I'm often surprised at how much one man can either be loved or disliked so passionately by most Christians. I know many people who have been inspired by the message of hope that he preaches, and I also know many people who aren't so fond of his ministry.
Fans and Critics
The Fans
The people who enjoy his books/television ministry state that his messages are encouraging and inspiring. A majority of people that say positive things about him have either read his book(s) and/or watch his ministry on TV.
The Critics
The critics state that he has a tendency to be flaky, he's not firm enough, he's just out there tickling people's ears so he can make a few bucks. They would like to see him be a little more abrasive, more in your face.
A majority of people who criticize his ministry have often never read any of his books and have never seen more than about 3 minutes of his television ministry. In fact, most of what they tell me is that they have "heard" this or that about Joel Osteen.
Hearing Is Believing
I was often told growing up not to believe everything I hear. However, all of us do that to some extent. If every one of us always tried to evaluate everything for ourselves, we'd have no time to do anything else. We HAVE to believe people that we trust or we'd go crazy constantly trying uncover all of the facts.
So, what truly is the RIGHT THING to do in cases like this?
The Biblical Approach
For those of you who have read Samuel, you can quickly see that David has an extremely high level of respect for Saul, even though Saul is trying to kill him. Why have respect for this rotten leader? Because God anointed him and placed him into the position of being king.
David obviously DID NOT AGREE with everything Saul did. But this did not change the fact that David would not speak or do any evil toward Saul.
What I'm getting at here is that whether or not you agree with everything that Joel (or any other pastor) preaches, you and I are still to act in love and respect.
Calling Him into Accountability
So what if you and I really believe someone is wrong? There are times where we must call our pastoral leaders into accountability. However, this must be done right.
1) Pray! I have not had the boldness to ask this before; but how many people out there criticizing a ministry (such as Joel Osteen's) are actively praying for that minister? If you or I need to call someone into accountability, we must first pray for that person and also pray that God helps us examine our own motives.
2) Speak (or write)! After we have prayed, and we feel a strong conviction from God that we are to call this leader into accountability, we must deal with the person as directly as possible. For a local pastor, that means calling them up, and scheduling a time to meet with them. For someone a little less accessible, it may mean writing a letter to them.
This MUST BE DONE IN LOVE. It is easy to get self-righteous. Pray that you are able to approach this person in love.
Your Pastor Is a ^*$%!!
Let's face it, if someone came up to you and said, "I heard this and that about your pastor!" You ask this person where they got their information and if they've ever even heard your pastor speak. Come to find out, they've never been to your church, they go to another church down the road, and everything they know about your pastor is hearsay.
Obviously, you are going to be upset.
When we really look at this from an eternal perspective, Joel Osteen is just another pastor. Sure, he's on TV and is famous, but God really couldn't care less about fame. That is here today, gone tomorrow. Joel Osteen will have to stand before God the same as every other pastor here on this earth.
In Summary
Whether or not you agree with Joel Osteen is not really the issue. The issue is that we are to always act in love. When we gossip (yes, gossip!) about a ministry simply because of what we have heard, I believe that we are in danger of blaspheming the work of the Holy Spirit. I guarantee you that I can find something with which I don't agree in any ministry out there. It is extremely easy to criticize.
Whether it be Joel or any other pastor, to criticize a work of God based on hearsay, without even praying for them, is sin. All this brings about is division in the body of Christ.
Joel Osteen has been given one of the most amazing gifts of encouragement that I have ever seen. No, I don't agree with everything that he says; but I cannot deny that MILLIONS of people have been filled with hope by the work that God is doing through him. It is no wonder the enemy is trying so hard to bring division in the body of Christ against this ministry.
We have been called to act in love and unity. If our words and actions do not bring love and unity to the body, than we need to ask God for help. This obviously does not relate to just Joel Osteen, but also to any other pastor, friend, or family member we know.
May God fill you with his wisdom, discernment, and more than anything, His love.
You are correct. The question of the hour seems to be: “Who is Joel Osteen?” There are those who say he is the “coveted crown prince of the Christian kingdom;” some call him the “smiling preacher.” And yet, others say he is a dispenser of “candy cotton” theology. Some might say he is the modern day Dale Carnegie or Norman Vincent Peale—a 21st century advocate for self actualization and human-potential. And recently, he is being viewed by some as the heir apparent to the ministry of Billy Graham. Yet others are warning that he is a heretic, a false teacher, a wolf who has entered the church through the back door.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem with Joel Osteen's message is not so much in what he is saying, but what he is not saying. His falseness, dare I say, as a teacher is detected by what he does not say rather than by what he says. Joel does not talk about faith in Jesus. He talks about faith. Joel does not speak of repentance. He speaks of change. Joel does not speak of sin as the problem for all man's troubles. Joel does not speak of the cross as man's only hope for the problem of sin nor does not teach the cross as a way of life. Jesus said "deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me." Joel says "believe in yourself."
The majority of Christians today do not seem to be able to discern the problem of a man who says good things, but leaves out the most important things.
The most dangerous teacher of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things.