Joel Osteen and the Happiness Gospel

[TJ in Oregon]

Joel Osteen's wife recently said (here's a response to it from Albert Mohler of the SBC):

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What say you Atlas Forum about this strain of Christianity? Does God want us to have earthly success? Does our self-esteem matter?

Edit: Now I know how to spell Osteen

[Joe Biden 2020]

Joel and Victoria Osteen are heretics.  Their prosperity gospel is no gospel at all and cannot bear the weight of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  The word "sin" is even banned from Lakewood church.  I will go so far as to call them false teachers.  I am not going to question their personal salvation as that's not my place to judge, but their message is not a good one and can lead someone astray pretty rapidly.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Joel and Victoria Osteen are heretics.  Their prosperity gospel is no gospel at all and cannot bear the weight of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  The word "sin" is even banned from Lakewood church.  I will go so far as to call them false teachers.  I am not going to question their personal salvation as that's not my place to judge, but their message is not a good one and can lead someone astray pretty rapidly.

I agree

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I don't believe in prosperity theology, but I don't believe we should live miserably and starve ourselves either. The sinful power of human greed can be harnessed to do great things. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a good example of this.

[DC Al Fine]

Joel Olsteen's wife recently said (here's a response to it from Albert Mohler of the SBC):

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What say you Atlas Forum about this strain of Christianity? Does God want us to have earthly success? Does our self-esteem matter?

I really doubt a God who calls some of us to martyrdom is all about our personal happiness. Indeed, large swathes of the gospel is about giving up stuff to follow Christ. What alarms me about Osteen and his ilk is that they are far more pernicious than some of the traditional prosperity preachers like Benny Hinn. The old school prosperity preacher was more crass and easily shrugged off by the educated. Osteen seems better able to appeal to the well off.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The old school prosperity preacher was more crass and easily shrugged off by the educated. Osteen seems better able to appeal to the well off.

The old school was about telling the poor that they could be better off materially if they believed.  Osteen is about telling those who already have that they need not worry about that eye of the needle the camel they are riding is headed towards.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Sounds like a bad band name.

Anyway, he's a motivational speaker, and that seems to be what's most important, not the gospel.

A flase prophet is a bit of a stretch, though.

[TJ in Oregon]

I don't believe in prosperity theology, but I don't believe we should live miserably and starve ourselves either. The sinful power of human greed can be harnessed to do great things. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a good example of this.

The point of mortification is not to be miserable or starve, it's to remind ourselves we love Christ more than the thing we're giving up. Part of the point is to do something that would normally make us miserable and then to not be miserable about it.

This is was written better than I ever could in the Imitation of Christ by St. Thomas à Kempis (one of the best Christian books ever written and one I'd recommend reading sometime):

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[DemPGH]

On one level, I think he could serve to moderate religion in North America, but I'm not sure he's really interested in doing that. As such, he's just making hay as the next gen TV preacher, although he doesn't have the anger in his eyes and the Armageddon on his tongue like his colleagues.

If I were religious I'd be very disappointed because John Milton or maybe Thomas Browne (Religio Medici) and the like would be more my stripe, and I suppose that's tough to come by. It's all either intellectually dry or else fire-breathing and lectern-pounding.

[memphis]

He's a con artist preying on the feeble minded, just like every other religious leader. It is nice that his tone and message are less psychologically crippling than those of most of his colleagues in the mental abuse field, but, at the end of the day, he's no less of a trickster.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Osteen's theology is trash. Bushie's post has actually got this one pretty much covered.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

He's a con artist preying on the feeble minded, just like every other religious leader. It is nice that his tone and message are less psychologically crippling than those of most of his colleagues in the mental abuse field, but, at the end of the day, he's no less of a trickster.

Excessive hyperbole.

Granted, like politicians, religious leaders do have more than their share of con artists, but most religious leaders (and most politicians) are sincere about their beliefs.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

He's a con artist preying on the feeble minded, just like every other religious leader. It is nice that his tone and message are less psychologically crippling than those of most of his colleagues in the mental abuse field, but, at the end of the day, he's no less of a trickster.

Excessive hyperbole.

Granted, like politicians, religious leaders do have more than their share of con artists, but most religious leaders (and most politicians) are sincere about their beliefs.

And with the exception of L. Ron Hubbard, religious founders are also sincere.

[Never]

Joel and Victoria Osteen are heretics.  Their prosperity gospel is no gospel at all and cannot bear the weight of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  The word "sin" is even banned from Lakewood church.  I will go so far as to call them false teachers.  I am not going to question their personal salvation as that's not my place to judge, but their message is not a good one and can lead someone astray pretty rapidly.

I agree

I agree with Bushie too. What the Osteens believe flies in the face of what the Bible teaches about suffering in the book of Job and Psalms 22, the latter of which was quoted in part by Jesus during his crucifixion. Joel and Victoria would be well served to evaluate their unsound views.

[TJ in Oregon]

I agree with Bushie too. What the Osteens believe flies in the face of what the Bible teaches about suffering in the book of Job and Psalms 22, the latter of which was quoted in part by Jesus during his crucifixion. Joel and Victoria would be well served to evaluate their unsound views.

Every time I see this I can't help but think about the Crucifixion.

[Never]

I agree with Bushie too. What the Osteens believe flies in the face of what the Bible teaches about suffering in the book of Job and Psalms 22, the latter of which was quoted in part by Jesus during his crucifixion. Joel and Victoria would be well served to evaluate their unsound views.

Every time I see this I can't help but think about the Crucifixion.

You know, when I first saw that book, I thought, "Why not every day a Sunday or something?" Anyhow, he does look unnerving on that cover.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I agree with Bushie too. What the Osteens believe flies in the face of what the Bible teaches about suffering in the book of Job and Psalms 22, the latter of which was quoted in part by Jesus during his crucifixion. Joel and Victoria would be well served to evaluate their unsound views.

Every time I see this I can't help but think about the Crucifixion.

Well, he does want every day to be a Good Day.

[SNJ1985]

Osteen is a major false prophet.

[DemPGH]

Osteen is a major false prophet.

Is he even a "profit"? Anyway, what's the difference between a false profit and a true profit? I mean, what's the process for making that determination (is there something more to it than that they say or don't say what you want to hear)? And is there such a thing as a minor false profit?

[All Along The Watchtower]

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmations_(New_Age)

[memphis]

Friday is a workday. More important than all the Jesus hullabaloo, if every day is a Friday, then we never get to the weekend. Critical analysis, people.

[tik 🪀✨]

Osteen is a major false prophet.

Is he even a "profit"? Anyway, what's the difference between a false profit and a true profit? I mean, what's the process for making that determination (is there something more to it than that they say or don't say what you want to hear)? And is there such a thing as a minor false profit?

The Bible details the ways to tell a false prophet from a real prophet (if I recall correctly, I'm a bit hazy on the Bible these days). For example: If their points disagree with Scripture or if their predictions about future events prove faulty, they are false prophets.

Another good indicator is someone who says what needs to be said at the time, even if people don't comprehend its truth until much later. It's easy to contradict Osteen with a basic knowledge of the Bible, and it's plain to see that the spirit of his message is one of complacency and convenience and greed. It's something Christians ought to be furious about.

[DemPGH]

LOL, look what I did. I said "profit" when I meant "prophet." Ha, I bet people thought I did that on purpose. The whole thing is so tied to money in my mind that that was an entirely subconscious slip.

One time I prepared a document in which I wrote "manner house" as opposed to "manor house" in one instance. Someone caught it, of course, and I made this joke on the spot: Of course when in a manor house you mind your manners!

Osteen is a major false prophet.

Is he even a "profit"? Anyway, what's the difference between a false profit and a true profit? I mean, what's the process for making that determination (is there something more to it than that they say or don't say what you want to hear)? And is there such a thing as a minor false profit?

Another good indicator is someone who says what needs to be said at the time, even if people don't comprehend its truth until much later. It's easy to contradict Osteen with a basic knowledge of the Bible, and it's plain to see that the spirit of his message is one of complacency and convenience and greed. It's something Christians ought to be furious about.

I don't doubt that - if I were a Christian, particularly Laudian or high church, I would see him as the most corrosive of all because of his inside status (he's not some atheist or somebody on the outside), and his congregation is the size of a small army.

As to real vs. false prophet, it is a subjective call probably left to the faithful to make.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Osteen is a major false prophet.

[King]

Watched him a few weeks ago. I love the how his Bible references are so fragmented that they all include "..."

Massive FF, because he teaches people to succeed on Earth. Something a lot of evangelical Christian sects seem to be lacking.