A week or so ago 60 Minutes did a segment on Joel Osteen. The title was "America's Most Popular Pastor" What does Mr. Osteen preach? Why does he draw so many people? We Christians are to discern all teachings, comparing it to God's Word the same way the Bereans did. What struck me most during the interview was Mr. Osteen's apparent lack of theological depth. One doesn't have to give a detailed comparison between John Calvin and John Wesley, but a little understanding would have been appreciated.
It is obvious Mr. Osteen's theology (if one can call it that) is Word Faith. Reading his books and listening to his sermons, his message is simple. Ask expecting to get. If you want something, think positive. The clips played have him saying right out that our words have meaning. If you think positive, BINGO! you can have what you think. (better job, pay raise, better life now etc)This of course works the opposite too. If you thinK bad things they also can occur. His message on giving is rather interesting as well. Rather than give because God wants us to give, he reduces giving to a forumula. To get what you want, simply give. God HAS to respond to you wishes if you give. Like other Word Faith Charismatics, he takes entire passages and verses completely out of context, making them mean something completely different that what the original authors meant for them to say.
The methodology of his church is Seeker Sensitive. For those unaware, the Seeker Sensitive movement focuses on people's felt needs. (think Rick Warren) These churches focus on what the church can do for you. As such, one will not hear sermons about suck sticky subjects as sin, judgment, repentance, the atonement, justification, faith, works, etc. If one listens to the broadcast one will see a smiling Mr. Osteen telling the reporter how the lights change colors with each song. This obviously is to create a mood, to heck with teachings, just work over people's emotions. I also noticed how completely scripted Mr. Osteen's church is. The songs are selected so the most can be gotten out of everybody's emotions. You won't hear anything about sin or repentence at his church. Those are too negative.
So, as Christians, should't we be happy in the Joy of the Lord? Why not be positive? After all, should the world see something different in us? Why am I and a host of others so hard on Mr. Osteen? Why can't we just "agree to disagree?"
We as Christians should be happy, but WHY are we happy? That is a question Mr. Osteen MUST answer. As Christians, are we always going to be happy? Let me tell all of you something, I wasn't the happiest person when my mother was suffering from brain cancer. Nor was I happy when I went through my divorce. Did I have God's reassurance? Yes, but I was not "positive" like Mr. Osteen asserts. As for blessings, yes, God does bless. Many times, however, it is not the way we mere mortals think we should be blessed. Mr. Osteen focuses on "Your Best LIfe Now" rather than "Laying up treasures in heaven" I have had times where God blessed me with material possessions, other times, it is spiritual blessings. We as Christians need to be open to either. God many times will say "no" not because he is mean, but because he knows what is best. He's not our "daddy" that spoils his kids the way WF teachers make him out to be.
Mr. Osteen also preaches only part of the Gospel. In the business of souls, part is as bad as none. Others have said it better than I have. He seems to think "God is love, love everybody, and if you want something from God, he will give it to you." That's pretty much it. Nowhere does he address man's sinful state, our total loss without God, the (just) consequences for our sin, what it took for man to obtain forgivemess for sin (Christ's death on the cross), man's need for repentence, and the result of man's refusal to trust Christ. I don't know about anybody else, but the realization that I'm born in sin and have a first class ticket to hell isn't something that is too uplifting. Only when I trusted in Christ was I able to rejoice, not because of some emotional mind trick, but because I KNEW my sins were forgiven. I can now say with John Wesley my heart was "strangly warmed"
I applaud Mr. Osteen's emphasis on giving and loving others. However, the Word Faith and Seeker Sensitive teachings in his church make these good points almost moot. Also, as stated earlier, this is only part of the Gospel. Without man knowing his sinful state and need for Christ, he is eternaly lost.
Part of the Gospel will send people to hell as much as none of the Gospel.
Here are some links on Mr. Osteen.
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/229-joel-osteen
Go down to and click on the Larry King Live segment. You will see what I mean when I say Mr. Osteen is lukewarm.
Here is the 60 Minutes broadcasst. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3366025n
Showing posts with label doctrine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctrine. Show all posts
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
No Excuse
With the decline of mainline denominations (the latest news story involving the Presbyterian Church USA where orthodox congregations are leaving, finding a new home with the Evangelical Pres. Church), the story here http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gNFB_ExEStbyhLF3Ux-XTui0bowgD8S7IJTO0 the body of Christ is in trouble. The laity has become complacent, or outright ignorant.
I have two words..... NO EXCUSE.
NEVER in the history of mankind have books been so easily available. From the library (I checked out a copy of Luther's Small Catechism before I received one), to web sites, (a good one is http://www.cbd.com/, but so is Amazon) to sale items at stores like Mardel, one can easily borrow or purchase books at excellent prices. In addition, many books are available online. There are several web sites that host Christian classics including books by the Reformers, Church Fathers, and other leaders. The Information age is an age where knowledge abounds. We, however, will not benefit from this advancement in technology if we do not use it.
As good as learning theology and church history are, NOTHING should take the place of studying Scripture. The Reformers had a phrase "Sola Scriptura", scripture alone. But how many people take the time to study God's Word? When we fail, unorthodox traditions creep into the church. This is the very reason why we should be thankful there was a Protestant Reformation.
When one does not study God's Word by reading it prayerfully and allowing oneself to be aided by many excellent commentaries, they will find themselves vulnerable to doctrinal error. Whether it is the theological errors plaguing many minsters that align themselves with ORU by teaching Word Faith errors, or liberal churches that outright deny Biblical truth, to Seeker Sensitive churches that do not wish to "offend" anybody, the average Christian will be vulnerable without the knowledge of Scripture.
Studying scripture is important, but as Christians, we ignore church history (the good and the bad) at our own peril. By studying history (HIS story) we see the Bible come to life in the lives of everyday men and women who claimed it for themselves. Whether it is somebody coming to faith for the first time, or the strength of a martyr, the assurance God gives comes through loud and clear. This is why Martin Luther said, "Unless I can be convinced by Scripture and plain reason, I cannot recant". This is what encourages Christians to meet in secret where Christianity is outlawed and to smuggle bibles into dangerous parts of the world.
We also see the mistakes churches in the past made in our attempt to learn from them. One last note of interest - by learning from the past, we can also see many of the doctrinal errors plaguing our churches. EVERY cult teaches doctrine deemed as heresy by the early church. "There is nothing new under the sun"; yes, that was from, you guessed it, The Bible.
Let all of us, young and old alike, study God's word and become more knowledgeably and discerning.
FYI, For more information about Christian doctrine and church writings, check out the links on the right side of the blog. I will add others as time permits.
I have two words..... NO EXCUSE.
NEVER in the history of mankind have books been so easily available. From the library (I checked out a copy of Luther's Small Catechism before I received one), to web sites, (a good one is http://www.cbd.com/, but so is Amazon) to sale items at stores like Mardel, one can easily borrow or purchase books at excellent prices. In addition, many books are available online. There are several web sites that host Christian classics including books by the Reformers, Church Fathers, and other leaders. The Information age is an age where knowledge abounds. We, however, will not benefit from this advancement in technology if we do not use it.
As good as learning theology and church history are, NOTHING should take the place of studying Scripture. The Reformers had a phrase "Sola Scriptura", scripture alone. But how many people take the time to study God's Word? When we fail, unorthodox traditions creep into the church. This is the very reason why we should be thankful there was a Protestant Reformation.
When one does not study God's Word by reading it prayerfully and allowing oneself to be aided by many excellent commentaries, they will find themselves vulnerable to doctrinal error. Whether it is the theological errors plaguing many minsters that align themselves with ORU by teaching Word Faith errors, or liberal churches that outright deny Biblical truth, to Seeker Sensitive churches that do not wish to "offend" anybody, the average Christian will be vulnerable without the knowledge of Scripture.
Studying scripture is important, but as Christians, we ignore church history (the good and the bad) at our own peril. By studying history (HIS story) we see the Bible come to life in the lives of everyday men and women who claimed it for themselves. Whether it is somebody coming to faith for the first time, or the strength of a martyr, the assurance God gives comes through loud and clear. This is why Martin Luther said, "Unless I can be convinced by Scripture and plain reason, I cannot recant". This is what encourages Christians to meet in secret where Christianity is outlawed and to smuggle bibles into dangerous parts of the world.
We also see the mistakes churches in the past made in our attempt to learn from them. One last note of interest - by learning from the past, we can also see many of the doctrinal errors plaguing our churches. EVERY cult teaches doctrine deemed as heresy by the early church. "There is nothing new under the sun"; yes, that was from, you guessed it, The Bible.
Let all of us, young and old alike, study God's word and become more knowledgeably and discerning.
FYI, For more information about Christian doctrine and church writings, check out the links on the right side of the blog. I will add others as time permits.
Friday, October 5, 2007
You Are Who Your Friends Are
I read a post on Michael Bates blog www.batesline.com where he talked at great leangth regarding the lawsuit filed against Oral Roberts University. I recommend reading it and the comments. Towards the bottom of his post, he lists several regents who, in his words, are who’s who of the Word Faith movement.
Why does ORU associate itself with teachers who teach, among other things… men are little gods, one can have wealth and health if they “confess and possess” Kenneth Hagen has said several times, one shouldn’t ask if it’s God’s will, simply name and claim. Jesus died spiritually, and that our words have meaning (i.e. if we say something and exercise our faith, it will come to pass) Hagen has even said God cannot act without our faith. Now, these are general teachings as different WF pastors teach and focus on different doctrines but this is clear enough to show the teachings are at the very least unorthodox, the worst outright heresy.
You heard me right, some of these teachings and their teachers are heretics. Kenneth Copeland has said that Adam WAS God (a throw back to an old Mormon teaching) and that when he reads in the Bible where Jesus says I AM, he smiles and says “I am too” and Benny Hinn said there 9 persons in the Trinity. I think he recanted this statement but he also said he gets his “anointing” from Kathrine Kulman’s grave, sounds like occultist spiritism to me.
Which is why I ask ORU, why is your university associating with these teachers? Is it because they are a way for the university to get large donors, or does ORU subscribe to these teachings too?
How father and son answer this question will go a long way to evaluating their credibility.
P.S. I do know there are several orthodox professors (one was my Youth Minster, another an old Sunday School teacher) but I still find it disturbing the list of people listed as ORU’s regents.
FYI: There is a great deal of information on the Word Faith Movement. For more info, check out the web site http://www.apologeticsindex.net/, and the book The Word Faith Controversy by Robert Bowman.
Why does ORU associate itself with teachers who teach, among other things… men are little gods, one can have wealth and health if they “confess and possess” Kenneth Hagen has said several times, one shouldn’t ask if it’s God’s will, simply name and claim. Jesus died spiritually, and that our words have meaning (i.e. if we say something and exercise our faith, it will come to pass) Hagen has even said God cannot act without our faith. Now, these are general teachings as different WF pastors teach and focus on different doctrines but this is clear enough to show the teachings are at the very least unorthodox, the worst outright heresy.
You heard me right, some of these teachings and their teachers are heretics. Kenneth Copeland has said that Adam WAS God (a throw back to an old Mormon teaching) and that when he reads in the Bible where Jesus says I AM, he smiles and says “I am too” and Benny Hinn said there 9 persons in the Trinity. I think he recanted this statement but he also said he gets his “anointing” from Kathrine Kulman’s grave, sounds like occultist spiritism to me.
Which is why I ask ORU, why is your university associating with these teachers? Is it because they are a way for the university to get large donors, or does ORU subscribe to these teachings too?
How father and son answer this question will go a long way to evaluating their credibility.
P.S. I do know there are several orthodox professors (one was my Youth Minster, another an old Sunday School teacher) but I still find it disturbing the list of people listed as ORU’s regents.
FYI: There is a great deal of information on the Word Faith Movement. For more info, check out the web site http://www.apologeticsindex.net/, and the book The Word Faith Controversy by Robert Bowman.
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