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"Become a Better You" by Joel Osteen
- 10/15/07
- 76
There are few things I love to eat more than bread. I just love a good loaf of white bread. I eat it the way many people eat junk food (and, I suppose, one could argue that it is junk food). Not too long ago we bought a bread maker from a person nearby who was selling all his possessions to move back to his native Poland, having found that North American living was not to his liking. The machine worked well for five loaves but on the sixth, while the bread was being kneaded, I heard a strange grinding sound followed by a sharp crack. I opened the machine and saw that the paddle, the piece that beats against the dough, had broken. I removed the lump of dough and decided I could simply put it in a bread pan and bake it on my own. A few minutes later I pulled the loaf from the oven. It looked just perfect—golden brown on top and shaped a whole lot better than the loaves that come out of the bread maker. I eagerly cut into it, looking forward to enjoying a slice of bread. But, to my surprise, I cut into, well, nothing, really. Apparently the dough had not been properly kneaded. The loaf of bread was full of air; it was full of nothing. I had baked a crust.
As I thought about Joel Osteen’s new book, Become a Better You, I was reminded of that sad, pathetic little loaf of bread because this book, like that bread, is form without substance. This is Osteen’s second book, and the follow-up to his bestselling Your Best Life Now. Like the previous title, this one features a picture of the smiling pastor on the front cover and offers seven steps to a better life. Like Your Best Life Now much of the book follows this format: “The way to ______ is not to ______. Instead, you need to ______. You might say, ‘But Joel, I can’t do ______ and ______.’ I know it’s hard. Rise to the challenge. Don’t let yourself get beat up or knocked down. God has so much more for you.” And like his previous book, this one is maddeningly repetitive. It is a handful of his sermonettes for Christianettes expanded into 380 pages of mind-numbing repetition.
The book is divided into seven parts, which together are sure to improve your life every day. “What does it mean to become a better you? First, you must understand that God wants you to become all that He created you to be. Second, it is imperative that you realize that God will do His part, but you must do your part as well.” To become a better you, you must following the seven steps:
- Keep pressing forward
- Be positive toward yourself
- Develop better relationships
- Form better habits
- Embrace the place where you are
- Develop your inner life
- Stay passionate about life
Each step is broken into several chapters and each part ends with a series of Action Points intended to give the reader concrete steps to tak to improve his life. It is, frankly, a lot like every other self-help book on the market today, but with one crucial difference—this one is built, supposedly, upon the Bible.
As I closed the cover on this book I began to wonder, What is it that draws people to Joel Osteen? Why do people enjoy his teaching so much? After all, tens of thousands of people attend his church each week and hundreds of thousands more watch him on television. He has become one of America’s most popular pastors, even while he teaches things that most pastors would testify are inconsistent with the Bible.
I think the secret to Osteen’s success is this: he teaches self-help but wraps it in a thin guise of Christian terminology. Thus people believe they are being taught the Bible when the reality is that they are learning mere human wisdom rather than divine wisdom. Osteen cunningly blends the wisdom of this age with language that sounds biblical. He blends the most popular aspects of New Age and self-help teaching with Christianity. And his audience is eagerly drinking this in.
And this raises an important and related question. What is Osteen’s authority? On what authority does he base what he teaches? Christians have long understood that the only authority we have when it comes to spiritual matters is authority given to us by God through the Bible. We are committed to teaching only things that are consistent with God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible. Without the Bible we have no authority. A pastor has no right to stand in front of a congregation and teach people what he believes. Rather, the pastor is to stand in front of the congregation and teaches people what God says about Himself. He bases all he does and says on this standard. In reading Joel Osteen we do not see this manner of authority. In reading Osteen we see a man who appeals to himself and to his own understanding and experience as authority. Rarely does he appeal to the Bible (66 times in 380 pages). Never will the discerning reader feel that Osteen has sought to understand the Bible first. Rather, it seems that he looks to the Bible to prove what he has already written or what he already believes. He uses the Bible, but not as a source of authority.
This is not to say that Osteen has no understanding of Christianity. Become a Better You contains some teaching that seems consistent with the Bible, and certainly there is lots of Christian terminology woven in. But Osteen teaches what is clearly a woefully inadequate theology of sin, repentance, sanctification and life. Osteen seems unable or unwilling to bring the power of the gospel to bear on life—real life. Life, he teaches, is not a meant to bring glory to God, but is meant to bring blessing and ease to the individual. He occasionally shares words that approximate the gospel, but ones that always stop short of providing the complete gospel as we find it in the Bible. “We’ve all sinned, failed, and made mistakes,” he says, “But many people don’t know they can receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.” That sounds fair, but he goes on to say, “As long as you’re doing your best and desire to do what’s right according to God’s Word, you can be assured God is pleased with you.” Is it enough to desire to do what’s right? Is God pleased with those who do their best? “That accusing voice will come to you and tell you, ‘You lost your temper last week in traffic.’ Your attitude should be, ‘That’s okay. I’m growing.’” But sin is never okay, whether we are growing or not. We can never excuse sin and can never minimize it.
My encouragement to those who intend to read this book and to those who enjoy the ministry of Joel Osteen is simply this: examine his authority. If you love Joel Osteen for who he is—a charismatic, smiling, successful, wealthy purveyor of advice—you will appreciate this book. It may change the way you live. But in that end that is all just puff. It’s like bread that is nothing but crust. If you are looking for teaching with true substance and for teaching that can really transform a life and renew a heart, look for a teacher who relies on an authority outside of himself—look for a person who humbly and faithfully teaches the Bible and who brings the wisdom of the Bible to bear on all of life.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (76)
Yesterday I was in a sports-themed bar and restaurant, enjoying the fine American game of football on large television screens.
During a commercial break, an advertisement for the TV news magazine “60 Minutes” ran. The next episode, it seems, will feature Mr. Olsteen. He is, according to the commercial, “the most popular preacher in America”.
(Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/11/60minutes/main3358652.shtml)
I heard a number of people in the room laughing and making sounds of derision.
It occurred to me the people reacting this way to Mr. Olsteen’s smiling face on the television were probably not Christians. Then it occurred to me that, probably, when they see “America’s most popular preacher” and hear what he has to say (if they do), that will be the broad brush with which Christianity will be painted in their minds. Olsteen’s message will be, to them, the message of Christianity.
I felt sick to my stomach.
Let’s pray for Joel Osteen. Let’s pray for all the non-Christians who will hear his messages and read his books. Pray they will read the Bible for themselves and that God will reveal truth to them.
Indeed, let’s pray that God breaks his teeth. This wolf needs to be restrained.
I posted these comments first under a la carte before Tim’s review was posted.Just a couple of thoughts on the Joel Osteen interview. Shouldn’t the following quote tell us virtually everything we need to know about him.”No, I think we use God’s word. I think the principles that you hear Dr. Phil and some of those others talk about many times are right out of the Bible,” Osteen saysAlso, in light of some of the posts and reviews that Tim has posted here about various atheists and their view of Christianity, I find it interesting that atheists attack the Calvinists and more conservative Christian groups and leave the “health and wealth” group alone. A case perhaps of not attacking those who are on their side?
By “Olsteen”, I of course mean “Osteen”, properly pronounced with a Texan drawl. ;)
Goodie — I just got an email from christianbook.com, telling me I can order this book for 40% off.
Heresy on the cheap, just the way I like it. Plus shipping, of course.
By “Olsteen”, I of course mean “Osteen”, properly pronounced with a Texan drawl. ;)
Whenever I read his books I do so in his Texas drawl. I hear it in my head with every word. It’s awful.
Tim,Any word in the book about the role of the Holy Spirit in becoming a better you?
KBH
Kind of off-topic, but why do all the health&wealth guys have pictures of themselves on the covers of their books? Is this an admission of something?
“Rarely does he appeal to the Bible (66 times in 380 pages). ”
He seemed to say in the interview last night that he doesn’t teach the Bible, but leaves that up to others, when the interviewer asked him why He never mentions Jesus Christ, nor God in his new book.
What!? He’s a pastor of Jesus Christ, and he simply whats people to feel good about themselves.”They don’t need to hear about their sin, they already ubderstand that”.
I would say that most people think they’re basically good, and have lived a half-way decent life, not perfect, but hey nobody is perfect, and God loves us, so lets get all the gusto out of life we can.
I like how Michael Horton called Joel’s gospel a “cotton candy” gospel.
And I appreciate your kind yet firm review here Tim. I pray that any who may read this, and have been entertaining this false teacher, would forsake this man’s fluff, for biblical teachings.
Thanks Tim!
Caleb
My encouragement to those who intend to read this book and to those who enjoy the ministry of Joel Osteen is simply this: examine his authority.
You know what…that’s exactly where Osteen falls short…and, I’ve noticed, where most popular Christian teachers fall short. They begin with their own wisdom and then it’s “just add Bible verses!”
The 60 Minutes interview was pretty sad. My favorite quote:
Interviewer: “To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are.”Osteen: “Yeah.”Interviewer: “Not one mention of God in that? Not one mention of Jesus Christ in that?”Osteen: “That’s just my message! There is scripture in there that backs it all up, but I feel like, Byron, I’m called to help people, how do we walk out the Christian life, how do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, ‘Here’s a book that’s gonna explain the scriptures to you.’ I don’t think that’s my gifting.”
I love his response: “That’s just my message!”
Not only did Osteen not address the question (the fact that God is not central to his message), he even admitted that he doesn’t see himself as gifted in the ministry of the Word. If that’s the case, Joel Osteen should be co-starring with Dr. Phil, not leading a megachurch.
As I was telling my wife this morning, I don’t think Mr. Osteen is deceiving on purpose, I just think he’s in over his head and is a fluke of pop culture. I am, however, concerned for his sake, as he is staring down the barrel of judgement (James 3:1).
Try the turnaround exercise. Everthing you say about another try saying about yourself. “Form without substance …” “Sad, pathetic …” Then try knowing the Truth; it is not so.
Fear is not mysterious. It’s Love or Fear (hate) - one or the other. Try the former.
My heart is sad. I think Christian leaders should be actively outing this man as a fraudulent minister and a preacher of empty deceit. Osteen has apparently officially surpassed Billy Graham as the most influential evangelical Christian in America; preachers in pulpits across the states should warn, by name, against this man’s teachings and writings. It’s time to be on the offensive instead of hiding behind some half-baked notion of niceness and “peace.”
I’ve taken a very small step on my blog, www.xanga.com/coffeeinastraw.
Dona,
Could you please re-post your thoughts without the trite clichs? The “turnaround exercise” sounds like something my teacher might have led my kindergarten class to do after nap time.
Sorry if the sarcasm is offensive — I’m not trying to offend, just keeping things light. But I am honestly not even sure what your point is…
I’m going to his “concert”, “show”, visit to Orlando the last week in November. A blind guy that makes my lunch everyday listens to Joel on Sunday mornings and wanted a ride over, so I’m going. I get an hour with him riding over to Orlando and an hour riding home to find out where he’s at in his walk. Speaking of bread, it’s going to be sort of a Larry/Joel sandwich. Hopefully it will be a bread sandwich with the meat on the outside and the bread in the middle.
Thanks for your review. I’ve got some thinking and praying to do before November.
As I watch my wife of almost 20 years battle cancer , I’m sorry if I’m not as charitable concerning these deceivers and charlatans of the truth. In Osteens gospel there is no adequate theology of suffering ,sin or the cross and that is another gospel that needs to be exposed and called what it is a doctrine of demons. How many tender souls will be laid waste as this fallen world takes its hold , be it the flesh,the world or Satan. We must look to the cross and the risen Lord Jesus that is our hope because it takes our sin serious , it changes us and gives us true hope to the glory of the Father . Osteen is one Paul warned us about and its time to call a spade a spade!!
“‘Become a Better You’ is for anyone who loves bread crust” - Tim Challies
If those who are saved were predestined to be saved, and no one who was not predestined to be saved can be saved, then what is the concern with Osteen’s theology (or lack thereof)?
Alan,
:-)
Gary
Glenn,
First of all, we’re not hyper-calvinists here…
Second of all, Matthew 18:6:
“but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
In short, that is the concern.not to mention Paul’s clear teaching on apostate teachers. See Acts 20:28 & following:
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
It’s a serious problem that we need to deal with.
If those who are saved were predestined to be saved, and no one who was not predestined to be saved can be saved, then what is the concern with Osteen’s theology (or lack thereof)?
The concern with bad, non-Biblical theology is that it’s…um… bad, and non-Biblical. In Osteen’s case, it’s self-glorifying and materially focused theology. The theology of me and how God wants to bless me with stuff desired by… me.
If by predestined you mean “elected”, I’m not sure what that has to do with the discussion. Seems to me that bad preaching should be called bad preaching whether or not you even believe in election.
Glenn,Because God uses means to carry out His sovereign will. Also, we are commanded by this sovereign God to contend for the truth (see Jude) once for all delivered to the saints. If Osteen is so highly read and heard all the while teaching heresy concerning the gospel and putting himself forward as a preacher and a pastor but shrinks from delivering God’s Word, he must be critiqued and people must be warned. We are responsible before God to critique errant “gospels” that threaten our churches. So, yes, God is sovereign to save, but you must also remember that God uses means to save (i.e. Rom. 10) and to work His sovereign will. You must also remember that we are commanded by this Sovereign King to critique error in an attitude of grace.
I watched the 60 minutes episode last night also. It really is sad to watch his followers be so taken with this superficial and fleeting positive thinking/prosperity message while many, I assume, are missing the true meaning of being a disciple of Jesus. I live in the Houston area and the economy is booming. It’s hard not to find a good job and not be content. What I’d really love to see is Osteen going to the refugee camps in Darfur and telling them, “Be positive, your best is yet to come - it’s worked for me - I’m in the process of building a multi-million dollar mansion in Houston’s most exclusive neighborhood …”
It hurts me that so many people are being deceived. I pray for the many thousands that come each week and leave thinking that they heard a “word from the Lord” through Olsteen. It is really scary.
Tim thanks for the review. You are right on the money.
As most of the people here said, it just hurts to see this guy, who I believe doesnt know what he is doing. I really think he believes he is doing a right thing. He is a college dropout, didnt study theology, his father taught the prosperity gospel, etc. He jus doesnt have a clue what he is getting into. For the love of God, someone has to talk to him and make him understand that he is playing with fire (literally). The wrath of God is terrible. Someone has to make him understand that he is deceiving people with something that is NOT the gospel. I pray for that to happen. I think he is naive and stupid, but the worse thing is that maybe he is surrounded by wolves who want the money he bring in (just a guess) I assume this on the basis of his character (he is a coward)…watch his interview on cbs and see for yurselves…
Thanks Tim for another great post!
yesterday i got dragged to a church like osteen’s in gainsville, ga. it was called free chapel and it was probably the worst church experience of my life. to be fair i must say that the normal “preaching” pastor was out so it was a guest from california.
i was angry as thousands of people willfully agreed with the mess that this false prophet was spewing out. all he did was rile up the crowd using little clever phrases and techniques.
my anger turned to grief as we walked out of the church to our rental car to drive home. this is what people get each week at this church. no Bible teaching. no truth. just some false prophet running about the stage to the many amens and hallelujahs and standing ovations. im reminded of the words of paul when he spoke about emasculation. i think its probably in order.
Like Your Best Life Now much of the book follows this format: “The way to ______ is not to ______. Instead, you need to ______. You might say, ‘But Joel, I can’t do ______ and ______.’ I know it’s hard. Rise to the challenge. Don’t let yourself get beat up or knocked down. God has so much more for you.”
That’s a great synopsis of his whole sad message. (It would be funny to hear you say all that in your best Southern drawl, Tim.)
When he broke down and cried on the ‘60 Minutes’ piece, I realized how man-centered his ministry is. Reflecting on all the ‘changed lives testimonies’ he receives from people who follow his teachings brought him to tears. He is drunk with the warm fuzzies he gets every time someone tells him what difference he makes in their lives. This is how his system works:He preaches about warm fuzzies.Audience experiences the warm fuzzies.Audience feedback gives Joel and his staff the warm fuzzies.And then everybody’s happy! After all, the ends justifies the means, right? Whatever makes the masses feel good, must be good!I feel sorry for the man, I really do. He is warm and charismatic, to be sure. However, Just pondering the judgment he is heaping upon himself leaves me in awe.I pray God opens his eyes to the tremendous harm he is doing.
Tim, In your review you mentioned Osteen doesn’t think life is about glorifying God, but being blessed. Any specific quotes?
Related, I’d encourage you to watch the vodcast of Mark Driscoll’s introductory sermon for his new series in Philippians. He deals with the implications of Joel Osteen theology. Very good.
Matt, That sounds interesting. Where can i find it?
Reg, my wife of 26 years is also battling cancer. The day I brought her home from a week’s stay at the hospital for serious cancer surgery, I turned Joel on TV for a few good laughs. He approvingly recounted the story of a friend of his who was diagnosed with cancer who wished it away with positive thoughts killing the bad cancer cells. I almost put my shoe through our TV set. There is no theology of suffering with Joel—and the Cross is not there. This is what American Christianity has come to—a theology of glory. God have mercy on us.
Joanna,If you go to youtube.com and search Mark Driscoll you will find it.
Series title is “The Rebel’s Guide to Joy”Week one: Philippians 1:1http://www.marshillchurch.org/sermonseries/philippians/week_01.aspx
I thought I’d give it another go and post the review at Amazon. After two disappeared into the ether it seems the third attempt has finally stuck. You can read it here:
Amazon Review
Tim you summarized Osteen this way, “”We’ve all sinned, failed, and made mistakes,” he says, “But many people don’t know they can receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.” That sounds fair, but he goes on to say, “As long as you’re doing your best and desire to do what’s right according to God’s Word, you can be assured God is pleased with you.”“
If that summary is accurate, and I do not doubt that it is, then Osteen is clearly preaching another gospel, a gospel of works. His answer to the problem is sin is, “Do your best.” That is pure, unadulterated works salvation. That is bondage to a law of ones own making. If the above summary is correct, Joel has brought himself under the anathema of God.
I know this sounds harsh. I don’t say this with joy in my heart, or because I think I am somehow superior to him. But, Scripture is clear on this. As was written in Galatians 1:8-9, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
I preached on this not too long ago, and it was not a pleasant sermon to write or proclaim, but it is a necessary truth for us to know so unapologetically I will stand with the word of God, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”Eph 2:8-9 (ESV)
Should we send Joel Osteen a copy of Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life”? I bet the back cover alone would help. Piper’s “wartime living” would be wonderful to hear preached from Osteen’s mouth some day by God’s grace. We should certainly pray for him and his followers.
Tim,
Great review on such a sad book. My biggest concern is why the Christian retailers do not feel the necessity to pull this man’s book from their shelves. Are they not just as accountable, selling this stuff, marketing it at reduce costs?
Not only should we be raising concern for Joel but also for all the “Christian” retailers desire for the dollar over theology.
I think he had 13 million reasons to write this book. Honestly, I think there is a piece of his heart that deeply cares for people, I just think he’s stuck swimming in the river of an American church that is terribly in love with money and immediate and BIG success. He is not alone and in spite of all his obvious oddities, I think it forces all of us to look at the love we have for stuff, quick success, easy money, and treating Jesus as a nice supplement to our self-advancing lives. As much as I get angry, I can see the same tendencies in my own heart and it just makes me want to repent. Romans 2:4
doing all he does under the banner of “church” and “bible” and “preaching” lends itself to an appropriate amount of criticism. but peoples’ lives today are full of negativity - from sun-up to sun-down we all face our shortcomings as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, employees, employers. if someone comes along occasionally to put wind in our otherwise limp sails, i’m not going to be so arrogant and self-righteous to tell him to stop.
the problem we have is that we are bibliolators, and have elevated a collection of two thousand year old writings to the level they never intended for themselves. what might have served as a guide at one time has become nothing but an anchor - a ball and chain keeping us from doing the good that we could do. like jesus said, the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath - we’ve gotten too caught up in looking at revelation as something to both judge others by and be judged with. revelation from God is for *our* benefit, not His. and, contrary to the opinions of a few well-intentioned catholic coneheads in 325 AD, God has never stopped revealing Himself to the person seeking Him.
mike rucker-
Mike,
I think you’re wrong.
Our problem is that we are idolators, and have elevated ourselves, our feelings and our wellbeing to a level they were never intended to occupy. What should have served as a tool in our happy glorifying of God at one time has become nothing but a ball and chain keeping us from seeing God, and loving him with all our hearts- we’re too fixed on ourselves, turned-in on our own comfort.
God has revealed (and does reveal) himself as the one who is alone worthy of our worship and service. Joel Osteen’s theology puts man at the centre, it’s esentially self-seeking, self-obsessed, and self-sufficient.
Even if Osteen never claimed to be biblical, Christian, or pastoral, wouldn’t we still have reason to condemn his message as idolatry? God is robbed when we proudly turn our backs on him; even ignoring his warnings and offer of rescue from ourselves and our sin.
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jer 2v13
Dan Hames
Well said Dan. It is idolatry, we are loving ourselves, instead of denying ourselves.
And the Word of God all 66 books are precious words from our Lord and God. It’s our greatest treasure on this earth next to God Himself. Without His Word, which is truth, we are no better than the pagans.
That’s what I don’t understand about Osteen, why doesn’t he love the Word of God.Jesus sad, “Man shall bot live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. And He said that to Satan during His temptation, so how much more important is it for us to read, study, and meditate on all of God’s Word.
dan, donsands, your points are both well taken. and offered with gracious hearts, i trust - as are mine. it’s fun to get in these public sparring matches, but we don’t need to start reading our own press, as they say.
what i’m starting to see is the power of the stories themselves, and how passing them down from generation to generation orally as the Jews did had some benefits that we may have lost once they were written down. in a story, God could move as he needed to - with both the storyteller and the listener. and i’ve said this elsewhere, but jesus and his parables are the best example - “let him who has ears hear”. we read that and make a judgment about the listener, but maybe it should be read as a prayer to the Holy Spirit - “move as you will”. it’s said that when the student is ready, the teacher appears - so there are not just two parts - the student and the teacher - but three, maybe four - the student, the teacher, the student’s desire to learn, and perhaps a God who is able to let the message mean what it needs to.
and not just mean “what it says”.
this is all kind of nebulous - that’s why i find it so unnerving. i’ve dealt in 1’s and 0’s my whole adult life…but at some point that reaches the point where it’s not giving the right answer anymore.
and, donsands - it’s fun to keep crossing paths. forgive me if i become too much of a smarta$$. iron sharpens iron.
mike rucker-
I agree wholeheartedly with your conclusion here:
I think the secret to Osteen’s success is this: he teaches self-help but wraps it in a thin guise of Christian terminology. Thus people believe they are being taught the Bible when the reality is that they are learning mere human wisdom rather than divine wisdom. Osteen cunningly blends the wisdom of this age with language that sounds biblical. He blends the most popular aspects of New Age and self-help teaching with Christianity. And his audience is eagerly drinking this in.
Recently, I learned that my former pastor (had been attending the church for 12 years!!) “studied” with Joel Osteen at some pastors’ meeting. I was so disappointed!!! I NEVER thought this pastor who taught me and my family so much from the BIble would have EVER fallen for Osteen’s heresy.
That is what Osteen’s whole ministry (unfortunately) is based on…heretical doctrine designed to look like the truth. It’s really sad, because people who are not well versed in the Bible and/or haven’t studied for very long are very vulnerable towards falling for his spiritual oblivion “doctrines.”
I didn’t have the time this morning to read through all of the comments here. However, I can guess that some might complain that all Christians should be “unified” and not “put down” another Christian leader. Well….that’s not what the BIble says. God’s Word tells us (in many places in Scripture) to expose error, heresy, and apostasy. The book of Jude specifically warns of those who will infiltrate the churches with strange doctrine which is not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I found your blog today via the Weblog Awards nominations. Congratulations on that. I will be back to read more here.God bless in Christ,Christine
“As I closed the cover on this book I began to wonder, What is it that draws people to Joel Osteen? Why do people enjoy his teaching so much?”
These are great questions.
1) There is something, and perhaps it’s no more than psychological, but something powerful about the mindset that if I, for instance, lost my business, I will get up the next day, I will pray positively, I will dress, act, and live expectantly. I will face the crisis head on, acting like God is going to do something great for me.Indeed an article in July 07 CT called “Gospel Riches,” talks about the primarily bad effects of health and wealth in Africa. “Primarily bad.” It’s interesting to read how “many prosperity teachers do much good…”2) Related to Osteen particularly, as I watched the 60 minutes interview with a friend, he reminded me that Osteen is preaching what he knows. This “theology” has worked for him. A twisted version of “one begger telling another one where to get bread…”
A few comments…
I think the best way to approach Osteen is to not dismiss him and his flawed theology so easily, but to ask what is missing in the West and in the Church that attracts people to Osteen’s “Stuart Smalley” style of “preaching.”
I think for many people who are genuine born-again believers the main issue is the need to hear something positive.
I believe that many Christians were raised in environments where they heard they were sinners all the time, but never heard they were saints. They never received that affirmation of victory in Christ. That Osteen’s church is in the buckle of the Bible Belt furthers this idea that many of his flock got tired of hearing how terrible they were from their former churches.
A church that never preaches the positives of what it means to be a saint is preaching a partial Gospel. They wind up being just as guilty as Osteen is in his psycho-theological mish-mash, only on the doom and gloom side. Sadly, while Osteen may believe he’s preaching the positive part of the Gospel that gets left out in some churches, he’s not. His is more of a Norman Vincent Peale mind-science type of positivism than the positive truth of solid Christian doctrine.
I also think that Osteen’s popularity is symptomatic of the crushing load of bad news each of us receives from the media. At any time of the day we can plug into news sources predicting one dire reality after another.
In the days of the early Church, people weren’t overwhelmed by depressing news on the other side of the globe. The sheer volume of information we must process in one month is not only more than most ancients processed in a lifetime, but the bulk of it is filled with sadness and reminders of how random life sometimes seems. I believe that depressing news weighs on all of us.
Enter Osteen. He says we don’t have to be destroyed by all that bad news. That’s a message that resonates with people.
Now you and I know the Gospel speaks to this, too, but I suspect that we may not be preaching, teaching, and living the good part of the Good News enough.
Whatever we might think of George Barna’s solutions to some of the trends he uncovers in his polls, the polls themselves speak volumes. One of the most recent polls has people of all kinds saying that the message of the Church is too focused on the negative and on what is wrong than on what is right. We need to consider this. And this does not mean throwing out our doctrines on sin, but understanding how we might not be presenting the positives of the Good News, either by what we preach or by how we live.
So rather than just dismiss Osteen, ask, “What can I understand about the nature of our lives today that a man such as Osteen is so popular?” Then go to Christ and ask Him to make you think and live in such a way that you outshine someone like Osteen and provide a true representation of what it means to be a positive Christian in such a dark, negative world.
well said, dle.
again, i find myself falling into the either/or aspects of what is taught, and it’s really both/and.
one of the problems in what is taught is hell, and the mistruths - at the very least, less-than-biblical descriptions - of it. when sin-without-jesus-leads-to-eternity-in-flames is the doctrine, none of the other doctrines - none of the “good parts of the gospel” - really matter anymore, do they?
so here’s a case where it really, truly became either/or for me: either there is a hell that most of the world is going to and God has set up a plan in which i am responsible (romans 14:10) for helping save everyone, or there isn’t. the hell that we picture in our minds is a twisted invention of the catholic church to keep people in line. eternity is God’s problem - if there ever was a problem (and my contention is there wasn’t). we make disciples, we don’t get people ‘saved’. and, no, it ISN’T both/and here, because the ‘saved’ piece from this perspective totally and completely obliterates the discipling part in terms of duration (eternity vs this lifetime) and extent (everlasting punishment vs temporal goodness).
mike rucker-
DLE and Mike,
I don’t know what you have around you, but what I see around me in the churches I have been to or see broadcast on TV or radio, is not hell and brimstone, but the exact opposite.
I think the problem people have with sin being preached is not that the good news is not preached, but they simply don’t get it.
As for bad news being shown to us so much in the media being so different from when the gospel was preached, well, I guess you have sort of a point. They didn’t have the media with all its news from around the globe and almost all of that bad. No, they didn’t have that. Instead they had the constant possibility of death from contaminated food, water, fevers, cuts, etc. They had dangers of physical attacks not only from criminals, but from officials of the states. They had dangers that even a sickness that did not lead to them dying could result in them being sold into slavery to cover the debts that arose due to not being able to work. They faced constant uncertainty that today we cannot even imagine due to the blessings of medicine that works, stable civil governments, and social safety nets. Saying that life back then was not filled with troubles, is to forget the reality of what a struggle life was before the industrial revolution brought us all the things we have now.
Life in a world that is subject to frustration because of sin has always been around. Yet Jesus taught a great deal about eternal punishment. So should we follow Joel’s pattern because people think life that is easy and safe, relative to the 1st Century, is really more difficult than the 1st Century, or should they be reminded of the much bigger problem of sin so they can flee to the one who is the only hope in the face of sin.
jim villenga - thanks for your comments. all good points.
but i’m not convinced jesus talked “a great deal about eternal punishment”. yes, i confess i selectively read things in the bible - but, if nothing else, i intend to show you that you do, too. for a quick example, tell me how many animals jesus rode into jerusalem on - one or two? either answer and you’re choosing to ignore scripture.
unless he rode in twice, and one was just a dress rehearsal to make sure everybody knew their parts…
the parable of lazarus and the rich man is a finger in the chest of the pharisees, not a revelation of hell, or of people in heaven and hell being able to talk to each other, or of people in hell being able to ask that messengers be sent to their brothers.
what i’ve seen over the past ten years as i’ve looked at this stuff is that we can get so obsessed with the facts that we miss the truth that is trying to be conveyed.
if you go looking for the footprints of adam and eve, you won’t find them.
you’ll even have a hard time finding jesus’.
that doesn’t mean there isn’t truth there for us.
mike rucker-
Thanks for this. You have no idea how many people I know and love who are “fans” of this man. I grew up in Houston, and I still have quite a bit of family that reside there; Osteen’s insane popularity breaks my heart.