So I gave in to the temptation to watch Joel Osteen as I was getting ready for church. The practice has become routine, as our church service doesn't start till 11 and Joel comes on the tv at 9. I can't remember what the word is for a person's facination with what they abhor, but that word describes this Sunday morning ritual. I had never really known much about him or his teachings until a few months ago, but it didn't take long for me to start hurling household objects at our tv. As a huge fan of generalizations, I think I finally, today, put together why he is such a false teacher.
Let's see if I can make this make sense...
It comes as no surprise that Joel is part of the health/wealth/prosperity gospel craze, evidentally trying to instigate a resurge, since its era had fizzed due to all the scandals of Oral Roberts & co. Joel's daddy was huge in the movement, and, according to Joel, also boasted of no formal or seminary education.
I'm guessing that this is probably how all the health/wealth/prosperity gospel pastors opperated, but since I'm relatively young, it is baffling and attrocious. It occured to me today that what little from the Bible that Joel uses, he only uses as an allegory for how God wants us to be successful on earth. For example, a few weeks ago, he said that the virgin birth of Jesus means that we shouldn't let other men stand in our way, because Mary sure didn't let other men (or lack there-of) stand in the way of her dream. That is almost a direct quote! Now, asside from the fact that any moron could be fairly positive that having a baby outside of wedlock was NOT the dream of this good little Hebrew, what is missing here? A: What the birth of Christ actually means for history, prophesy, sinners, our understanding of God, HELLO?? He just used the prophesied virgin birth of the LORD of the universe to be a metaphor for how we should not let anyone get in the way of our debt (again, I'm almost quoting here), that we should let no one, not even our boss, get in the way of our promotion.
In today's "sermon", he so artfully related Jesus' experience on the cross and the few days before Galgotha to our times when we feel low. Jesus went through some pain, and so might we, but we just need to gut it out like He did was pretty much the message. He fell down when He was carrying His cross, and we might stumble too sometimes, but He had Simon to help Him out, and we'll have people to help us out too. oh how nice. And even when He was on the cross, He asked God to forgive those who had hurt Him, and we should do that too. And the best part is that He raised from the grave, just like he's going to raise us out of our debt/depression/low-paying job/flu/traffic jam/bad hair day. Isn't that wonderful???
Who had ever thought a sermon on Christ's sacrifice to pay for the sins of His chosen to satisfy a just God could be so "applicable" and completely meaningless. I can't believe that: 1)People actually listen to this yahoo, 2) He hasn't been struck by lightening yet, and 3)I didn't barf up my HoneyBunchesOfOats while watching this.
The fact that he makes so secular what is so sacred is completely appalling, that he makes people think that God is just an omnipresent genie that wants to make us happy in this life is so sickening, and that hundreds of thousands are led astray by his false teaching is so incredibly sad.
4 comments:
DANG! I think you hit the nail right on the head! I too have thrown many things at my TV. I think God had Joel in mind when He wrote 1st and 2nd Peter
Some would say as the world turns.
why do you watch tv two hours before church?
Joel and Oprah would be great friends.
Post a Comment