(Read the post online for better viewing & lots of resources)
Namely, JOEL OSTEEN.
Here's a person who doesn't have a clue; yet he has managed to run a church filled with thousands each week. Why? Not because he preaches the gospel, but because he preaches prosperity.
Even the promise of riches could not persuade me to listen to this bogus 'minister,' if for no other reason than I find him so personally and spiritually distasteful. I have seldom seen one so completely shallow, so destitute of any moral compass, so devoid of guiding life principles and frankly, so dimwitted. (I am being charitable.)
I just call 'em like I see 'em. The Lord himself proclaimed his distaste for the lukewarm (if Osteen reaches even to the level of tepid.)
This particular interview was in an article by Clint Archer and came from Brannon Howse's wonderful website (the most important site of all for families with children or young people), www.worldviewweekend.com. Archer's article was making a point about seminary training, which I won't go into today (I'm against it - but might make an exception for poor Joel here...). Original article is HERE.
My purpose is just to post it for the sheer unbelievability factor of the depths to which the American culture has stooped, when an exhibition of such total lack of knowledge and redeeming value is actually watched by anyone for any reason whatsoever.
How low can we go? It's downright embarrassing - and an outrage to Christ's church. This is what itching ears demand in 2013.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
OSTEEN: Yeah, I don’t know. There’s probably a balance between. I believe you have to know Christ. But I think that if you know Christ, if you’re a believer in God, you’re going to have some good works. I think it’s a cop-out to say I’m a Christian but I don’t ever do anything …
KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?
OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know …
KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?
OSTEEN: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.
[...Then Larry pounces on the fact that Osteen is known as a prosperity preacher...]
KING: What is the prosperity gospel?
OSTEEN: I think the prosperity gospel in general is — well I don’t know. I hear it too. I don’t know. I think what sometimes you see is it’s just all about money. That’s not what I believe. It’s the attitude of your heart, and so you know, we believe — but I do believe this, that God wants us to be blessed. He wants us to be able to send our kids to college, excel in our careers. But prosperity to me, Larry, is not just money, it’s having health. What good is money if you don’t have health?
[...Then Larry asks about the tragedy of 9/11 terrorist attacks...]
KING: But don’t you want to know, why would an omnipotent — assuming he is omnipotent — God permit that?
OSTEEN: I don’t know, Larry. I don’t know it all.
KING: A deformed baby had nothing to do with free will.
OSTEEN: Exactly. I don’t claim to know it all. I just think that trusting God means we’re going to have unanswered questions and God is so much bigger than us we’re never going to understand them all. And I tell people that have lost a child or that have gone through some kind of tragedy, you’ve got to have a file in your mind called and I don’t understand it file. And you’ve got to put it in there and not try to figure it out and not let it ruin the rest of your life and not get bitter. And that’s what we see so many people do.
[...then a caller phones and asks ...]
CALLER: …Do you know why it’s not God’s will that everyone is healed of cancer?
OSTEEN: You know, I can’t answer that. I think it’s a good question.
[...then another caller...]
CALLER: … I’m wondering, though, why you side-stepped Larry’s earlier question about how we get to heaven? The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and the only way to the father is through him. That’s not really a message of condemnation but of truth.
OSTEEN: Yes, I would agree with her. I believe that.
KING: So then a Jew is not going to heaven?
OSTEEN: No. Here’s my thing, Larry, is I can’t judge somebody’s heart. You know? Only God can look at somebody’s heart, and so – I don’t know. To me, it’s not my business to say, you know, this one is or this one isn’t. I just say, here’s what the Bible teaches and I’m going to put my faith in Christ. And I just I think it’s wrong when you go around saying, you’re saying you’re not going, you’re not going, you’re not going, because it’s not exactly my way. I’m just…
KING: But you believe your way.
OSTEEN: I believe my way. I believe my way with all my heart.
KING: But for someone who doesn’t share it is wrong, isn’t he?
OSTEEN: Well, yes. Well, I don’t know if I look at it like that. I would present my way, but I’m just going to let God be the judge of that. I don’t know. I don’t know.
END OF EXCERPT
Archer finishes his article:
Ok, so Pastor Osteen doesn’t know who goes to heaven, he doesn’t know why Muslims/Hindus/Jews are wrong, He doesn’t know what the prosperity gospel is, he doesn’t know why God permits suffering, or why God doesn’t heal everyone. These are pretty important topics for the pastor of America’s biggest church.
Namely, JOEL OSTEEN.
Here's a person who doesn't have a clue; yet he has managed to run a church filled with thousands each week. Why? Not because he preaches the gospel, but because he preaches prosperity.
Even the promise of riches could not persuade me to listen to this bogus 'minister,' if for no other reason than I find him so personally and spiritually distasteful. I have seldom seen one so completely shallow, so destitute of any moral compass, so devoid of guiding life principles and frankly, so dimwitted. (I am being charitable.)
I just call 'em like I see 'em. The Lord himself proclaimed his distaste for the lukewarm (if Osteen reaches even to the level of tepid.)
This particular interview was in an article by Clint Archer and came from Brannon Howse's wonderful website (the most important site of all for families with children or young people), www.worldviewweekend.com. Archer's article was making a point about seminary training, which I won't go into today (I'm against it - but might make an exception for poor Joel here...). Original article is HERE.
My purpose is just to post it for the sheer unbelievability factor of the depths to which the American culture has stooped, when an exhibition of such total lack of knowledge and redeeming value is actually watched by anyone for any reason whatsoever.
How low can we go? It's downright embarrassing - and an outrage to Christ's church. This is what itching ears demand in 2013.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
KING: …we’ve had ministers on who said, your record don’t count. You either believe in Christ or you don’t. If you believe in Christ, you are, you are going to heaven. And if you don’t no matter what you’ve done in your life, you ain’t.
KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?
OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know …
KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?
OSTEEN: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.
[...Then Larry pounces on the fact that Osteen is known as a prosperity preacher...]
KING: What is the prosperity gospel?
OSTEEN: I think the prosperity gospel in general is — well I don’t know. I hear it too. I don’t know. I think what sometimes you see is it’s just all about money. That’s not what I believe. It’s the attitude of your heart, and so you know, we believe — but I do believe this, that God wants us to be blessed. He wants us to be able to send our kids to college, excel in our careers. But prosperity to me, Larry, is not just money, it’s having health. What good is money if you don’t have health?[...Then Larry asks about the tragedy of 9/11 terrorist attacks...]
KING: But don’t you want to know, why would an omnipotent — assuming he is omnipotent — God permit that?
OSTEEN: I don’t know, Larry. I don’t know it all.
KING: A deformed baby had nothing to do with free will.
OSTEEN: Exactly. I don’t claim to know it all. I just think that trusting God means we’re going to have unanswered questions and God is so much bigger than us we’re never going to understand them all. And I tell people that have lost a child or that have gone through some kind of tragedy, you’ve got to have a file in your mind called and I don’t understand it file. And you’ve got to put it in there and not try to figure it out and not let it ruin the rest of your life and not get bitter. And that’s what we see so many people do.
[...then a caller phones and asks ...]
CALLER: …Do you know why it’s not God’s will that everyone is healed of cancer?
OSTEEN: You know, I can’t answer that. I think it’s a good question.
[...then another caller...]
CALLER: … I’m wondering, though, why you side-stepped Larry’s earlier question about how we get to heaven? The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and the only way to the father is through him. That’s not really a message of condemnation but of truth.
OSTEEN: Yes, I would agree with her. I believe that.
KING: So then a Jew is not going to heaven?
OSTEEN: No. Here’s my thing, Larry, is I can’t judge somebody’s heart. You know? Only God can look at somebody’s heart, and so – I don’t know. To me, it’s not my business to say, you know, this one is or this one isn’t. I just say, here’s what the Bible teaches and I’m going to put my faith in Christ. And I just I think it’s wrong when you go around saying, you’re saying you’re not going, you’re not going, you’re not going, because it’s not exactly my way. I’m just…
KING: But you believe your way.
OSTEEN: I believe my way. I believe my way with all my heart.
KING: But for someone who doesn’t share it is wrong, isn’t he?
OSTEEN: Well, yes. Well, I don’t know if I look at it like that. I would present my way, but I’m just going to let God be the judge of that. I don’t know. I don’t know.
END OF EXCERPT
Archer finishes his article:
Ok, so Pastor Osteen doesn’t know who goes to heaven, he doesn’t know why Muslims/Hindus/Jews are wrong, He doesn’t know what the prosperity gospel is, he doesn’t know why God permits suffering, or why God doesn’t heal everyone. These are pretty important topics for the pastor of America’s biggest church.
Uh huh.
CMR
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