On January 10, Dr. Phil did something that literally shocked me. He did a show with some well known psychic mediums and even allowed them to give readings to himself and to audience members. In the process, he actually even endorsed their work.
In the past, Dr. Phil had given every indication that he was a Christian. But now, in his own words, “… you know I am a healthy skeptic, but I am not a cynic.” This is not the words of a Christian who understand’s his faith.
Surprisingly, his wife, Robin, was also a participant in this and, herself, seemed to be at least somewhat convinced that these psychics were real. This is particularly surprising because she has even been a featured speaker at the Women of Faith Conferences. What in the world is going on?
I have no way of knowing their true motivations on this. Are their ratings down and they needed something dramatic to give them a bump? Or, are they really moving to belief in this non-Christian belief system? Regardless of their motivation, it is a truly sad thing that they have played this card.
First, on a personal level, they have completely moved out of a Christian worldview. The Bible does not teach that kind of understanding about the nature of reality. In fact, the biblical teaching is that the use of mediums to try and interact with the spirit world is satanic in nature.
Secondly, it is a sad thing because of the influence they have on a lot of people in America. They are, literally, leading people to look away from God and in a direction that separates them from him.
The truth is, there are a lot of competing belief systems that we interact with these days. As Christians, it is critical that we understand the nature of these various faiths and have a strong grounding in our own. If not, we are definitely susceptible to going astray in a way that leads us away from the Truth – just like Dr. Phil and Robin have. An understanding of worldview is a critical part a Christian’s foundation in today’s world.