Considering Culture: We Are "Gods"

It seems to be all the rage these days among the "spiritual" to claim some form of divinity, or at the very least, claim to have god-like powers. This form of spirituality comes in many forms, shapes and sizes (there's even a "Christian" version), but at base, they are all the same.

However, it is not only the supposedly "spiritual" people that covet god-like power, thoroughgoing secularists do the same from a decidedly naturalist worldview. Whether it's done in the name of spirituality or secularism, the desire to usurp God's throne is universal, and it's nothing new. It is a very old lie that dates back to the Garden.

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." -- Genesis 3:4-5

At base, man is a rebel. We have rebelled against our rightful God and King in an effort to put ourselves at the center of all things. In the words of R. C. Sproul, we are guilty of "cosmic treason"; and much of our entertainment is dedicated to this philosophy of self-worship. We see it in books, movies, music and television in which we are told that the greatest good is to seek our own fulfillment, and to do so at any cost. Pop culture is like a modern day Tower of Babel as we seek to reach up to heaven and claim our own glory and autonomy. I offer here just a few notable examples, ranging from the secular to the "spiritual".

John Steinbeck - Author

Best known for writing East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for literature. The following is an excerpt from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech. 

We have usurped many of the powers we once ascribed to God. Fearful and unprepared, we have assumed lordship over the life or death of the whole world — of all living things.

The danger and the glory and the choice rest finally in man. The test of his perfectibility is at hand.

Having taken Godlike power, we must seek in ourselves for the responsibility and the wisdom we once prayed some deity might have.

Man himself has become our greatest hazard and our only hope.

So that today, St. John the apostle may well be paraphrased: In the end is the Word, and the Word is Man — and the Word is with Men. [ref. John 1:1]

As this speech indicates, Steinbeck represents the only secularist in our group. It seems apparent that his hopes (and fears) for mankind rested not in some vague form of spirituality, but in scientism.

Shirley Maclaine - Actress

Back in the 80's when Shirley Maclaine authored her book Out On a Limb (and starred in a subsequent movie by the same name), it caused a bit of a stir. What Maclaine believed at that time was still considered rather strange and bizarre by the larger culture. But that is no longer true. Below is a brief excerpt from the movie which was based on her book. In this scene, she stands at the edge of the ocean and boldly proclaims that she is God.

Eat, Pray, Love - Book, Movie 

"God dwells within you, as you… God dwells within me, as me."

That quote is just one of the many nuggets of "wisdom" offered in Eat, Pray, Love, another cinematic offering from Hollywood starring Julia Roberts. It was based on the book of the same name authored by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

As a memoir, Eat, Pray, Love has become an international best seller. It has sold over 10 million copies and has been translated into over thirty languages. And it seems that Gilbert has become quite a mover and shaker in her own right. In addition to being invited to speak at the prestigious TED conference, in 2008 Gilbert made Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people. She has also accumulated a long list of literary awards as well.

In the movie, Julia Roberts portrays the aforementioned author as a woman who is perpetually discontent and unhappy with her tragic upper middle-class life. One night, after a few moments of agonizing prayer, she decides to leave her marriage and job to travel the globe in search of culinary delights, casual relationships, and self-absorption actualization. Conveniently, Liz discovered that "God" wanted her to do all the things that she already wanted to do in the first place. But it gets even better, on her path to enlightenment, Liz discovered that she is divine. Shirley Maclaine must be very proud, her brand of New Age spirtuality is now considered mainstream.

Oprah Winfrey - Talk Show Host, Media Mogul

Although a professing Christian, Oprah Winfrey has been one of the highest profile celebrities to endorse New Age spirituality. She has also been a big promoter of New Age gurus such as Marianne Williamson and Eckhart Tolle, among others.

In 2008, Winfrey hosted a series of international web classes with Eckhart Tolle, based on his book, A NewEarth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. More than 700,000 people worldwide registered to view this webinar.

Their brand of spirituality does not recognize Jesus as Savior. In their view, Christ did not come to atone for sin, but rather, He is only a guru who came to teach us how to awaken our "Christ consciousness" within.

The following is a brief transcript from their web class*:

OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): And you know, it’s been a journey to get to the place where I understand, as I said on the pre-show here, that what I believe is that Jesus came to show us Christ consciousness.

OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): That Jesus came to show us the way of the heart and that what Jesus was saying that to show us the higher consciousness that we’re all talking about here. Jesus came to say, “Look I’m going to live in the body, in the human body and I’m going to show you how it’s done.” These are some principles and some laws that you can use to live by to know that way. And when I started to recognize that, that Jesus didn’t come in my belief, even as a Christian, I don’t believe that Jesus came to start Christianity…

OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity.

OPRAH WINFREY (HOST): I’m a free-thinking Christian who believes that, who believes in my way, but I don’t believe that it’s the only way, with six billion people here on the planet.

Joel Osteen - Televangelist, Author

Oprah's brand of spirituality is far more accepted today than it was when Shirley Maclaine first proclaimed her divinity. I offer as further evidence, the alliance between Oprah Winfrey and Joel Osteen. Osteen preached a sermon, titled The Power of I Am, that so impressed Winfrey that she decided to feature it on Oprah's Lifeclass. Given the Biblical meaning of the words I AM, Osteen's use of these words is careless at best, and blasphemous at worst.

It was said of Charles Spurgeon that, if you cut him, he would bleed Scripture. I suspect that if you were to cut Joel Osteen, he would bleed the self-help section at your local Barnes & Noble. His is a Christless Christianity. There is no talk of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). Osteen speaks only of peace and safety to itching ears (Ezk 13:10, 2 Tim 4:3). This indicates a tragic lack of discernment among professing Christians considering the fact that Osteen pastors the largest "church" in America, with over 43,000 attendees every week.

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At bottom, what all of these philosophies have in common is a me-centered / man-centered worldview that is completely foreign to the Gospel of Christ. These philosophies, whether secular or "spiritual", are antithetical to the God-centered worldview of Scripture. There is only one true God, and we are not Him. Most disturbing is how New Age spirituality has been repackaged with Christian sounding terms and language.  

Unfortunately, these powerful voices are coming from every direction in our culture; from the secularist, to the "spiritual", to mainline evangelical churches. But in reality, this is nothing short of evil disguised as light. We have been repeatedly warned about false teachers in Scripture, but somehow we have failed to listen.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
-- 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

*H/T Apprising Ministries