news around town and sharing that with others. Just as the name Oprah makes your skin crawl, gossip makes my skin crawl.
Forgive me if my thoughts and words are not clear and to the point. My fingers can not move as fast as the thoughts running through my mind. I love and appreciate my friends who have different view points other than my own and hope that we can come to loving understanding and accept others despite of their differences just as Jesus did.
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