On Astrology

The news reports made it into the category called "news of the weird." Scientists have discovered that the zodiac signs modern culture uses are all wrong. Yes, you read that right.

It seems that when astrologers laid things out more than 3,000 years ago (before the birth of Jesus Christ), they were based on certain alignment of planets and stars against the earth. But over the years, the earth apparently wobbled a little on its axis. So now everything is off by about one month. My sign used to be Virgo. But not anymore. It turns out I was never a Virgo. Instead, I am Leo. (See the chart at http://www.abc-7.com/Global/story.asp?S-13828331).

I will confess that my reaction to this was similar to the reaction I had when the Catholic church did away with Purgatory (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article598134.ece). A type of sinister looking holy smirk spread across my face. I'd always known the Catholic theology had holes in it. Finally the pope and I were getting on the same page about that.

I've always loved Catholic people. But as I studied the Word of God, it became clear to me that they, for the most part, are a group of people living under deception. Worse yet, they are ignorant of the deception. They don't even know they are wrong!

And so it is with people who follow their horoscope, pay attention to zodiac signs etc. I've always known that was a farce. But the troubling part of deception like this is that it often feels as if its true. In fact, that's usually how the deception proliferates ... it comes disguised as truth.

I don't know if it's me, but I think I'm noticing a lot more posts on Facebook, for example, from people whom I know profess to be born-again Christians. They are posting their horoscope. They are asking people what their sign is. Is it possible that they aren't conscious of the fact that a horoscope intends to gain (or provide) insight into a person's character and tell the future of that person's life? Or do they just get that entertainment value out of it?

The theology of astrology (if you will) is a basic belief that the planets and the stars have power over what happens in our lives. Those who study this theology become experts. They can tell you things about yourself that perhaps even you didn't know. And they can predict your future. It is against this backdrop that the worst of them purport to give you advice and help you make important decisions in your life.

It's a troubling sign for me, to read these fellow Christians posting about their astrological signs. The Bible expressly forbids divination, sorcery, and hidden arts (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). God's people (that's you and me) are to follow only God for direction in our lives (Deuteronomy 18:15). Any other source of guidance, information or revelation is to be ignored and even rejected (Acts 16:16-18).

You see, the truth of the matter is that astrology opposes biblical teaching in at least two important ways. First, it advocates faith in something other than God, and credits something that God created with divine, supernatural power. Second, it places our attention on something other than God for our source of power and guidance. In fact, it denies God's perfect will for my life and His perfect control over all of my circumstances.

Christ-followers are to be reading our Bibles and praying every day. This is how the character of Christ takes over us. It is also our principal source of knowledge about how to move forward, what decisions to make, etc. There is to be no other source of such influence in our lives.

Consulting your horoscope is a direct and clear violation of God's plan for our lives. That the so-called astrology experts have just discovered a massive error in a so-called theology that is older than Christ Himself just provides further evidence of the futility of such wisdom. Think about it. People who have been following astrology for over 3,000 years have been deceived.

I thought I was a Virgo. I was told who Virgos are, how they function and predictions were given to me all my life. I've been told how to make decisions as a Virgo too. Then all of a sudden, I'm a Leo ... an entirely different person. What exactly does that do to an individual --- to mess with their identity like that?

The definition of who I am was decided on the cross. God knew me before I was even in my mother's womb. He had a perfect plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11), and has provided me with His Spirit to guide me and help me make right choices and good decisions through out my days. So let us put away the entertainment value that we get out of astrology. It's like a false religion. Sadly, the further it goes, the more false it gets.

Fortunately, I don't have much stock in astrology anyway. I used to. But thanks be to God for revealing the truth to me, and exposing the lies I was believing. The thing is that I'm not rattled by this revelation of the whole shift in our zodiac signs which needs to be made, because it's been wrong forever. But for some of my Christian brothers and sisters, and for some of my non-Christian friends as well, they must be wondering what it's all about. Let's lead them to the truth. And in the process, we'll march right over the lies.

Now, my friend ... what sign are you? "Well, you see, I'm a sign of the cross!"

More Dave Ramsey

Just a couple days ago I blogged about the most unfortunate position financial guru Dave Ramsey has taken towards creditors. Despite professing to be the prophet of Christian Biblical financial principles, Mr. Ramsey was coaching his audience on how to cheat and screw their creditors. Then he took aim at the creditors, calling them names and disparaging their character.

Now lest you think I over reacted, yesterday I was listening to Dave Ramsey's show again (hoping he'd answer the question I left). A caller asks him about settling an overdue debt, and wanted to know what documentation they should get from the creditor, etc. Mr. Ramsey started off well, saying that unless it's in writing, it isn't an agreement. That's sound advice for anyone.

But then he went on to insult the integrity of Citibank and Bank of America. He made jokes and laughed hysterically at the notion that these institutions might be considered trustworthy --- by someone who has defaulted on their obligations and is trying to get the banks to settle a debt for less than they owe. The caller had not mentioned Citibank or Bank of America. But Dave made his cynical remarks and just laughed and laughed over it. Apparently he thinks it's very funny to trash the leading financial institutions in our country ... when consumers are screwing them.

So I'm not one to take this lying down. Being the prophet that God made me to be, I have to confront sin when I see it. I tried to call Dave Ramsey immediately. The phone rang and rang and I never got through. In fact, I tried for about 30 minutes and never got through.

This guy is behaving like an arrogant cad, instead of a Christ-follower. He's advertising tickets to his seminar being hosted at the Potter's House church in Dallas. We can go to church - a house of prayer, and pay to hear him tell us how to get our financial houses in order. From what I'm hearing on his radio show, I'm guessing his standard advice includes screwing your creditors and then demonizing them when they try to hold you accountable for your obligations to them.

Why are Christian churches continuing to support this clown? Am I the only one who sees the heresy and the hypocrisy in this man's ministry? I cannot believe Mr. Ramsey's apparent ignorance about the facts of the debt collection business. But even if I get past that, do we really want Christ-followers to get their financial advice from such a hypocrite?

Dave Ramsey, you are dead wrong. It is time to repent of your sinful ways and dump the hostile bias against lending institutions. It is time to stop embracing the notion that borrowers are entitled to screw their creditors. And it is time to stop demonizing the hard-working people in the debt collection business who are simply trying to get borrowers to keep their promises. Really Dave, do you think Jesus would be dispensing the kind of advice you are?

Test Everything

I'm reading this book right now. I won't name the title because I'm not sure what I think of the book yet. It had a catchy title. So clever was the title that I also purchased another copy of the book for a friend (at the same time I purchased my copy). As I am reading it though, I have thought perhaps I should call him and apologize.

The book is about the watering down of Christianity. It is about how those who profess to follow Jesus Christ in America actually don't. It is about the heresy that's being preached in the name of Jesus.

Typically I'm drawn to controversy and conflict. I always assume that truth will level the playing field in such situations too. This book is no different. Much, if not most, of what it has to say is spot on. Several times as I'm reading I'm tempted to say, "Amen!" There are pages that I've already marked for future reference because the writer's words are so profound.

But then there are those moments. Perhaps you've experienced them. It happens when someone intelligent is saying things you heartily agree with. And then they do it. They spew out something that you absolutely know is not true. In fact, there is no way it could be true. If you even considered the possibility that it would be true you would be undoing everything you believed in. (I often get those moments watching Oprah or reading something she's recommended.) And he did it here.

This author, whose book I have purchased for myself and a friend, was doing great. Until he spewed some nonsense that makes God look like a fool. I got through the first one like a rough patch of turbulence on an airplane flight. It smoothed out and I continued reading with satisfaction and agreement. Until he did it again. And again. I think there are three or four times now he's said something in this book that has made me wince because it was untrue. It's a like that the writer apparently believes to be true.

The Bible tells us to to test everything against the Word of God to be sure it is true. We're not to consume anything without first conducting that test. Said differently, we're not to consider anything or take anything at face value without having first tested it against the Word of God.

I've blogged in the past about false teachers and false teaching. They're not always the same. Sometimes good teachers can be guilty of false teaching. And so I'm reminded as I read this book right now, that even writers who mostly put forth truth can let a lie creep in there somewhere. I think it's why the Bible tells us to test everything that's said --- as opposed to testing everyone who says it.

I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do about this book. I'm pretty sure I'll finish it. There's a sufficient amount of truth in it that I want to finish it. But I have to admit that the lies are distracting the heck out of me. They're spoiling the enjoyment I get from reading it.

A couple of years ago I read the book, A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle. (It as an Oprah Book Club recommendation.) Unfortunately, the book was so full of crap that I was thoroughly disgusted reading it. While there was some truth, most of what Mr. Tolle had to say couldn't pass the testing against God's Word. I was so disgusted, in fact, that I took my copy of the book and threw it in the dumpster. I didn't want to pass it on even to a thrift store for fear that someone else might read it.

I don't think I feel so strongly about this book I'm reading now. But I've already decided I'm never going to recommend it, especially to someone who is young and perhaps less able to discern the lies amidst the truths.

Perhaps the question is whether book authors (and their publishers) know that no matter how good they are, how religious they've been or what they write ... it still needs to be tested against God's Word.

Catholic Heresy

To my dear Catholic friends and loved ones --- please forgive me, but today's blog is about the insane level of deception in your faith. I mean the Catholics are more deluded than the Jews.

These are hard words for me to write, because I have some very dear friends who are both Catholic and Jewish. I pray for both groups of loved ones. I pray that they will stop being deceived by their own religions and religious traditions. I pray that they will see the truth.

It is easy for us to write off the false world religions like Islam, Hindu and others. But the Jewish faith and the Catholic faith seem so very close to Christianity. They seem so very close to the truth. We tend to think highly of them and regard them well. We shouldn't.

Today's Jews are denying that Jesus is who He said He is. That puts them on par with the Muslims --- they both seem to believe about the same thing about Christ. Quite frankly, that's an easier proposition for Christians to deal with.

But the Catholics take Jesus Christ and pervert Him in so many ways! I have blogged before about Catholic heresy. (I think the last time was when they cancelled or closed "limbo" for babies who haven't sinned but can't get into heaven because they haven't been baptized.) Today, we are faced with a comeback of the Catholic notion of "indulgences" regarding "absolution."

In Catholic terms, "indulgence" is the full or partial remission of the temporal punishment for sin which has already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the (Catholic) church after the sinner has confessed and received "absolution." This "absolution" is just forgiveness imparted to the sinner in the name of the Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) on behalf of the (Catholic) church. Absolution is usually not granted until after "penance" has been assigned by the priest receiving the confession of the sin. Penance is simply a penalty to be paid. It can range from repeating "Hail Mary" prayers to self punishment in physical forms to making restitution of parties injured by the confessed sin.

Did you catch all of that? Did you see all of the heresy in this? It is most noteworthy that not a single bit of this Catholic crap is Biblical. Let's break this apart a bit and examine why.

First of all, there is no such thing as "temporal punishment for sin which has already been forgiven." When our sin is forgiven by God, that is it. There is no punishment. Natural consequences will still belong to us each. God rarely intervenes to take those away from us. But there is no punishment. Jesus took the punishment for our sin, on our behalf, on the cross. When He did it, His closing remarks were, "It is finished." And it was! So no priest (or anyone else for that matter) has the power to take the punishment for our sins away from us. Even if they did, the only way they could would be to take the punishment on our behalf --- like Jesus did!

Second, forgiveness of sin (absolution) cannot be extended to a sinner in the name of the Trinity on behalf of the church. God never authorized any church to forgive sin. He instructed men (and women) to forgive each other. He said if we don't forgive each other then we will not ourselves be forgiven. But nowhere in any Bible does God delegate authority to forgive sin to the church or any other worldly body of mankind. The Catholic church is guilty of thinking more highly of itself than it ought to (a sin that the Bible warns against).

Third, penance is not Biblical, except in the context of making amends to those we may have wronged with our sin. God doesn't want our worship (of Him) if we have fractured relationships with each other. He specifically says that if we are coming to Him to worship and find that someone else has something against us, we should set aside our worship and go be reconciled with our brother (or sister) before returning to worship God. That is the entire definition of penance in God's book. It really does go no further than that.

The simple truth is that we are to confess our sins to God. When we do, He forgives them. End of story. We are also to confess our sins to "each other" (meaning a "saint" who is at least as spiritually mature as we are). When we do, He heals us from those sin patterns that control us. Forgiveness and healing. They are the only two consequences that God has in store for confessed sin.

The news reports are that the Catholic church is bringing back indulgences as a way to incent its members to confess their sin. Incentive or not - it is still heresy. Let us not be deceived by heresy, be it Catholic or otherwise.

And let us pray earnestly for our Catholic brothers and sisters who want to believe on Jesus Christ. They are unfortunately trapped in an ungodly religion that takes the Jesus who is and perverts Him to such an extent that He is unrecognizable --- and untrue.

Real Meaning of Christmas

Now that the Christmas season is drawing to a close, I can breath a long sigh of relief. What am I relieved about? The end (finally) of all the sappy crap about the "real meaning of Christmas." It seems that just after Thanksgiving the television and radio started blasting my home with songs and TV shows & movies purporting to give me the "real meaning of Christmas."

I thought for a while that the absolute epitome of nauseating garbage was that song "Christmas Shoes" by Bob Carlisle. The radio station I listen to most often (KLTY) played it incessantly until I was ready to puke. To make matters worse, people would call in to request it. A friend came to my house and heard it. She remarked about how much she liked it. (I cringed.)

But then KLTY did something worse. They host a holiday "wish list" program, where they show up at fast food restaurants with Christmas wishes that you can stop by to browse through. You pick out a wish to grant. Then they call the wisher on the phone and tell them they're going to grant the wish. The pathetic individual who is desperate for food or rent money often sobs with relief.

This would all be good --- if KLTY didn't then replay the same episode over and over again (we're talking dozens of times). I thought it was degrading and disrespectful to the poor people who were actually being helped. But they do. After hearing the same sob story dozens of times, I wanted to scream, "Who is going to pay these people's rent next month and the month after that!" Frank, the announcer on the radio, acts as if they've actually changed someones life. For heaven's sake, they paid this month's rent and gave them some money for food and Christmas presents. What will happen next month? These are not solutions, folks. They are temporary hand-outs that mostly benefit the giver by making them feel good, and KLTY by making them look good!

My wife told me to be quiet. She doesn't want anyone to know how cynical I've become about the alleged "real meaning of Christmas." So while I sat and stewed about it all month, I turned on the TV. Dear heavens, do you know how many sappy shows there are about Christmas? There must be some Christmas movie factory in China that just pumps these babies out. It seemed there were several to choose from each day. The most insane? Whoopee Goldberg as Santa Claus!

I remember as a child enjoying a few good Christmas shows ... the classics like Rudolf and Frosty the Snowman. They were wonderful and I even enjoy them today. Some of the more modern Christmas movies are destined to be classics too. One of my favorites is the original Home Alone movie. But folks, we don't need four different sappy Christmas movies every single day to watch. Magic reindeer, Christmas shoes, angels unaware, Eartha Kitt, Whoopee Goldberg, and all --- still couldn't make these movies worthwhile. Most of them had some sappy, crappy happy ending that had no resemblance of reality.

So why did I get so moved by this garbage? Because, folks, it is HERESY. The "real meaning of Christmas," as depicted by the modern media, is a fallacy. It is not true. It is not even close to true. Jesus told us to love others as we would like to be loved. He said it is the second most important commandment. We are to do so all year round - not just at Christmas.

The real meaning of Christmas is that God Himself came down to earth to drag our wretched, sinful selves from the fiery pit of hell. We are grateful for that gift and celebrate it on Christmas. I am a filthy sinner, unable to fully repent or turn from my sinful ways on my own. So God, in His miraculous love, sent a Savior to rescue me. That, my friends, is the real meaning of Christmas. When will Bob Carlisle write a song about that? When will KLTY sponsor a program that helps people understand that? When will Fox or Family Channel host 47 different movies that tell that amazing, incredible story?

Like I said, I'm breathing a sigh of relief. The season of heresy is finally coming to a close. God bless us all, as we browse through the discounted Christmas stuff at Wal-Mart (and pick up some Valentine candy that's already on sale).

Pop Heresy

Driving down the road the other day, an old song came on the radio. It was a familiar classic from decades ago, called "Let It Be." Even though I hadn't heard the song in years, I instantly remembered the lyrics and started to sing along. Then I began to actually listen to the words, and was appalled at what I heard. Take a look at these lyrics:

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be.

Let it be, let it be, .....

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be, .....

I blogged recently about Catholic beliefs that simply aren't Biblical and cited their alleged deity of Jesus' birth mother, Mary as an example. I don't know if the Beatles were Catholics, but the Catholic influence is all over this song. What does it purvey? That a women who died thousands of years ago suddenly appears from heaven to encourage us? That when people living in the world agree they are right? Give me a break!

Since Jesus, there has been no human who died and reappeared on the face of this earth to anyone. It may be Biblical to look at troubling circumstances and say, "Let it be." But it won't be because mother Mary --- or anyone else said so. What can we make of this mother Mary business, which appears to be the basis for this song? If anyone truly believes that the mother Mary appeared to them "speaking words of wisdom" there are only a couple of possible explanations.

1. They are misguided by heretical teachings - or ignorant of the truth and believe anything.
2. They are delusional and possibly mentally ill - hallucinating.
3. They are being deceived by the devil himself. (Demons can appear to us for that purpose.)

None of these is a good answer. Who would want to admit to being misguided by heresy, delusional or mentally ill, or deceived by the devil himself? But folks, those are the only plausible sources of truth here.

Now the sad part is that we take something religious and vaguely Biblical --- but untrue --- and we extend it in pop culture with songs. But that is the challenge in a fallen world - to be so grounded in Biblical truth that you aren't swayed by popular culture.

And there it is, my point for today. For generations now, our so-called pop culture seems to be an excellent purveyor of heresy! How many of us can recognize it as we appreciate pop culture?

Catholic Dilemma

Someone called me this week to talk about whether they as a Catholic would indeed end up in heaven. It was an interesting question, as I'm ordained a Baptist pastor and mostly practice a non-denominational brand of Christianity myself. I wondered why this individual would ask such a question. He'd been a long-time member of the Catholic church and felt he was a "good Catholic," practicing the Catholic traditions as he knew and understood them. Still, he described a nagging question in his mind about whether this was sufficient for salvation. I had to tell him it is not.

There is a dilemma with the Catholics, you know. It is one of the oldest religions in the world. It is also one of the most influential religions in the world. Founded in Rome (remember the Roman Empire from Biblical times), it's influence has prevailed over much of the world since after the death of Christ. Most would consider it a respectable religion. Few would question it. And of course, many millions of people follow it. So what's the dilemma? It is that the Catholic religion isn't all based on truth. Some of what the Catholics believe and practice is Biblical and true - but not all of what they believe and practice.

The Catholics have a number of beliefs and practices, which have been added to Biblical truth, that simply aren't Biblical and aren't true. Let's look at some examples:

Purgatory has been a long-held tradition among Catholics. It was like the "waiting room" to heaven, where people go who may not be quite as righteous as God would want. They wait there while God welcomes the true saints and most holy, godly people in. (I imagine it a bit like flying in coach and having to wait for the first class section to board first.) Interestingly, the Catholics have had another "waiting room" for babies and those too young to be sinners before their human lives ended. It was called "limbo." We aren't sure what happened there, but it was generally not considered to be good. (I imagined limbo a bit like flying stand-by, where your status is even less than coach passengers --- because we're not even sure you'll get on the flight!) Fortunately, the Catholic church abolished limbo not too long ago. Now we either go to heaven, hell or purgatory. there is no waiting line to get into the waiting room any more. The thing is that none of this is Biblical. The Bible mentions none of this. Jesus mentioned none of this. It is a figment of Catholic imagination.

The Virgin Mary is a cherished idol in Catholicism. She is regarded by Catholics at a level just below Jesus Himself. They believe she has supernatural powers beyond her human life. So Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary. They ask her to intercede (which means talk to God) for them. They ask her for other things. There is even a sect of Catholicism called "Maryology" - which is the study of "all things Mary." Make no mistake here --- Jesus was emphatic about the fact that nobody is holy save Himself. Even Jesus accurately described the role of his own birth mother in common, mortal terms. She has no supernatural power, no deity herself, and is not to be regarded any differently than anyone else God has used in history do execute His will. So not only does the Bible not mention the Virgin Mary's deity, it specifically speaks against such a notion for anyone. The current role of the Virgin Mary in Catholicism is a figment of Catholic imagination.

Communion, the Eucharist or whatever other terms you use for the taking of bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus is a common tradition in all Christ-centered religions. Jesus actually told us to celebrate communion, so it is an obedience issue. But Catholics believe that once the priest has "consecrated" (e.g. prayed over) the bread and the wine (or juice) --- it becomes the physical body and blood of Christ. Catholics then treat that same bread and wine (probably purchased at the local supermarket earlier that day) as sacred and holy. The leftovers cannot be thrown out, for example. The priest drinks the leftover wine himself, or it can be poured down a special sink which drains to the soil underneath the Catholic church. The bread must be saved and used in other communion events. Often it is taken to shut-ins who couldn't attend the communion service at the church. So here's the thing --- Catholics believe that the priest has the power, through the Holy Spirit, to change the composition of the bread and wine into actual flesh and blood of Christ. Once again, this is not Biblical. Jesus made no mention of converting their composition or making them holy and sacred. He simply said, "Use these as a symbol of my flesh and blood to celebrate my gifts to you." What Catholics are doing with the communion elements is a figment of Catholic imagination.

I could go on here, but I imagine you can get the picture. It's not that the Catholics are a cult or are evil. It's just that they've added things to Scriptural truth that simply aren't there. In a sense, they begin to look like the Pharisees that Jesus spoke so much about --- who took the Old Testament law and added things to it such that they lost the whole point of it.

So, to my Catholic friends ... and I have several whom I love dearly ... I would simply say to read your Bible and find out what is true. Jesus and other New Testament writers told us to test everything against Scripture. So see what the Catholic church is teaching you. Then see if you can find it in Scripture. If so, believe it and practice it. If not, ignore it and focus on what is true. I suspect that the "nagging question" which my friend described as occupying his mind is actually the Holy Spirit calling him to test what's he's being taught against Scripture, and to focus his beliefs and practices on Biblical truth instead of the teachings of any religion or church.

All religions, from what I can tell, are flawed and imperfect. I would never tell someone to leave their church because of a problem they found. Churches and religions are run by humans. And ultimately the question of who gets into heaven isn't decided by any of us. It is God's exclusive decision. And He makes that decision after calling each of us to engage in these imperfect churches!

So, can a Catholic expect to end up in heaven? Most assuredly he (or she) can. But it will not be because they are Catholic. Rather it will be due to the Biblical truths that they believed and practiced. And God will most certainly forgive the figments of Catholic imagination that they may have been mislead by.

Oprah on God

Recently one of my daughters talked about what her pastor was saying about Oprah. She said he was warning the congregation to be wary of Oprah and not be deceived by the evil that she is championing. (I knew that Oprah was a champion of Barack Obama, but didn't think he would be the evil my daugter's pastor had in mind.) So I decided to check it out.

We don't watch Oprah's show, read her magazines or take much stock in her book recommendations. I know she's influential in our culture and many people look at her. Perhaps I became a bit jaded when I was doing counseling and having to explain to people that whatever they saw on Oprah wasn't necessarily how life works! At any rate, I tuned into one episode of the Oprah show - and immediately got what I was looking for.

It seems that among the books Oprah has recommended are some that Christians would consider quite sinister. But she's gone farther. Now Oprah is hosting web-based classes for millions. The classes are on spirituality and religion. They purport to help people understand who God really is and how we should relate to them.

I don't think I've seen such blatant heresy in a very long time. It is chilling. What Oprah is evangelizing is clearly not Biblical. Here is a link to a YouTube video I found that explains the problem with what Oprah is doing. (When you're there, notice the other related videos on this subject.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkQROc5prZE

Finally, here is the link to the web site to which Oprah has hitched her wagon. It is the site of the global "church" she seems to be building.

http://www.neverthirsty.org/pp/monthlynews/200804/n.html

If you are grounded in Christ, you will be chilled by the implications. If you are not, you may very well be deceived.

I am reminded of the proverb, "Let us not be ignorant about the war we are fighting."

God help us all to stand against the influence of an ignorant Oprah who choses to believe what she wants instead of what is actually true. Perhaps more importantly, God help all of those who follow an ignorant leader like Oprah.