As a Christian who loves Jesus and believes that the Bible has every instruction for life, it's always interesting to look at what culture has to say about the purpose of life and how to go about living it. I cannot think of any single person more influential in this arena than Oprah Winfrey. She's literally a one woman media conglomerate. Books, movies, producing, acting, singing, her magazine, charity both domestically and internationally, on and on the list goes. Her book club has changed the face of American culture. Her magazine and the people she gets behind to endorse for her "Best Life" line of products are consumed intently by millions of Americans. Suffice it to say, when she gets a big opinion about something, a lot of people are listening and a good chunk of them take it to heart and adopt it as their own.
This is why I have decided to watch the final season of her talk show. To be completely honest, as a Christian I spent a long time seething over the video of her flat-out denying Jesus is the only way of salvation (YouTube it). I wrote her off as having not a single valuable thing to say and detested her for spreading lies about how all we need to do is tap into the goodness inside of us and be heroes and save the world. Now, Jesus is the only hero, don't get me wrong. I still disagree with much of Oprah's message and even agree with my church's preaching pastor that much of what she believes is inspired by Satan and his demons. However, when Oprah speaks people listen. I do think she really is trying to do the best she can; sadly, she's deceived and so much of her message doesn't honor God and therefore it is empty and worthless.
There is a great method for filtering culture through the Gospel. Using the truths of the Bible, we can take something created by those who don't know God but who are very influential in our culture (from the local cultural, independent news weekly to an absolute powerhouse like Oprah) and either receive, reject, or redeem what they have to say. This short clip is from a recent sermon at my church and lays out how this works, but it's exactly how it sounds. What is good and we can receive it? What is absolutely wrong and should flat out be rejected? What is wrong, but can be redeemed for Jesus' glory?
That is my goal with this blog--to watch the final season of Oprah, filtering each episode through what God says is good and true and then seeing where Oprah's message shakes out. I'm not here to idolize Oprah, though I respect her and would love to have a chance to meet her. I love her because God created her in His image and he loves her enough to nail his son to the cross for her sins. However, while I frequently disagree with her because much of what she says disagrees with the truth of God's Word, I'm not here to demonize her or set her up as someone that Christians can just dump and hate on. My tent was pitched in that camp for far too long and it had nothing to do with the grace and love I have experienced from my precious Savior.
I will be honest as I write this year, and I hope I do a good job. I want people to see Jesus more clearly, to know Him better than they did before they read this blog. I'm not here to try and get famous by picking Oprah apart, nor do I think for a second that I'll ever be a blip on her radar! I simply know that I am the worst of all sinners, and yet God is a good and gracious Father who loved me, saved me, and continues to pour into me so that He can get the glory. May this blog never deviate from that!
And that, my friends, is Redeeming Oprah.
