I was thinking the same thing…

I’ve read Osteen’s books, watched him on TV and listened to his sermons on CD and while I have tried very hard to be thankful that so many people attend church there and hear his sermons I can’t overcome the belief that basically he is a leader of a self-help group with 30,000+ members that happens to meet on Sunday morning. I have friends who tell me that by listening to his message they have become believers. So, what can I say? Through prayerful consideration I have relied on these two scriptures:

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:18

and

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to hear what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Tim. 4:3-5

My conclusions may be right or wrong. I don’t know. I just pray that those who hear Osteen’s message don’t stop with just his word, but continue to seek the truth in God’s word. As for Jordan, for what it is worth, you are in my heart and prayers.

But we also have in Jesus an example of calling into question everything that a person might be thought to teach given his demonstrated predispositions. For example, “beware the leaven of the Pharisees,” Matthew 23 and other pertinent examples. If the tree is not good, then the fruit is, in general, poor.

It’s fair to say that ripping Osteen to shreds with ad hominems is out of bounds, but that does not mean that focusing on the person is wholly off limits. Where he begins just seems fundamentally deficient, as Jordan’s posts suggest.

qb

*chuckle*

The expo Texas Monthly did on Osteen a year or two ago made it clear that whatever he’s got, qb don’t want it. Looks like one of those levels Dante had in mind, only pre-mortem.

lol,

qb

I am quite critical of Joel Osteen’s teachings. As someone else stated so punctually, his teaching starts from a faulty premise. Having said that, I don’t know him personally and refuse to judge his character by what the media projects. Until I know differently, I assume his intentions are from a good motive and I have a suspicion that if he met someone suffering, he would be willing to help bear their burden through fellowship and prayer.

I don’t think we ARE comfortable with honesty in the fellowship. What would happen, when we took prayer requests, if instead of saying, “So and so is sick, please pray for them,” which is what we usually do, we would say, “Look, I’m having a very hard time dealing with such and such situation. I’m angry, bitter, and I don’t know if I even believe in God anymore.”

I blog a great deal about our son Matthew, who has autism. I blog a great deal about our circumstances. And there are days I don’t see a lot of blessings in what we have to deal with. Someone told me–after I had made a plea for someone to please help us with child care so that my husband and I could get counseling–to, “have a little faith, sister.” I nearly hit that person. I needed practical help and an admonition to “have a little faith” did NOT sit well with me at the moment.

We take food to people who are ill and maybe help them run errands every so often. Where is the ongoing, long-term help for people like Jordan and myself who often need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen while they rage against what they perceive to be “unfairness”? Do our Christian cliches, such as, “have faith,” “give it to God”, “let God handle it”, “let God do it”, etc. REALLY get to the heart of what people like us need?

Christianity is not supposed to be an ethereal, delicate, unreal version of the world. It is supposed to be raw, full of passion and LIFE. Jesus was born in a stable that STANK. He worked as a carpenter and got sawdust in his sandals. He spent three years with twelve people who just did not get it except for maybe a few flashes of brilliance.

The early church didn’t just run around and admonish people to have faith. They got their hands dirty by feeding people (see Acts 6). Where are the dirty hands today?