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THE BEREAN     CALL“[The Bereans] . . . searched the scriptures daily, [to see] whether those things were so.” —Acts 17:11www.thebereancall.orgFrom Oprah to Oz— And BeyondT. A. McMahonIf you were asked to name America’s mostinfluential spiritual advisor for the past 25years, what would your response be? BillyGraham? Robert Schuller? Perhaps RickWarren or Joel Osteen? It may surprise youto learn that none of these men have been assuccessful numbers-wise as Oprah Winfrey!Her programs drew a daily audience as highas 12.4 million and averaged 7.4 million in2007, diminishing only slightly when shetouted Obama during the 2008 election year.Her closing program had its highest-everrating, with 16.4 million viewers.All of this adds up to an incredible amountof influence. What do I mean by includingOprah in this group of “spiritual advisors”?What religion might she have been promoting? Oprah hinted at the answer to thosequestions on her final program: “People oftenask me, ‘What is the secret of success of theshow? How have we lasted 25 years? I nonjokingly say, ‘My team and Jesus.’ Becausenothing but the hand of God has made thispossible for frey-Show-Finale 1/1). Shethen further identified the God to whom shereferred: “I’m talking about the same oneyou’re talking about. I’m talking about Alphaand Omega, the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the Ultimate Consciousness, the Source,the Force, the All of everything there is, theOne and Only G-O-D” .If it’s still not clear to you exactly whoor what this “One and Only G-O-D” is,you’re not alone. All the commentaries thatI’ve read regarding Oprah’s farewell program have noted that reviewers also wereconfused about the deity to whom she paidhomage. What should be clear is that the“Jesus” and the “God” whom she describesare not the biblical Jesus and God. But thatmay not be so clear for some—especiallythose who consider themselves Christiansand who think that Oprah is talking aboutthe same Jesus in whom they believe.No matter what anyone has in his orher mind about Jesus, only the Scripturescan set the record straight, and here’s why.Mankind has only three options when itcomes to our knowledge about God. EitherGod has revealed Himself to humanity in DAVE HUNT, FOUNDER VOL. XXVIboth general (His creation) and very specificterms (His words), or man has conjured uphis own ideas about God. The third optionis by far the most common: it’s a mixtureof the two that includes bits and pieces ofGod’s revelation combined with mankind’sopinions and speculations. Of the three,which one will be the most accurate? Obviously, communication from God himselfwould be best.Is that a reality? Well, that’s what theBible claims. More than 4,000 timesthroughout the Scriptures, God’s prophetshave written phrases such as “Thus saith theLord” and “The word of the Lord came tome.” If that isn’t the case, then they wereall lying. That would be amazing becausethe “lies” were consistent among all 40 whowrote the Scriptures—men who lived during different cultural times over a period of1,600 years and who reflected quite diverseoccupations in life: Moses was raised in thecourt of Pharaoh of Egypt; others were fishermen or shepherds; one was a tax collector,another a physician, and a few were royalty.Further proof that God has communicated to mankind through His Word arethe miraculous aspects of what He says,especially through prophecy: “Behold, theformer things are come to pass, and newthings do I declare: before they spring forthI tell you of them.Let all the nations begathered together, and let the people beassembled: who among them can declarethis, and shew us former things? let them[pagan idols] bring forth their witnesses,that they may be justified: or let them hear,and say, It is truth. Ye are my witnesses,saith the Lord, and my servant whom I havechosen: that ye may know and believe me,and understand that I am he: before me therewas no God formed, neither shall there beafter me” (Isaiah 42:9; 43:9-10).Only God is omniscient, and He challenges any gods that humans have concocted to demonstrate their ability toforetell the future. In contrast to the failedprophecies of the idol worshipers, therecord of the Scriptures contains hundredsof prophecies accurately detailing eventsforetold by the God of the Bible that wouldtake place days, months, and even hundredsor thousands of years from the time theywere issued. Fulfilled prophecy is the foremost verification that God’s Word is justthat: the Word of God (TBC, 8/06; 9/06, et al.).Oprah’s widespread influence on America’s spirituality can be attributed to manyNO. 8 August 2011factors, from the popularity of the New AgeMovement (of which she was a chief promoter, by featuring wannabe gurus such asShirley MacLaine, Marilyn Ferguson, andMarianne Williamson), to the national rushto psychotherapy as the solution for all oflife’s problems, to our historic Yankee loveaffair with self-help theology and practice.All of these, Oprah dished up daily.The reason for the incredible acceptanceof her spiritual teachings, however, mustbe credited primarily to her ability to makeeven the most far-fetched Hindu/Buddhistconcepts appear to fit with Christianity—amix that she has fed to viewers who, forthe most part, profess to be Christian yetare largely ignorant of the teachings of theBible. This has effectively disabled theirability to recognize God’s direct revelationas the authority for spiritual truth and hasopened the door for any mixture of thoughtsone has about God (e.g., opinions, speculations, guesses, or whatever a person “feels”regarding the nature of God).Oprah’s own “Christianity” leans heavilyupon the Christianity of the Mind Sciences,including New Thought, Religious Science,Christian Science, and Unity School ofChristianity, all of which incorporate intotheir teachings ideas drawn from Easternmystical religions. Although some featurethe Christian name, they are diametricallyopposed to biblical Christianity. Oprah isa latter-day composite of Madame Blavatsky and Mary Baker Eddy, the formera co-founder of Theosophy, who popularized Buddhist occultism in the West inthe last half of the 1800s, and the latter,who founded the Christian Science cult inNew England in the same century. Oprah’sbackground is Baptist, which she left inher late 20s.She claims that her eyes were openedto the fact that “God” was bigger than thedoctrines she had been taught, and she laterwas excited to discover views that taughtthat there were many ways to God besidesthrough Jesus. The Cross, to her, was nota matter of Jesus’ reconciliation of man toGod through His payment for the sins ofthe world but rather a preeminent lesson inovercoming the obstacles in one’s life. Sherecalls that transition period in her life as thetime when she began her search for morethan Bible doctrines. She turned to thosewho have Westernized and homogenizedEastern religous concepts for the American consumer, such as Eckhart Tolle, Gary

4August 2011Zukav, Deepak Chopra, Iyanla Vanzant,Carolyn Myss, and Elizabeth Lesser.According to the Scriptures, when peoplelike Oprah either drift away from or rejectbiblical doctrine, they have turned fromGod’s instructions to the rationalizationsof men, at least, and/or to the doctrines ofdemons at worst (1 Timothy 4:1). She raisedfalse spiritual teaching to new technologicalheights when she began her series on A NewEarth with Eckhart Tolle. The initial programreached 139 countries with simultaneous,interactive worldwide instructions and grewfrom there. Another attraction that drew themultitudes were her celebrity guests with“spiritual insights” that she paraded beforeher audience (80 percent of whom werewomen) day after day, including Scientologists Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Unityminister Della Reese, Eckhart Tolle-discipleJim Carrey, and Kabbalah devotee Madonna,among a litany of others. Tragically, foruntold millions, she’s paved the broad roadthat leads to eternal destruction.Although Oprah and her friends seem tobe all over the spiritual map, their beliefs andpractices can be simplified from a biblicalperspective. They all promote 1) the deification of self, and 2) salvation through goodworks. Here is what Oprah gleaned from herspiritual advisors: Jesus came not to pay foreveryone’s sin but to teach Christ consciousness—the idea that each person is a partof God and needs to be conscious of that.Hindus call it “self-realization,” i.e., realizing that one’s own self is God. That was theultimate message of The Secret (see TBC’s TheSecret Seduction), a book and DVD that millionspurchased due primarily to Oprah’s endorsement and enthusiastic promotion.In Oprah’s words as she considers oneChristian woman’s view against a nonChristian woman’s path to God: “[Thereare] many paths to what you call God. Herpath might be something else, and when shegets there she might call it the Light, but herloving and her kindness and her generosity,if it brings her to the same place it bringsyou, it doesn’t matter whether she calls itGod or not.” This is “works salvation,” andit is the foundational belief system of all theworld’s religions. Only biblical Christianity rejects works unequivocally as a pathto being reconciled to God: “Not by worksof righteousness which we have done, butaccording to his mercy he saved us” (Titus3:5); “For by grace are ye saved throughfaith; and that [salvation] not of yourselves:it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyman should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).Scripture is emphatic that no loving act,no kindness, no generosity, or any other“good” deed qualifies anyone for eternallife with God. The problem is sin, regardingTh eBe r e a nCa l lwhich every human (except the sinless God/Man Jesus Christ) is guilty (Romans 3:23),and for which no sinner can do anything topay off the penalty that God established.Why not? The penalty is eternal separationfrom the presence of God. Oprah and allher spiritual teachers may reject the biblical teaching concerning sin and its penalty,but the absolute fact is—it must be paid inorder for God’s divine justice to be satisfiedand for one to receive the gift of everlasting life with Him: “For God so loved theworld, that he gave his only begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in him should notperish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).Their “many paths” statement is a rejectionof the most unfathomable act imaginable.In fact, it is so incredible that none of thenon-Christian world religions have evereven hinted at such a deed: the Creator ofthe universe Himself would pay the penaltyfor His rebellious creatures and would offerthe free gift of eternal life to them on thebasis of their simply receiving it by an act offaith. Charles Wesley immortalized Jesus’astonishing achievement in song when hewrote, “Amazing love, how can it be thatthou, my God, shouldst die for me?”It’s doubtful that Oprah Winfrey will begiving up her pulpit; it is more probablethat she’ll seek effective ways and meansto spread her gospel in other venues. Of hermany “apostles” (a.k.a. Oprah’s Allstars)whom she has established over the years, itwill very likely be Dr. Oz who will fill thegap and keep the bastion of false spiritualitythriving on daytime TV.Mehmet Oz is highly qualified for thejob. He is a Sufi Muslim, given more to themetaphysical and experiential than to thelegalism of Sharia law, which is practicedby most Muslims. His medical expertiselends credibility to his religious offerings,which reflect the Indian guru Mahesh morethan Mohammed.Oz is a national spokesperson for Transcendental Meditation, or TM, which wasintroduced to the U.S. in the late ’60s byMaharishi Mahesh Yogi (guru to the Beatles)as The Spiritual Regeneration Movement. Itwas pure Hinduism packaged for the West.However, legal issues related to the introduction of religion into the schools prevented itsspread until the name was changed to TM,and it was subsequently repackaged andpromoted as a scientific stress reducer thatemployed the use of meditation.TM is currently back in the limelightnot only for millions on daytime TV butalso for evangelicals. Oz and two othermedical doctors have been drafted byRick Warren to “shape up” himself and hisSaddleback Community Church, as well asall the thousands of evangelical churchesthat partner with Saddleback. Warren’s“Daniel Plan” is an attempt to give biblicalsupport for improving the physical welfareof overweight and out-of-shape believers.The “Daniel” reference is to the young mandescribed in chapter one of the book of theOld Testament that bears his name. This isone more example of the biblical illiteracythat has infected the church through marketing, seeker-friendly, and purpose-drivenprograms that have weaned Christians offthe Word of God and have all but completelyeliminated their ability to discern what’sbiblical and what’s not. Daniel was hardlyan overweight teenager in need of an exercise, nutritional, and meditation program butrather a godly youth whose fear was that hewould defile himself before his holy God.But that doesn’t sell today. All three doctors to whom the shepherd of Saddlebackhas turned his sheep over for their physicalwell-being feature occult meditation (SeeTBC Newswatch 2/11; Q&A, 3/11) in their programs under the pseudo-scientific labelsof TM and the Relaxation Response (SeeAmerica, the Sorcerer’s New Apprentice; also The spiritual climate of America in the21st century is neo-pagan in general, neognostic among most professing Christians,and severely lacking in biblical discernmentamong those who may well be true believers. We are in the throes of rampant spiritualdelusion. What can be done to stem the tide?Nothing that the Bible seems to indicate.On the other hand, God has given believersmarching orders for these times—ordersthat appear to be designed more for a rescueoperation than for a reversal of widespreadapostasy: “And the servant of the Lord mustnot strive; but be gentle unto all men, aptto teach, patient, in meekness instructingthose that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to theacknowledging of the truth; And that theymay recover themselves out of the snareof the devil, who are taken captive by himat his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Furthermore,the Apostle Paul exhorts us to, “Preach theword; be instant in season, out of season;reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will comewhen they will not endure sound doctrine;but after their own lusts shall they heap tothemselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears fromthe truth, and shall be turned unto fables.But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, makefull proof of thy ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5).“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be yestedfast, unmoveable, always abounding inthe work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye knowthat your labour is not in vain in the Lord”(1 Corinthians 15:58).TBC

TQuotableGod-sent ministry, heeded and bowed to,leads to enlargement and blessing; but theSpirit’s testimony rejected increases theguilt of him who hardens himself againstit, and makes his condition far worsethan before. It is ever the case that lightrefused makes the darkness all the deeper.Hence the need of a tender conscience,quick to respond to every word from God.H. A. IronsideQ&AQuestion: In Genesis 44:5, did Josephuse divination? If so, was this divinationgodly, or was it a sin?Response: In Genesis 44:4-5, Joseph toldhis servant to follow after his brothers and,upon exposing the hidden cup, to ask, “Isnot this it in which my lord drinketh, andwhereby indeed he divineth?” Then, inverse 15 we read, “And Joseph said untothem, What deed is this that ye have done?[Know] ye not that such a man as I cancertainly divine?”We don’t believe that Joseph was actuallysaying that he practiced divination. We needto remember that he had not revealed hisidentity to his brothers and they regardedhim simply as an Egyptian official whohad the power of life and death over them.Furthermore, Joseph had also manipulatedevents in order to “frame” his brother Benjamin. We know that Joseph led an exemplarylife before the Lord during his time in Egypt.Consequently, the “frame” was somethingthat he was doing specifically in order toserve a certain purpose. It didn’t reflect theconduct of his life in anything else.Therefore, these verses don’t indicatethat Joseph used occult divination at all;they merely record what Joseph told hissteward to say to his brothers upon overtaking them on their journey home. Fromwhat we know of Joseph, according to theScriptures we cannot imagine that this manwho had said that “interpretations belong toGod” (Gn 40:8, 41:16) could possibly engagein this occult practice.His brothers’ response is also interestingin that they give no credence to the paganpractice of divination, but instead Judahsays, “What shall we say unto my lord?what shall we speak? or how shall we clearourselves? God has found out the iniquityof thy servants: behold, we are my lord’sservants, both we, and he also with whomthe cup is found” (44:16).Joseph himself says nothing furtherabout divination, but states, “.God forbidh eBe r e a nCa l lthat I should do so: but the man in whosehand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peaceunto your father.”The larger question here could be “whydid Joseph use deception to determine hisbrothers’ loyalty?” After suffering treacheryand deceit at the hands of his family in thepast, this was an effective means of doingso. Furthermore, it wasn’t done with malicious intent or secret glee for trickery’s sakebut rather for the purpose of proving theirhearts in order to accomplish redemptionand restoration. Among many other types ofChrist seen in the life and trials of Joseph,his temporary “deception” of his brothersmay be compared to the Lord’s veiling ofHis identity from the two disciples on theroad to Emmaus as a means of searching outtheir hearts and minds. And just as Josephbegan to reveal himself to his brothers at ameal, Jesus revealed himself in the breaking of bread after His resurrection: “Andtheir eyes were opened, and they knewhim; and he vanished out of their sight.And they said one to another, Did not ourheart burn within us, while he talked withus by the way, and while he opened to usthe scriptures?” (Lk 24:30-32). Isn’t it likelythat the hearts of Joseph’s brothers “burnedwithin them” when he arranged them at histable in order of birth (Gn 43:33)?Question: I know that 1 Timothy 2:10says that “.prayers, intercessions, andgiving of thanks, be made for all men”But my question is: since no one can beforced to get saved without their choosing Jesus as their Savior for themselves,what does praying for the lost do? I heardone man say, “My family prayed for meto get saved for 26 years,” etc., but sincetheir prayers didn’t force him to trustChrist, nor did it force God to save himagainst his will, what’s the practical useof it, other than it being a command herefrom the Apostle Paul?Response: Your question would be evenmore puzzling if you added the fact thatGod is omniscient and has known frometernity what a person will pray, how Hewill answer the request, and what the resultswill be regarding the person for whomthe prayers are being offered. Althoughthat doesn’t help us to fully comprehendhow prayer works, it does show us thatthe value of prayer is for man and not forGod. What are the values? When we prayto God, we communicate with Him, and ifour prayers are earnest, they involve faith:“He that cometh to God must believe thathe is, and that he is a rewarder of them thatdiligently seek him” (Heb 11:6). As we see ourprayers answered, we grow in our faith andAugust 20115relationship with God. The more we pray,the more we see Him at work in our lives.The more things we pray about, from thelittle things to the seemingly impossiblethings, the more we see His considerationof all aspects of our lives.What then does that have to do withpraying for someone who must, of his ownfree will, put his faith in Jesus? God alreadyknows who will put their faith in Him andwho will not. Prayer will not change the latter, but it will have a tremendous effect onthe person who eventually comes to Christ.Ask any of those Christians who knew thatbelievers were praying for their salvationbefore they were born again. Most of themwill say, upon looking back, that they sawGod’s influence in their lives.First Timothy 2:10 is not just “a command from the Apostle Paul,” as if it wereonly Paul’s considered opinion. In writingabout the inspiration of Scripture, Peteridentified Paul’s writings as “Scripture” (2Pt 3:16) and also said in 2 Peter 1:21, “For theprophecy came not in old time by the willof man: but holy men of God spake as theywere moved by the Holy Ghost.”Consequently, it is the Lord’s directivethat we pray for the lost. Paul’s obedienceto this command was clearly seen whenhe wrote, “Brethren, my heart’s desire andprayer to God for Israel is that they mightbe saved” (Rom 10:1). Paul knew that thoughthere is coming a time in which “all Israelshall be saved” (11:26), he no doubt recognized that he was unlikely to see that dayin his lifetime. Nevertheless, he prayed.Paul’s heart was revealed when he wrote,“For I could wish that myself were accursedfrom Christ for my brethren, my kinsmenaccording to the flesh” (9:3).Additionally, the context of the passagethat you quote suggests that we not onlypray for “kings, and all that are in authority”in general terms but in order to fulfill thewill of God, “who will have all men to besaved, and to come unto the knowledge ofthe truth” (v. 5). Obedience is the first “practical” fruit of prayer. (If for no other reason,it may be that prayer changes our spiritualposture as much as it changes anyone oranything else.) But as far as how prayerworks as an evangelistic tool, we have littleinformation on which to base any scientificinquiry. It is certainly not based in the inherent “power” of words or vain repetition, forthat is occultism (Mt 6:7). However, we knowthat praying for “all men”—even for thosewho persecute us and despitefully use us(Mt 5:44)—is in accordance with God’s will.And what greater prayer can we offer thanthe request that God may grant such men(and women) repentance, which is His stateddesire throughout Scripture (Jn 3:17; 2 Pt 3:9).

6August 2011Conversely, Satan seeks to disparage prayerand discourage its use.So, while we are shielded from theunderstanding of how prayer “works” in thespiritual realm, we do know that it is a trueweapon of warfare (2 Cor 10:4), as Scriptureaffirms: “The effectual fervent prayer of arighteous man availeth much” (Jas 5:16b).Fortunately, the effectiveness of our prayeris not dependent on our flowery speech orpersuasive words (Ex 4:10, 2 Cor 10:10) butis carried to the throne by the Holy Spirit,who “helpeth our infirmities: for we knownot what we should pray for as we ought:but the Spirit itself maketh intercession forus with groanings which cannot be uttered”(Rom 8:26).As countless testimonies of individualsaffirm—even of those who have been lostfor decades and may have at one time spitin the face of God (and of those praying fortheir salvation)—prayer does work. Andwhile neither prayer nor the Holy Spiritcan “force” anyone to receive the truth, itis evident that they work together with theliving Word of God (Eph 6:17-18, Heb 4:12) togrant opportunity for spiritual discernmentand understanding to all “natural men” (1Cor 2:14, Jas 1:23). Thus praying for others isnot a form of spiritual manipulation, but anact of love, out of concern for the eternaldestiny of human souls, in accordance withthe will of God.Finally, regarding the man whom youmentioned whose family had prayed for himfor 26 years, God’s answers are not held to atime limit. My wife and I prayed for a relative for more than 20 years. It was only overtime that the Lord’s circumstance

Warren or Joel Osteen? It may surprise you to learn that none of these men have been as successful numbers-wise as Oprah Winfrey! Her programs drew a daily audience as high as 12.4 million and averaged 7.4 million in 2007, diminishing only slightly when she touted Obama during the 2008 election year. Her closing program had its highest-ever