Ben Witherington – The Gospel According to Joel Osteen
BW3 weighs in on Osteen.
We need to stop listening to the siren song of our culture about the goodness of personal wealth and material prosperity. We need to advocate a theology of stewardship which puts other people’s necessities before our luxuries. We need to simplify our lifestyles and get a clear grasp on God’s prioirties including God’s especial concern for the poor and destitute of the world. We need to realize that what Jesus promised us if we seek the kingdom is not prosperity,but rather ‘just enough’ to take care of our basic needs. We need to remember that the Lord’s prayer teaches us to pray for daily bread, not for resources today that I could not possibly use in 10,000 lifetimes. We need to heed all the warnings about how wealth can destroy the soul of an inherently self centered and acquistive creature– namely any human being. We need to renounce the false gospel of wealth and health— it is a disease of our American culture, it is not a solution or answer to life’s problems.
Click here for the full article.
HT:MS
*UPDATE* – I also recommend the Internet Monk’s post on the recent 60 Minutes interview with Osteen and Michael Horton.
Nice quote from Ben. The only thing I disagree with is the statment that prosperity gospel is a deseas of American culture – well, I suppose it is. But it’s not only a disease of American culture. You would think that sort of nonsense would only go over in the US and in wealthy neighborhoods where the resourses are already there anyway. Actually, it’s huge in Latin America and Africa. Case in point: There is a huge Spanish church associated with Osteen’s church and the pastor of that church is one of the most famous Christian leaders in LA.
Once again, Joel Osteen’s utter failure to uphold Christian truth in an age of apostacy only further supports what is all too clear about his teaching: it is spiritually bankrupt.
Here is a link to articles our ministry has created on Osteen’s heretical compromise that is anointed as “Christianity” today.
http://www.spiritwatch.org/behindsmile.htm
thanks, Rafael…I’m eager to see what you put together. it’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Osteen in the long run. will he be left alone? will we see something like the ancient church councils convene about him and the rest of the health and wealth movement?
No, I fear BW that in a day and age in which the superficial and the pragmatic and the cult of self-fulfillment are the Asherahs erected in much of the chuch nowadays, I fully expect Osteen will be embraced as a kindler and gentler Billy Graham, and for him to start a long, slow slide into universalism, culminating in characters like Carlton Pearson to eventually take refuge under his wing ..
Jesus said it would be like this .. Matthew 24.4
I think a watch-group should be appointed o listen for Osteen utter a single verse from the Bible.
I actually read half of his book when I was first saved… being ignorant of the whole prosperity doctrine. Even being brand new in the faith I ended up throwing it out as it seemed to oppose the very little scripture I had read by that time.
In hindsight I’m assured that this had nothing to do with my wisdom and knowledge of scripture at this time…. I had no Biblical wisdom to speak of!
I love the interview with Larry King… it seemed like Larry was baiting Joel to recite a verse… Joel of course never took the bait….
I tell ya, I hate to judge and prognosticate but something tells me that Osteen can’t really be a member of God’s Army.
Thank God, for He is the judge.
There is so much going on judging others religious beliefs. “Judge lest you will be judged by the Father.” Mathew 7
For in the same way you judge, you will be judged; and do not condemn.
There is a religious war going on between Christians. This is sad but true.
We are all but mirrors of each other what you see in Him is in some way in you. The only person you can fix is you. I love that God is the judge, let Him do his job. We should concentrate more on being like Jesus. Jesus was judged, was He not? By Pilate….and by the world John 9:39
God is the final judge…it matters not what you think…but only how The Father sees you. We as humans are imperfect but one day at a time we can become more like Jesus our Savior who purchased with His blood forgiveness that He may bestow it freely on everyone who beleives in Him.
Everything in Him Through Him and with Him. I am the good shepherd;My sheep will know my voice and I know them and they wil become one flock with one shepherd.” John 10:27 proof there will be more than one voice and if the voices you hear are not according to the word they are of Satan, the devil and the temptation of the world.The word of God is living and active, they are life. John 6:63 It is critical for you to understand what God expects from you and how you can please Him. Let go of judgements Jesus changed “an eye for an eye” to “Turn the other cheek.” Love your enemies bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you for they have hated Me and My Father before they hated you. Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.Slander is not just talk it is the anger and hate in your heart that can create it. What part of, “Love One another as I have loved you.” Do you not understand…The word of God is powerful and we follow one by one, never judging, always loving and forgiving. This is the word of God, the truth, and the light as I know it. The bible says “ask and you shall receive.” So here we have it.
Irene…I appreciate what you’re trying to say, but I would suggest that you read the other parts of Scripture – for example, Paul’s letters to the Galatians and to Timothy – that call us to distinguish between sound and unsound doctrine and true and false gospels. Whether Joel is a Christian or not I don’t know and as you point out, it is not for me to judge. I pray that he is. However, I am convinced that there is nothing Christian about the message that he proclaims and if that’s all that people are putting their trust in then they will be lost.
Thank you for the reminder that we should be Christian in our treatment even of people with whom we disagree, but we are nevertheless we are called to discern, expose and reject that which is false and leads people away from the gospel found in Scriptures.