Rhonda Byrne's self-help philosophy is nothing new—and it's certainly no secret.

Rhonda Byrne has a secret. A secret so sensational that in 2006 she decided that she needed to share it with the rest of humanity—by writing about it in a book aptly titled The Secret. Unfortunately, it continues to gain popularity.

Perhaps the most influential piece of literature consistent with the New Thought Movement, The Secret promotes a metaphysical belief system grounded in positive thinking in the interest of desired material return. Though it claims to be revelatory, it’s no secret that The Secret is nothing new.

The belief is that the entire universe is pseudo-scientifically subservient to every individual human’s thought life. That is, every single thought you have sends out a literal signal or frequency that the universe picks up on and responds to. That’s where the Law of Attraction comes into play. The type of thought you have combines with the feeling it engenders to attract either positive or negative external circumstances. For instance, why do you think a day that starts off poorly continues to go poorly? It’s because the universe was listening to your negative thought frequencies when you got out of bed and stubbed your toe. You attracted the coffee spill, the parking ticket, the pink slip, and the bathroom-break-turned-baby-birthing.

On the other hand, you know how that basketball player always gets “hot-hands?” Well, it’s because he hit that impossible fade-away, the crowd went wild, and he started feeling good about himself. This was followed by an intangible and impenetrable optimism, which reordered the universe in his favor, making the next few plays go his way. Duh. Who knew the “little engine that could” was actually defying conventional physics?

By using the Law of Attraction, an individual can become healthier, wealthier and, of course, happier. As such, The Secret’s philosophy is, for lack of a better word, attractive. In a world where individualism is praised and material is made ultimate, what better philosophical orientation to align with than that of The Secret, which equips the individual to manipulate than the universe to achieve said material profit. Call it good timing or brilliant marketing—either way, Byrne has made her mark on the collective consciousness of America, selling 4 million copies of the book and 2 million copies of the movie.

The real secret is that Byrne has designed something that feeds off of the very postmodern impulse that tells us to own our happiness. People respond to being told that prosperity is just a few thoughts away. I confess that after doing a little research on The Secret I spent the next two weeks micro-managing my thoughts. Oh, and just so you know, it doesn’t work. I never got that egg separator.

What’s fascinating is that Byrne and her followers consider this a revelation—for “the first time in history” we have at our fingertips the opportunity to change our lives by becoming undyingly committed to optimism and self-monitoring. Well, not if ancient Stoicism has anything to say about it—not to mention Joel Osteen. Or any single self-help book ever recorded. The list goes on and on.

The Secret is nothing new, and is no teleological solution to the human tragedy of sin. Even if “thoughts become things,” where does that get you in the end? It might get you a nice house and a pretty wife but I think we should all know by now that such things simply don’t fill your cup. The Secret does nothing more than foster rife self-indulgence and the hubris that goes along with it.

Conversely, Scripture promotes relationships not for the sake of material return, but for the sake of the relationships themselves and the inheritance of undeserved salvation. In the end, Byrne has given us another limited gospel.

RA’s look on at the battle-ball competition held a few weeks ago.

A couple weeks ago, Student Development organized an event in which students and staff could show their appreciation for Covenant’s RAs in true Covenant College fashion—a game of battle-ball. Speaking as an RA, I am very grateful and genuinely appreciated it, if you couldn’t tell by the huge smile I had on my face the whole time. And I am sure all the other RA’s also appreciated it. But for some a great event planned to bring our campus together and inspire unity ended in a fight. Why does this keep happening?

I am not writing this to point fingers at anyone or rub salt in any wounds, but I do think it’s about time we as a campus really thought about this issue, especially since this is not an isolated event. The fight is not the issue, but it is a symptom of a disease that plagues our campus. Those who were involved are not the only ones infected, we all are, and we need to treat it now.

I believe that competition is great. I am also a firm believer in pursuing excellence in sports, classes, work or play. I think that the bonds that tie halls together are invaluable. But I believe even more fervently that none of those things should ever lead us to hate our brothers or sisters. I would even venture to say that if any of us allow our competitiveness to take priority over loving others, then we have sinned.

Battle-ball is not sinful. Being competitive is not sinful, nor is striving for excellence or having really tight-knit halls, but we are in sin if these things lead us to forget Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35, which says “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I think that if we really thought about it, we, as a whole campus, would see that we not only act this way around battle-ball, but at intramurals, in academics, with other halls, inside our own halls, and especially with other schools. We as a student body are all guilty of putting competition ahead of loving our family.

When Jesus said “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another,” that means that just as Jesus set aside everything he had and everything he was and died for us—his enemies—that is how we are to love others. And he was not kidding. Anything less than love is sin. I think we all have a little repentance to do.

Young one, as an angel I have been ordered by the Most High to watch out for you. Now if you want to think of me as fictitious that’s fine, but just remember that I am standing right next to you when you pick out your coffee and when you’re watching TV. I have watched you since your birth, which by the way I want to congratulate you for. It was such a wonderful happening, an event that will always be remembered in the history of God’s kingdom. I remember when God was making you in your mother’s womb. He debated what nose to give you, and because he knows best he of course gave you the perfect one. For me the thought of you being used by the Holy God on this earth to love the ones that need love makes me so jealous—you have such a blessed life.

Young one, recently I have seen discouragement on your face every night. It’s a face of sadness. While I guard your door I see you lay down at night, so lost, so hurt by the pain of the world. I see what happens in your life, I see people’s hurtful advances, and I hear the insults and the abuse. Let me tell you—the Holy One sees and knows even more than I. But young one, if only you could see the light that rests on your head, a light so brilliant and so golden. Your light fits so well among the diminishing darkness, your heart filled with the love and power of the Holy One. Young one, let your head be lifted high by the love of the Father. Do you not understand that just because you can’t see the dawn breaking the night does not mean that it does not take place. Do you tell the atom that it does not exist?

Forgive my eavesdropping, but I hear your discussions with the Father. You say you don’t know how to live right, and that you try to be in the Spirit. Young one, you are already in the Spirit, and you always have been. My best advice to you is to stop trying to be in the Spirit like you try to win a game, and let the light of God that rests on your head and in your soul move with in you. Young one, you fit here, you fit in that room, don’t think for a second that if you would have turned left when you turned right or that you should have ordered soup instead of bread, because he has sent the ones to turn right and order the soup, you are where you are because the Holy One has placed you where you are. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” You need to be here. Do not worry, you are not lost, you are right where the Holy One wants you to be.

David Crowder performing at the 2007 Passion Conference.

Do you know what a Passion Conference is? A couple nights ago, I conducted an (extremely) informal poll in the library, in which I posed this question to random people who were trying to study. Predictably, students’ responses varied from a vaguely confused (or was that just irritation?) “Ummm, no” to the basic “I think so, but tell me what it is first” to the very enthusiastic comment of freshman Tim Daugaard, “There are two things I want to do while I’m in college. One, go to a Hillsong concert, and two, go to a Passion Conference.”
So what is Passion and why should you care?

The motivation behind Passion Conferences is “a desire to see spiritual awakening come to the college campuses of the nation and the world.” The focus of that awakening is true worship and prayer that overflows into action. The group’s list of foundational beliefs reads a lot like something from a doctrine class at Covenant, with a solid commitment to the glory of the Triune God as revealed in His word. The ultimate goal of Passion is to see His name “glorified in the nations” through the actions of His people. Passion’s theme comes from Isaiah 26:8—“Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.”

The germ of the Passion movement was a small Bible study led by Louie Giglio at Baylor University in Texas. Through the next few years, over 10 percent of Baylor’s campus got involved – an explosion that, in 1995, sparked Giglio’s vision for Passion Conferences. In 1997, 2000 students gathered in Austin, TX, for the first Passion Conference.
Since that first conference, Passion has hosted nearly one million college students at its conferences, tours, and “OneDay” prayer gatherings across the U.S. and in Canada. In 2007, they launched the Do Something Now campaign, raising over a million dollars in four days for eight global causes. Passion is about real revival—taking God’s promises in both hands and running wherever He leads.

What’s next for Passion? Its biggest conference yet: Passion 2010.

This conference will be held January 2-5 in Atlanta at the Philips Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center. Like other Passion conferences, the structure is based around large-group meetings and breakout Community Groups. What’s new about this conference is the global focus, with Passion bringing students in from around the world. These young people have been purposefully termed the “268 Generation” in reflection of their theme verse.

Worship leaders at Passion 2010 include household names like the David Crowder Band, Hillsong United, Chris Tomlin, and Matt Redman. Speakers include John Piper, Francis Chan, Beth Moore, and Andy Stanley.

Covenant students who have been to Passion Conferences in the past describe them as huge, renewing, overwhelming, and—well, passion-inspiring. With a time-span of only four days, it’s obviously a momentary “mountaintop experience.” But that moment is a challenge to the lukewarm spirituality that I fall into on a daily basis. I want to go.

Asking me to be your friend is a pretty big commitment. I’m unreliable and not committal. I guarantee more of a hurting hand then a helping hand. Sometimes I think these things and wonder why on earth I should be friends with people and enter into deep relationships. I have a few really good friends and the reason they are so solid is because they’ve stayed by me through the burning trials of relationships. Paul Tripp and Timothy Lane write about these questions in their book Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. They coauthored this book in order to give a picture of the redemption and hope Christ gives us in our relationships with friends and family members.

They start out by discussing how sin has broken our relationships with God and with man. They get down to the dirty truth—that the real motives in our relationships have ill intent without Christ. After I realize my huge capability for hurting people in friendships all I want to do is run away and hide. I try to convince myself that people are better off without me, but Tripp and Lane point out that just as humans fell and strayed away from God, we grow together in fellowship.

Another point the authors make is that Jesus is our ultimate friend—and we are called to imitate him. Even though we so often stray away from him, he covers us, giving us the air we need to breathe and the unconditional love we need to give. Tripp and Lane remind us that because of Christ we can have reconciliation in our fallen friendships. Because Christ was forsaken by God and man we have community with God that penetrates into our relationships with fellow men.

They touch on the worship of God through friendships, communication, hope, mercy, forgiveness, and so on. What I found very helpful was that the book tied these basic biblical themes to places in our everyday lives, giving examples of different scenarios of different people in their different relationships. It is quite humbling and explains so much about the trials in friendships.

In our current age of dormitories, friendships are bound to happen—at times bringing great joy, at times bringing great pain. Nevertheless, we are to be encouraged by the example of Christ. We are given the ability to confess and bear each other’s burdens. Through growing in this intense time we come out with gems—little bits of what we will have in heaven when relationships are restored to perfection. If you find yourself looking across the masses in the Great Hall with a sigh, wondering where your friends are, be encouraged by this book and take the risk of friendship, even if sometimes you make a big mess of it.