”O” God: A Dialogue on Truth and
Oprah's Spirituality
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by Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett
Dana Point, CA, Sept. 3, Christian Newswire – Best-selling author and
apologist Josh McDowell (More Than a Carpenter) and fellow apologist
Dave Sterrett of Probe Ministries believe that as many people leave churches
and give up on organized religion, they’re turning to Oprah as their
spiritual leader. Their new novel “O” God: A Dialogue on Truth and
Oprah's Spirituality (Worldnet Daily Books) will address Oprah’s
splintered belief and the advice of popular teachers she promotes.
“The danger is that while appearing
to use Christian and inclusive language that at first seems similar to that
of Christianity, Oprah teaches a message that is radically different and
absolutely contrary to the true teaching of Scripture and historic
Christianity,” McDowell and Sterrett warn. They cite examples of the media's
portrayal of Oprah as a modern-day Billy Graham and her selection as master
of ceremonies during the national memorial service held at Yankee Stadium in
the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks to demonstrate her powerful
influence.
The Bible foretells of such a time as this “when men will not put up with
sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around
them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3, NIV).
USA Today reporter Cathy Lynn Grossman noted this theological shift in a
recent article, “Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap
on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies – like strict
doctrine – behind.”
McDowell and Sterrett share in the book’s introduction why they teamed to
author “O” God, “Christian apologists who believe that salvation is
by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone, we wanted to
create a fictional, almost Socratic dialogue that would cover many of the
themes of Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual teaching in recent years.”
“O” God follows conversations of two girl friends representing the
multitudes of Oprah fans, who unwittingly place their faith in the
hodgepodge of spirituality embedded in her popular TV talk show, magazine
and webinars. In the end, a life-altering crisis helps crystallize the truth
from counterfeit teachings. Like classic Christian author C.S. Lewis,
McDowell and Sterrett decided to employ fictional narrative to disarm and
entertain readers, while refusing to shy away from biblical truths and
expose Oprah’s errant teachings.
Josh McDowell has spoken to more than ten million young people in 84
countries and on more than 700 university and college campuses. He has
authored or co-authored 118 books and workbooks with more than thirty-five
million in print worldwide. Josh's most popular books are The New
Evidence That Demands A Verdict and Why True Love Waits.
Dave Sterrett is an educator, speaker and writer for Probe Ministries
International in Plano, TX. Dave teaches on Christ-centered living,
Christian apologetics and true spirituality at conferences, schools and
churches. He contributed to the Apologetics Study Bible for Students,
and will release the book Why Trust Jesus? with Moody Publishers in
March 2010. He can be contacted for speaking engagements at DAVESTERRETT@HOTMAIL.COM.
