"One of the mistakes that human beings make is believing that there is only one way to live, and we don't accept that there are diverse ways to being in the world. There are many paths to what you call God." Oprah Winfrey said it. And when she did, many Americans who love Oprah believed it.
But one of the best-selling living evangelical authors, Josh McDowell, is not about to sit back and let that statement go unchallenged.
The result is a very unusual book - both in Christian publishing and in the world of secular literature.
It's called "O God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah's Spirituality" - and its official debut in bookstores nationwide comes tomorrow.
"As Christian apologists who believe that salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone, we wanted to create a fictional, almost Socratic dialogue that would cover many of the themes of Oprah Winfrey's spiritual teaching in recent years," explain McDowell and co-author Dave Sterrett in their preface.
Rather than pile on Oprah with Bible verses to contradict her casual New Age proclamations, McDowell and Sterrett use a fictional conversation - or series of conversations - between two female graduate students, both seeking spiritual truth.
The book comes out as Oprah is very much center stage in the news world.
Even in her bid with first lady Michelle Obama to land the Olympics in Chicago, her rhetoric took a markedly spiritual tone.
"I love this city, because this city has been so great to me and I know what this city has to offer," Winfrey said. "My message is really about my love for Chicago and ... the spirit that we know the games will bring and the spirit that the people of Chicago will bring to the Games."
Oprah is also lending her name to a new movie about abusive relationships called "Push," for which she serves as executive producer.
"Push" is about an abused, obese teenager in Harlem who is pregnant with her second child and how a teacher at an alternative school tries to pull her out of her situation. Winfrey was inspired by the message of hope that the book and film present.
"What struck me is that you can live in those circumstances and still find hope," she said. "You can't do that on your own. Somebody has to show it to you. For me it was teachers."
It is Oprah's compassion that lures millions to her TV show and her magazine and the persona that has become an industry. Yet, McDowell and Sterrett explore the possibility that misguided compassion, based on human emotions rather than divine revelation and God's law, can lead people in dangerous directions.
"If you are a Christ follower who believes, as we do, that God's salvation is only through Jesus Christ alone, perhaps this book, 'O God,' will inspire a conversation with friends who are asking you questions," they write. "How do you respond when a friend at your work, school, book club, gym or family reunion brings up Oprah Winfrey's teaching or a form of new spirituality? Do you know how to speak and live the truth in love? This book probably won't provide every single answer to all your questions about God and spirituality, but we hope it will provide some. Our desire is that 'O God' will create friendly and perhaps robust spiritual conversation about the most important things in your life."
McDowell has authored or co-authored more than 110 books with more than 35 million in print worldwide. His classic "More Than a Carpenter" alone sold more than 15 million copies.
About the Book
"O" God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah's Spirituality provides an in-depth look at the controversial spiritual beliefs of one of the greatest media influences of all time: Oprah.
Between The Oprah Winfrey Show, O Magazine and her national webinars on faith, millions are being exposed to Oprah's splintered beliefs. As many exit the doors of traditional religion, the church of Oprah has become a viable alternative to a world looking for a savior--but without the strings. Christians and those of other faiths are asking the nagging question: "Where do Oprah's teachings lead?" In "O" God, mega-bestselling Christian author and evangelist Josh McDowell teams up with Dave Sterrett, a gifted writer and popular speaker. Together, they provide a cutting-edge response to popular inquiries about Oprah's spiritual teaching and the advice of the colorful teachers she promotes.
"The danger is that while appearing to use Christian and inclusive language that at first seems similar to that of Christianity, Oprah teaches a message that is radically different and absolutely contrary to the true teaching of Scripture and historic Christianity," McDowell and Sterrett warn.
McDowell and Sterrett approach the spirituality of Oprah by means of a fictional narrative. By using stories to address the deeper issues raised through Oprah's media empire, McDowell and Sterrett disarm and entertain their readers, while also revealing biblical truths and exposing the errant teachings and misconceptions of Oprah.
"O" God follows the conversations of two girl friends, Lindsey and Avatari - representing the multitudes of Oprah fans, who unwittingly place their faith in the hodgepodge of spirituality embedded in her popular TV talk show, magazine and webinars. In the end, a life-altering crisis helps crystallize the truth from counterfeit teachings.
In "O" God, readers will find answers to questions like:
- Are there many ways to reach God, as Oprah teaches?
- Who was the real historical Jesus?
- Why would I worship the God of the Bible when he is described as jealous?
- Is it okay for a Christian to embrace other forms of spirituality?
- Do we have the potential to discover that we are indeed God or the Supreme Being?
About the Authors
Since 1960, Josh McDowell has authored or co-authored 118 books, including "More Than a Carpenter", which has sold 15 million copies in eighty-five languages, and "New Evidence That Demands a Verdict", named one of the twentieth century's top forty books and one of the thirteen most influential books of the last fifty years on Christian thought by "World Magazine". McDowell completed his college degree at Wheaton college and then attended Talbot Theological Seminary, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a master of Divinity degree. Not long after, he started the Josh Mcdowell Ministry to reach young people worldwide with the truth and love of Jesus. In addition to many other awards, Josh has been nominated thirty-six times for the Gold Medallion Award and has received that award on four occasions. In spite of all the honors and awards he has received, Josh will tell anyone that his greatest joys and pleasures come from his family. He and his wife Dottie have been married thirty-eight years. They have four children and three grandchildren.
Dave Sterrett is an evangelist for Jesus Christ to a new generation. He serves as an educator, writer and speaker for Probe Ministries International in Plano, Texas. Dave teaches on Christ-centered living, Christian apologetics, and true spirituality at conferences, schools and churches internationally. Dave's other forthcoming book, "Why trust Jesus"? will be released by Moody Publishers in March of 2010. Dave serves as a contributor to the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, edited by editor and author Sean McDowell. Dave is a graduate of Oak Hill Academy, Liberty University (B.S. Religion), and Southern Evangelical Seminary (M.A. Apologetics), and is currently pursuing another M.A. in philosophy at the University of Dallas. Before working with Probe Ministries, Dave served as a pastor and youth minister and taught philosophy, ethics and Bible at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas.
Source: World Net Daily
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