Page 13 - The Poetic Books - Student Text

Agape International Spiritual Center in suburban Los Angeles has some 7,000
members. It is a growing church, very much like the hundreds of megachurches
throughout the country. But intermingled with the Christian praise songs are the “Oms”
of Easter meditation. In the bookstore, the Bible shares space with books by gurus, self-
proclaimed goddesses, and mystical pop-psychologists.
Agape calls itself a “church,” but it makes no pretension of being Christian at all. “We
don’t believe you are born into sin,” Pastor Michael Beckwith explains to Cathy Lynn
Grossman of USA Today. “We are born into blessings. While some seek salvation, we call
it ‘self-elevation.’ Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, young, old, rich, poor, -- we cut
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across all lines to reach what is true.”

15 Gene Howard Veith, “The new multi-faith religion,” World, 12/15/01: 16.
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