That may be a little extreme. I don’t actually feel a gag reflex to puke. But that’s the emotion (and it’s a REALLY strong emotion) I feel reading about your upcoming tour “The Life You Want.”
It’s not that I have a problem with empowering people. I think it’s a good thing to help motivate people to be the best they can be. Even the Apostle Paul (he wrote bunch of stuff in the Bible) once wrote:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
Here’s the difference between a your empowerment and what Paul is talking about: you want people to get better to live a better life for THEIR glory. You even say, “Take your glory and run!” Um…what? Paul wants people to get better and live a changed life for CHRIST’S glory.
You are ME-CENTERED.
Christianity is CHRIST-CENTERED.
This tour is just another in a long line of scams on humanity. It plays to our instinctual drive to be successful. But success isn’t the goal of humanity. And, contrary to what you, Joel Osteen, and others teach, success is NOT possible for everyone.
The Bible (that’s the book that Christians from era to era and culture to culture agree is the revelation of God to humanity) makes it quite clear that sometimes bad things will happen even to the best of people.
Jesus (he’s the ONE the Christian faith recognizes as God-incarnate, the Messiah and Savior of humanity) said:
I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
It’s not about “The Life You Want.” The Bible notes:
Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. (Ecclesiastes 5:15)
There’s so much more than living your best life now (that sounds so familiar – it would make a catchy book title). Our best life now means nothing because this life ends. What really matters is living life now with eternal focus. That means we take the focus off of us and put in on Christ and his kingdom.
It saddens me that many Christians will be sucked in to your scheme. Many will be fooled into thinking that you have the ticket to a happy and fulfilling life. Your pseudo-spirituality will sucker a lot of shallow people who don’t realize that Christian faith is exclusive to Jesus; that life will have ups and downs; that good and faithful people will sometimes live hard and crappy lives and die broke.
Yeah, you make me sick.
So until I’m blue in the face I’m going to tell Christians that this is hogwash. My hope is that there are enough of us willing to spread the message that your message stinks.
Sincerely,
Me.
Follow @chrislinzey
Chris Linzey 
This entire idea shows how naive we humans can be. We flock to people with charisma despite the obvious facts and Biblical arguments that condemn the teaching of those individuals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sad, but true.
LikeLike
How sad that our society (believers included) is looking to someone who is so lost, for direction…we (God’s Church) have become oblivious to the issues staring us in the face…a false gospel preached and false teachers spreading that “feel-good” gospel…If Jesus had preached the same message that is being preached today – He would have had a mega-church filled with “fans”…but He would never have been crucified…It’s NOT about us and what we can get out of this life – It’s all about Jesus and what we truly get out of “Life” – thank you for your words of truth…God Bless you, brother!
LikeLike
I think there are lots of ways to get to God:
Jesus
Hay-Soos
The Lion of Judah
The Son of Man
The Son of David
The Son of Mary
The Most Famous Dude to Die on a Cross
Etc.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Does Oprah make Christ sick? If Christ is full of grace, does grace get sick of people? Grace, in my experience, is always at work to extend itself and bring people to God.
Are you certain that your views are Christ’s views toward Oprah? If so, then well done. If not, could it be that our views are also “ME-CENTERED”?
LikeLike
Yes, I believe Oprah makes Christ sick. Grace does work to bring people to God, but you are forgetting how God views false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and others who would lead the faithful down a wrong path.
People who lead others away from Christ reject God. See John 8:42-47, John 10:1-18, and John 14:6-7
LikeLike
The day she argued with an audience member that there is more than one way to God and whatever you call it along the way so be it as long as you got there. I was done with her! That had been many years ago, I would say just at the beginning of her “own beliefs”. She cut the audience member off after she said ” Jesus is the only way to the Father”. Oprahs response…” I’m not going to argue over religion”
Great post!
LikeLike
Thx 🙂 The only way around Jesus as the only door is to toss the Bible on its ear…
LikeLike
Oprah is definitely leading the way with her own new religion which is universalism. The biggest issue is that the church embraces her with TD Jakes having her at megafest last year. How can exclusivity grow from a universalist? How does her thought leadership get us to surrender to the Way, the Truth and the Life?
LikeLike
Those are the exact questions we SHOULD be asking. Christian faith IS exclusive. There is no other name under heaven given to humanity by which we must be saved. One Way – Jesus. My best life now is one in service to him, no matter what circumstances I may face.
LikeLiked by 1 person