OPRAH WINFREY’S LIFECLASS, SUPER SOUL SUNDAY & ELEPHANT ROOM 2’S T.D. JAKES

By on Jul 5, 2012 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features, T.D. Jakes, Word Faith

Apprising Ministries told you just the other day in Justin Peters On Dangerous Doctrines Of The Word Faith Movement that this cult is actually slithering ever deeper each day into the mainstream of the church visible.

By now you likely know that in Elephant Room 2 Word Faith mogul and prosperity preacher T.D. Jakes was given a pass into contemporary evangelicalism and allowed to essentially say, “I’m a trinitarian-modalist.”

I also explained that a couple of weeks later James MacDonald appeared on the February 6, 2012 edition of Chris Fabry Live and implied that Jakes is moving away from the Word Faith prosperity gospel as well:

[mejsaudio src=”https://www.apprising.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Fabry-MacDonald1.mp3″]

MacDonald says that T.D. Jakes would not accept the WF prosperity preacher label. And I told you from over 25 years of studying that movement I can tell you that I’ve never yet seen one of them who would accept it.

Now, James MacDonald is right when he says that if Jakes wants to be accepted as evangelical, as opposed to WF, then “his ministry will have to bear that out.” However, since ER2 it most certainly hasn’t been the case.

Offering some proof, in my June 12 piece WF Pastrix Paula White: As Paul Is To Timothy, So T.D. Jakes Is To Me I cited that comment made by Jakes’ spiritual daughter at his recent 35th ministry anniversary soirée.

That certainly doesn’t sound like something that could be said concerning someone who’s supposedly moved away from Word Faith mythology. The fact is, T.D. Jakes is, in large part, responsible for pastrix Paula White.

Now we turn to another post ER2 example showing Jakes is still preaching his WF message, which is steeped in the fables of the human potential movement. The following comes from the Oprah Lifeclass event.

It happened during the spring of this year and featured “Special Guests Including Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Bishop T.D. Jakes and Iyanla Vanzant.” ((http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2012/02/29/oprah-winfrey-brings-oprahs-lifeclass-tour-to-canada-for-her-first-ever-show-in-the-country-7882)) Via an Own press release at the time we learn:

Oprah Winfrey Network announced today another stop for “Oprah’s Lifeclass Tour” as Oprah Winfrey heads to Canada for her first ever broadcast from the country. Winfrey brings her popular series to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for a live show to air Monday, April 16 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on OWN. (source)

This now brings us to the below:

What you’re about to see below aired this past Sunday:


(source)

We note that it kicked off Season 3 of Oprah’s spiritual series Super Soul Sunday (SSS) and you get an idea of the human potential Law-based message shared by T.D. Jakes in the following:


(source)

That’s a bad confusion of Law and Gospel, at best. We turn now to her opening for this program below where Oprah Winfrey tells us we’re going “behind the scenes” of the Lifeclass Tour in Toronto mentioned above.

She tells us this is “an exclusive look at what happened before” what would air earlier in her Lifeclass Webinar. Winfrey then goes on to say that SSS would feature “never before seen talks from two Lifeclass All-Stars.”

One would be Living Spiritual Teacher and leading guru of the New Spirituality aka the New Age Deepak Chopra and the other T.D. Jakes. It should be noted here that they don’t appear on stage together in this SSS program.

After explaining her vision for SSS Oprah Winfrey gives us a short introduction of T.D. Jakes, whom she refers to”as one of the country’s most dynamic spiritual leaders,” rather than as a pastor:

[mejsvideo src=”https://www.apprising.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Oprah-Intro.mp4″ width=640 height=360]

Next time we’ll go further into the human potential pep talk T.D. Jakes gave at the Toronto Lifeclass. For now, I’ll just give you Jakes taking the stage following Oprah Winfrey’s introduction and a quick critique of his opening.

Let’s keep in mind here that this is billed as a spiritual event. In other words, it’s perfectly acceptable for “the Bishop” to discuss God, Jesus, Christianity, etc. This is not some secular event where such things would be frowned upon.

Jakes begins by telling this audience, which is very likely mostly made up of nonbelievers, he wants to help them with their thoughts and what’s inside them. With no mention of our sinful nature Jakes muses:

I want to develop the part of you that is necessary for you to soar like an eagle and accomplish your destiny.

However, this is something only God can do through repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ Name; i.e. the Gospel. Next he gives them merely a human mantra to repeat with him that’s straight out of Stuart Smalley: ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Smalley, accessed 7/5/12))

I am no greater than the thoughts I think.

While it works well in settings where group psychology builds enthusiasm, of course you can see, this has no Biblical basis whatsoever. Jakes tells the crowd he thinks we miss “the most important part of life” as we don’t understand:

what we really need to do to accomplish our hi—as Oprah would say—our highest and best self. And if we’re not accomplishing it, then part of who really are is hidden; it’s just hidden from view. And we’re going through the motions, and not really not maximizing who really ought to be in life.

Centered on the self skubalon. Sadly, WF prosperity preacher T.D. Jakes makes no mention of Jesus Christ, without Whom these people remain doomed; no matter how much they may think of themselves and of their own human potential:

[mejsvideo src=”https://www.apprising.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Jakes-1.mp4″ width=640 height=360]

HT: Slaughter of the Sheep, Better Than Sacrifice

Further reading