Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Joel Osteen



After listening to this pastor talk about Osteen, now watch the actual interview for yourself. It is sad to think that this person can mislead so many people.

11 comments:

Craig said...

While Osteen may have been unfairly represented, he is still week when it comes to apologetics. I have many concerns with Joel Osteen. We are called to confront the world, but in a loving way.

Thoughts From Jeff said...

I have to be honest, I shut it off after 32 seconds BECAUSE there were two things that (to me) showed that he had NO CLUE what he was talking about.

# 1 - his attendance figures, unless this was a very old video - the numbers are not even close to what they have.

# 2 - The church was like a sports stadium .... UMMMM ... because they bought the sports arena where the rockets played.

Get Info before you sprout your mout.

pastorbrianculver said...

Get Info before you sprout your mout.

that comment is uncalled for Jeff.

too bad you shut it off because you missed the most important part. Joel Osteen hasn't got a clue how to stand up for Christ. An atheist will not go to heaven. Neither will a Muslim, a Budda or any other religion.

We are called to point out false prophet and false teachers. These videos do exactly that. They point out what he believes and what he teaches. If he is teaching his congregation nothing at all about sin, and if he does not teach that Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven then he is considered a false teachers. Jesus told us to beware of them!!!!!!

don't come back on here jeff if you plan to make rude comments again, okay

Thoughts From Jeff said...

Brian:

I am sorry but it is tough to listen to a video and a guy who within the first 32 seconds make two claims that he could have made FACT with a little research and knowledge.

If he wants people to listen and hear the message, which i am sure that he does, I would think that he would not want to shut them out in the opening statement.

He could have easily opened it up by stating who Joel is, a little 10-15 second bio of the church and actual facts on the number of people that attend and what their "church building" is.

I am sorry if I shut people out when they do not have facts right or data to support it.

I am by no means a fan of Joel and his church. I have heard good and bad from reports but I have not observed it closely and I surly do not know his heart.

Jason said...

I may be wrong in saying this but in the second video he seems to say "MY WAY" a lot.
In fact he says that he believes in HIS WAY with all of HIS HEART.

WHAT IS HIS WAY?

And secondly why HIS WAY....? Why not GOD'S WAY?!

pastorbrianculver said...

the person speaking says that Joel Osteen is a pastor of one of the largest churches in america, he goes on to say "he thinks" it is somewhere to 20,000 people. He said he saw a picture on the internet and it (the church) was huge, it was like a sports stadium, it was massive.

this is all said in the first 32 seconds.

This year’s most influential Christian in America, as chosen by the readers, is Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Pastor Osteen – who early in his church life never thought about being a pastor and preferred being in the background – pastors one of the largest churches in America, is a best-selling author and travels across the country speaking to packed arenas of people eager to hear his message.

the above statement is taken from churchreport.com on the 50 most influencial Christians in America.

There is nothing in the first 32 seconds that is a lie or has been fabricated. Osteen has preached in arena's all across america. They easily seat 20,000 people. the man who spoke at the beginning of the first clip said he saw a picture on the internet (a picture no doubt, of osteen preaching in an arena). To say he has NO CLUE as to what he is talking about is wrong.

in 2006 a Barbara Walters interview is found in an article on the 10 most fascinating people of 2006. Here is some of what it says...

They call him "the smiling preacher," and Osteen has a lot to smile about. He's the head of the largest church in America, the author of a best-selling book, and the religious leader for a following of faithful, often frenzied fans.

Certainly Osteen is in a place he never dreamed of: Houston's Lakewood Church collects more than $75 million a year. The congregation is so large that Osteen had to move his church into a former pro basketball arena.

I have to be honest, I shut it off after 32 seconds BECAUSE there were two things that (to me) showed that he had NO CLUE what he was talking about.

I have to ask Jeff, what numbers do you say his church has?
# 1 - his attendance figures, unless this was a very old video - the numbers are not even close to what they have.

The man said it was like a sports stadium. He is talking to some people who do not know who Osteen is. It is no longer a sports stadium. It is now a church so he calls it something "like" a sports stadium.
# 2 - The church was like a sports stadium .... UMMMM ... because they bought the sports arena where the rockets played.

One final thing...
Having a good heart is not a measure of being a Christian. There are many people who have a good heart but do not proclaim the gospel. Just giving feel good messages from someone who is not biblically trained, is not justifiable. He will be held accountable by God for his messages and how he leads people. He does not preach on sin, the cross, no sacrificing, no suffering. People will be deceived as they are eager to have their ears tickled by a soft gospel. He, as a pastor, needs to preach the whole gospel message. He is doing no one any good (eternally) by only preaching a prosperity message. Jesus did not do it and neither did the disciples.

Thoughts From Jeff said...

Brian:

Each receiver (listener) is different. To me connecting with the audience and credibility are two huge pices for me.

If you do not establish credibility, how can I trust what you are saying is truth or fiction. How do I know if I can trust the information that you are passing on.

If the speaker used the information that you used, I know that those are facts and I would have been connected and credibility was established.

It may seem like a small thing to you. But to me, when I know that the average attendance at Lakewood is considerably higher than a question is prompted in my mind. He then follws up with I saw something on the interner (their place of worshiP) and makes the statement he does ... it turns me off. Know where they are worshipping, why it looks like a stadium - tell m why they chose to buy that place - connect me to Joel and the story.

If he (the speaker) gave what you did and then transitioned by saying, "now lets take a look and see if their approach is biblical .......

I would listen.


On the heart, I mentioned that because Jesus used heart as the number one thing. If Jesus used heart as the number one thing, I think that it fits:

The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

What’s with this heart, soul, and mind thing? Jesus’ answer was actually a quote from the Deuteronomy 6:5. And to understand the answer you have to understand something. For a Hebrew the heart was the very center of our personality. The heart was who we are. The soul was a part of that heart and it is what gives life to the body. It is what makes you move – live – breathe. And the mind was the part of us where our thoughts, ideas, convictions arise.

Then there is something else to keep in mind. The repetition of the word all. Jesus says all your heart – all you soul – all you mind. Not just a part of your heart – a part of your soul – a part of your mind. Not just the biggest piece of your heart – the biggest piece of your soul – the biggest piece of your mind. God wants it all. He wants everything. He wants all of your heart. All of your soul. All of your mind.

So, that is why I said what I said. The heart is very important. Jesus wants it all.

pastorbrianculver said...

jeff, thank you for clarifying your position. And I agree 100% on the issue of the heart. Especially ALL of your heart. Now when you listen to Osteen talking about who goes into heaven, he gets wishy-washy on his answer. If his whole heart were, in fact, in Jesus Christ alone then we would have heard an answer that said that Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven. He was trying to appease the listeners into something that he felt they wanted to hear. It could be that his lack of training has something to do with that. He has never been to a bible college or to seminary. He most likely does not realize how much damage he is causing by not talking about sin. Because at the heart of the issue is that God HATES sin and to not share that message is most terrible for the listener! He would be better served acting as a feel good counselor than acting as a paztor. He is not leading his congregation to a path of righteousness which is what Jesus said we should do!

pastorbrianculver said...

To anonymous from Franklin, TN.
I pray you understand that when you blaspheme the name of God, you are giving yourself a death sentence. The very God whom you curse is the very same God who will send you to hell. Hell is not a place where you can hang out with your friends. It is a very real place of torment and it last for all eternity. You will burn in a lake of fire but you will not be consumed. There will be no enjoyment and no playing with the devil. He will be in torment too! I will not post your comment due to the language. I have youth from church who read these messages and I will only post messages from someone who using their God-given brain in an intelligent manner. My prayers are with you and I pray you understand that we are all sinners just like you. The difference is, we have been forgiven of our sins. The only way you can receive forgiveness is to put your faith and trust in Jesus alone to save you and to repent of your sins. That means to turn away from sin and seek after righteousness. May God watch over you, even in your anger towards Him until the Day you finally come to reaching out to Him as your personal Lord and Savior. Without that, you are already dead in your sins. Every man will have to give account to God for every idle word he speaks. He knows your words, your deeds and even your very thoughts. You will not go to heaven for being a "good person." Only by having faith and trust in Jesus Christ will you go to heaven. I pray that the day comes when you will do that!

Domain Name comcast.net ? (Network)
IP Address 68.52.210.# (Comcast Cable)
ISP Comcast Cable
Location Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Tennessee
City : Franklin
Lat/Long : 35.934, -86.8878 (Map)

the above info is for anyone else who reads this blog and maybe has their own blog. It is a safety measure to use in case a hate-crime develops. the days are coming when Christians will not be safe even in America. The return of Jesus is coming soon!

pastorbrianculver said...

Anonymous from Franklin, TN is Delbert. At least that is the name he wants us to have. I recognize the city from previous entries! He has a definite language problem and a sincere hatred for God. We need to keep him in our prayers. The language he has used on two comments this morning is outrageous and blasphemous. I have not and will not post his comments,

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the warning. I first got worried when I read an interview in an American publication, where he was wishy washy. That is very discolourful to me. Since then, I've read more on this guy and was shock that it can be that he's just off biblically in so many area.
This will be a link I will save for all the chaps at my church along with resources from http://www.teamtruth.com/articles/art_joelosteen.htm.
God bless you brother!