From distant New Zealand it’s hard to understand the fascination Americans have with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, or the influence she has over contemporary American society, so perhaps we won’t read Mansfield’s book with quite the same emotional investment. 

But the influence of post-modern/New Age spirituality on popular culture, and on Christian beliefs, is an important issue that affects all of us in the Western world. On that basis, this book is an interesting read with warnings for all of us.

Mansfield’s account of how Oprah journeyed from being a Baptist church-goer to a modern day conduit for just about every wacky New Age religion and spirituality you can think of is perhaps not untypical of the journey many take – except that Oprah is a media personality of huge influence. 

The author makes the thought-provoking point that if Oprah had sought out the right people with the right message at the right time, her journey might have been a very different one.

Instead, says Mansfield, she has become a spokesperson for all those who seek spiritual fulfillment through self-actualisation, rather than pursuit of a God with a higher purpose outside of ourselves. 

This is not a book that savages or mocks Oprah Winfrey. Mansfield treats her with respect and acknowledges her amazing gifts and talents. He holds out the hope that Oprah Winfrey may yet “find what she has so obviously lost.”

– Duncan Pardon (review copy courtesy of Manna Books)