Self-styled gurus Jeff and Shaleia Divine, creators of Twin Flames Universe (TFU), guarantee love and romance for the low, low price of $4,444.
The subjects of two new documentaries, Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe on Amazon and Escaping Twin Flames on Netflix, the couple claim they are “twin flames” — people designed for each other by God. Others can find their “perfect person” too, the Divines assure, but only by purchasing their sermons, classes and meal plans.
Their “teachings” suggest humans are:
- Divine, rather than made in the image of God but corrupted by sin.
- Capable of healing themselves through self-reflection, rather than through belief in Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice for their sins.
- Completely fulfilled by romantic relationships with other sinful humans, rather than closeness with God.
- Gendered by their “masculine” or “feminine energy,” rather than the physical bodies God created them with.
- Freed from suffering by “aligning” with God and TFU, which is a New Age take on the Prosperity Gospel.
The Bible and Holy Spirit give believers power to discern the Divine’s teachings, which are antithetical to the Bible, and see the couple for who they are — two deeply flawed human beings preaching a patchwork of New Age beliefs for personal gain.
Unfortunately, tens of thousands of people without the armor of God revere the couple, drawn by promises of full-proof companionship.
“I promise you the suffering of separation doesn’t have to last forever,” Shaleia writes on the TFU website. “I know the way out. Not temporarily, but permanently. Forever. All the way out and into his arms. Forever love. Always love. Eternal love.”
The TFU Facebook page has 71,000 followers, up 80% from 14,000 in 2020, and the couple’s YouTube channel boasts videos with hundreds of thousands of views.
The Divines are far from the only cult leaders to profit off humans’ need for connection and meaning, but they might be the first to capitalize on the loneliness and disillusionment young people feel in a sex-oriented, transactional dating world.
“Once you realize that you can have sex at the push of a button, you want something better than that,” Jeff told Vanity Fair in 2020, referring to dating apps like Tinder.
“That so many single adults are looking for a deep romantic connection is no surprise,” says Lisa Anderson, Focus on the Family’s director of Boundless and author of The Dating Manifesto, continuing,
“But finding lasting love takes maturity and sacrifice, not a shady matching service with a high price tag. Christian singles in search of a spouse shouldn’t look for the ever-elusive soulmate; instead, they should cultivate healthy spiritual and emotional practices, know what to look for in a godly mate, and most importantly, invite God into the process. He’s a far more effective matchmaker than two self-promoting New Age gurus.”
Christians have an opportunity and obligation to spread biblical messages like Anderson’s to young people searching for meaning. Jeff and Shaleia’s popularity shows people’s desperation for answers only Christianity can give them.
At the same time, believers must resist the temptation to soften the Gospel’s core tenants to win souls. A convert proclaiming Christianity without true repentance and belief in Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is no better off than a member of the Divine’s cult.
Believers are tasked with proclaiming the Gospel. Do so boldly and truthfully, in the Spirit of James 2:14-17 ESV:
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Additional Articles and Resources:
Marriage Isn’t About Finding ‘The One’
Relationships, Part 1: The One
Dating Etiquette in a Digital Age
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