The New Age vs Doreen Virtue
Back in 2019 Kanye West claimed he had converted to Christianity.
Five years later, he claimed he was his own “god”.
I think people in the Christian sphere were not surprised. Most Christians know that to follow Christ there is a cost. One of those is the submission of our own comfort and will to our Savior, the One who is our Lord. Without God’s gracious hand in granting one faith to leave this world behind, it’s near impossible to give up one’s “godhood”; especially when the world worships you as one.
I recently interviewed Doreen Virtue on the Thoroughly Equipped podcast.
If you haven’t heard of Doreen Virtue, she was a former popular New Age teacher who had been on shows such as Phil Donahue, Oprah, and had traversed the nation presenting New Thought teaching at the various popular New Age conferences. About a year before Kanye’s claim to conversion, Doreen Virtue began speaking out against all she had taught in the New Age. The Holy Spirit, through the Scripture, had revealed Doreen’s sin, rebellion, and false teaching to her and had granted her repentance. And Doreen was on a mission to not only know more of God’s word, but to also expose the false religion she had previously believed but also promoted.
What’s the cost of turning from the New Age to Christianity? A lot.
See, the New Age’s foundation is predicated on the belief that people are naturally good and all religious roads lead to one- god, universe, the divine, etc. The important thing is not what you call it, or what you believe about it (theology), but that you trust in your goodness and find the “light” within. To get to the divine, you access that “light” through various methods and through it become one with humanity and the universe. Each religion is accepted in the New Age, as each has its own guru or prophet that accessed this “light”. Jesus, in the New Age, was an example of one who was in touch with the “light” and in union with the divine. Start talking about humanity’s sin, a wrathful God against it, and Jesus as the ONLY way to be saved, and you’ll stir up a hornet’s nest.
But that’s exactly what Doreen did. And so came the back lash…
The internet is an interesting thing. Gossip and drama, get attention and likes. There are many sinful ways that the internet is used. But here is where I would praise God for this technology and the past 6 years of his work in Doreen’s life. We can see it play out in real time. We can see her make a complete 180 and proclaim the gospel to those who were just like her. We can see the reactions of those teaching and promoting New Age thought make videos expressing their hatred of her because of her conversion. We can see them reaching for subjective feelings to try to understand why one would go to Christ, and we see them scrabbling to defend their beliefs.
The Christ from Scripture offends them, and I believe God has used the internet with Doreen’s testimony and platform to do just that.
But there’s something else that I’ve observed with all this surrounding Doreen’s conversion to Christianity; and that is that we can see the cost of turning to Christ. The submitting oneself to Christ’s Lordship and the vitriol that will come from calling others to do the same.
I had forgotten that there is a cost to follow Christ. I had forgotten that people hate their Master therefore they will hate those who love the Master.
At a certain time in Jesus’ ministry, He had gathered his disciples, told them that He was sending them out as sheep amongst wolves to inform the lost sheep of Israel that “the kingdom of heaven was at hand”. He instructs them to be wise and prepared for persecution. And in this passage, in Matthew, He explains why…
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
26 So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” -Matt 10:24-39
There is a cost to follow Christ that we as Christians need to keep in mind. To become Christian is to enter a spiritual war. A war between two masters; Satan and the self against our Creator and his Son. Battles always have a cost. In this spiritual battle we lose family and friends, careers and reputations, this world and all it’s false salvations. And that is what this internet battle has displayed- the fight between false religion with a god of the self against Christianity and our Lord, Jesus Christ has been playing out through Doreen’s platform and ministry.
Kanye West had entered the same battle and lost. Where God takes him next, I do not know. I pray God works in him.
But what about Doreen? She continues to speak out and seems to me to be ever more vigilant in the fight. And who can blame her? She knows what she came out of. I imagine after being cast so low to see the sin in all she taught in the New Age, there is a fire to save those whom she deceived. Grasping God’s wrath against herself she wants to make others aware of what is to come should they not turn from the New Age religion. And finally, I imagine, after receiving the salvation that comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, she wants to present God’s gift to all who would receive it.
I don’t know Doreen’s heart or what will come of Doreen’s faith in the future. But I do know something…
Over the last 6 years what was the cost for Doreen? Her will, her name, her “godhood”, and her self-salvation. What was her gain? Christ.
And I pray she remains in Him, for the sake of the lost sheep in the New Age.
To listen to my interview with Doreen Virtue check out “Leaving the New Age with Doreen Virtue”
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