tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post8504434787142598554..comments2024-03-01T21:01:15.174-06:00Comments on Biblical Christianity: Mike Adams on Joel Osteen on John 14:6DJPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-5929311139612207702010-06-03T09:50:25.019-05:002010-06-03T09:50:25.019-05:00This post ought to be framed and posted on every p...This post ought to be framed and posted on every pastor's office wall.Solameaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09869424956571944997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-80343555408269851962010-06-02T22:14:42.660-05:002010-06-02T22:14:42.660-05:00I'm confident that there will be no danger of ...I'm confident that there will be no danger of my books falling under that condemnation.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-80413578107244654162010-06-02T22:07:15.184-05:002010-06-02T22:07:15.184-05:00I once heard someone say beware the "Christia...I once heard someone say beware the "Christian" book that has the author's face on the cover.James Joycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15983848193844746369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-71520608306252729472010-06-02T21:34:24.928-05:002010-06-02T21:34:24.928-05:00I'm in Houston and Joel Osteen is a major prob...I'm in Houston and Joel Osteen is a major problem. But for the most part, he speaks in rather vague terms that aren't Un-Scriptural on the surface. Most self professing, church attending Christians don't have a good understanding of theology or hermeneutics and apply "what this means to me" Scripture analysis to all text. This leaves them vulnerable to the type of teaching Osteen sneaks in.<br /><br />BTW, the guy is filthy rich. Not that being rich is wrong. However, I'm a little put off by a minister who uses his position to acquire great wealth for himself.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15285043747501470199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-77296786090372630242010-06-02T20:24:38.058-05:002010-06-02T20:24:38.058-05:00I think I first encountered Pastor Osteen back in ...I think I first encountered Pastor Osteen back in the autumn of 2004. I was still a non-believer, but had just been through a spiritual crisis, and had come to understand that true Christianity has something to do with suffering and the Cross...though I still didn't see how it all goes together.<br /><br />Anyhow, a Christian friend of ours lent us <i>Your Best Life Now,</i> with his pearly whites on the cover, and all I got out of it is that you should invest in real estate...or some such thing. And the idea that the Christian life should involve no suffering...and no mention of the Cross! Alarm bells were ringing immediately.Stefan Ewinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05530690016594029847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-46434353025198230332010-06-02T17:07:55.185-05:002010-06-02T17:07:55.185-05:00but back to Dan's point, there would never ha...but back to Dan's point, there would never have been 3 Starbucks on every city block if people hadn't stood in line and pounded their credit cards on the counters.<br /><br />and sadly when people who got out of bed on the Lord's day, got dressed and went to sit in the Lord's house to hear the Lord's word, accepted Joel's fortune cookie theology, there is blame-o-plenty for all concerned. <br /><br />and just because i am running low on suck-up points<br /><br />my guess is that the first 65 times that Dan did write about what was being peddled as gospel from our boy, i bet he took plenty of "friendly" fire from the cheap seats for being judgementalmikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10436809417566796558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-50940756520874445522010-06-02T15:55:58.807-05:002010-06-02T15:55:58.807-05:00thing is,
it is one thing to prance amok speading ...thing is,<br />it is one thing to prance amok speading cheer like a clown, and a totally difference to stand before anyone and say or allow to be said "i an a herald of the King, i bring you His news, Good to some, destruction to others, but surely non-negotiable. thus says the Lord God almighty creator and sustainer of all things". <br />that second guy had better check to see that his words are not altered or changed to fit the hearer UNLESS, this guy doesn't really think that this King is all that the King says that He is. <br />RC Sproul speaks of no greater arrogance than to put words in the mouth of God, sounds right to me.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10436809417566796558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-6004537440558271592010-06-02T15:35:09.789-05:002010-06-02T15:35:09.789-05:00Good post.
Some professed believers tell me that ...Good post.<br /><br />Some professed believers tell me that Osteen makes them feel good. <br /><br />When pressed about the lack of Scripture in his books and "sermons," Osteen sometimes refers to himself as more of a "life coach," or "motivational speaker" than a pastor, which is certainly true, but he won't give up the "pastor" label.<br /><br />I once saw him on a video actually attempt to exegete Scripture, specifically Eph. 1:4. Since I was going to be critical of him in a message I was to give, I wrote down what he said.<br /><br />His conclusion: "God created you to be totally free, to have peace in your mind, to walk in divine health, to have good relationships, to have plenty to pay your bills. God created us as victors, not victims." This was his interpretation of "to be holy and blameless in his sight."<br /><br />He seems to me to be more of a knave than a fool, but who knows? And I highly doubt that anyone in his vast audience, with their Bibles open on their laps, questioned him about his interpretation. "Divine health" sounds much more attractive than being holy and blameless.jmbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07164857192077648887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-10089289672337074502010-06-02T15:24:20.436-05:002010-06-02T15:24:20.436-05:00i just hope she didn't mean long windedi just hope she didn't mean long windedmikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10436809417566796558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-46268029583689164532010-06-02T15:04:54.232-05:002010-06-02T15:04:54.232-05:00Paula — ...thought I was reading Challies
Been ca...<b>Paula</b> —<i> ...thought I was reading Challies</i><br /><br />Been called many things in my day.<br /><br />Never <i>that.</i>DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-80162204264893291852010-06-02T15:04:54.233-05:002010-06-02T15:04:54.233-05:00i hope someone named panera doesn't show up no...i hope someone named panera doesn't show up now...<br /><br />if so, sorrymikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10436809417566796558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-45969099265157076792010-06-02T15:02:15.187-05:002010-06-02T15:02:15.187-05:00We're glad you're here so far.
(c:We're glad you're here so far.<br /><br />(c:DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-56921029873227361122010-06-02T14:58:42.139-05:002010-06-02T14:58:42.139-05:00mike said...
so McDonalds sells burgers, not grea...<i>mike said... <br />so McDonalds sells burgers, not great, but consistant throughout the world.<br /><br />along comes Starbucks, and later Panera bread, not to be left out, McD's gets cafe coffee, and is now trying to figure out how to get a bakery feel.<br /><br />it may well work, they have hard working smart people, so one day soon McDonstaranera's may well be our one stop for all that, and the burgers are an afterthought. <br /><br />but marketshare is protected.<br /><br />then one day, many of those sane smart hardworking guys decide that the little local church could use a hand, and walla, lakewillowback is born. <br /><br />and somehow, in the middle of all this, because we don't really fear God, and certainly don't want to, people stand with no shame and proclaim that they are doing His work.<br /></i><br /><br />I certianly fear the Lord. The worst thing I could possibly hear him say is "I never knew you..."<br /><br />Makes me sweat sometimes.<br /><br />Oh, by the way. I am new here. I like this blog so far.Starbuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904060061142328090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-35268690331854879322010-06-02T14:31:56.924-05:002010-06-02T14:31:56.924-05:00Timely, perhaps, that those old Michael Horton vid...Timely, perhaps, that those old <a href="http://nwbingham.com/2010/05/classic-horton-heretical-tv-preachers/" rel="nofollow">Michael Horton</a> videos have come to light today. ("Agony of Deceit", on TeeVee preacher/hucksters.).lee n. fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01652025469454858807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-65354952838559729302010-06-02T14:26:39.998-05:002010-06-02T14:26:39.998-05:00In a more serious moment - Osteen is as good a bar...In a more serious moment - Osteen is as good a barometer for the state of the church in America as one can find. He has married wordfaith heresies with Druckerian church growth methods and produced the bastard child that is the biggest organization pretending to be a church in the country.<br />Lord have mercy on us all!<br /><br />I am thankful to hear the great things the Lord is doing in Africa and Asia, because my own country's light is grown dim.Bill Honsbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836300411894206079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-16490622427176559992010-06-02T14:24:04.934-05:002010-06-02T14:24:04.934-05:00Osteen probably likes the cetera bubblegum chicago...Osteen probably likes the cetera bubblegum chicago songs as well...<br /><br />couldn't resist!<br /><br />Well I couldn't...Bill Honsbergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836300411894206079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-65589362555057269382010-06-02T14:13:38.251-05:002010-06-02T14:13:38.251-05:00so McDonalds sells burgers, not great, but consist...so McDonalds sells burgers, not great, but consistant throughout the world.<br /><br />along comes Starbucks, and later Panera bread, not to be left out, McD's gets cafe coffee, and is now trying to figure out how to get a bakery feel.<br /><br />it may well work, they have hard working smart people, so one day soon McDonstaranera's may well be our one stop for all that, and the burgers are an afterthought. <br /><br />but marketshare is protected.<br /><br />then one day, many of those sane smart hardworking guys decide that the little local church could use a hand, and walla, lakewillowback is born. <br /><br />and somehow, in the middle of all this, because we don't really fear God, and certainly don't want to, people stand with no shame and proclaim that they are doing His work.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10436809417566796558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-15813409986860316452010-06-02T13:36:46.875-05:002010-06-02T13:36:46.875-05:00Very well said, I must say.
As my former professo...Very well said, I must say.<br /><br />As my former professor used to say: "The jawbone of an ass hurts as much these days as it did in Samson's.Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350640852962668641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-39220603064589794322010-06-02T13:06:38.573-05:002010-06-02T13:06:38.573-05:00"So, give us a Biblical definition of the Gos..."So, give us a Biblical definition of the Gospel."<br /><br />But that would presuppose that the people asking that question could also do it, yes?<br /><br />This weekend we were in Fresno and attended a church which will go unnamed, other than to say that the name had the word "Bible" in it, and heard the most awful mess of a God-ish thoughts-while-strolling "sermon" I've heard in a while. But what was worse was hearing the amens and laughter and seeing the nods all around. My husband gave me husband-ly admonishment not to come unglued in front of our dear hosts, but later said that we had just sat through a prime example of why the church in America is where it is. We don't have shepherds leading sheep; we have sheep leading sheep. And if you've ever seen how that goes (as I have plenty of times in my homeland), you all know how it ends.<br /><br />Given that our home church seems to be currently tilting slightly but disctinctly away from the Gospel, this motivated me to email one of our pastors and invite him over to beg him to be a shepherd and not a sheep. Thanks for the um, poke in the rear with a crook-thingie. Or something like that. :)Rachael Starkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10781158372237369417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-42704200614442459072010-06-02T12:09:54.786-05:002010-06-02T12:09:54.786-05:00@DJP - I just started using Google Reader & th...@DJP - I just started using Google Reader & thought I was reading Challies. I got about 1/4 of the way through this post and thought, "Now wait a minute...this sounds an awful lot like...." It's funny... after reading someone for a year or so you can recognize his "voice" <br />: )<br /><br />I think with many of these folks it's a slow leak process. People who are otherwise discerning let in a little of this and a little of that and before they realize what's happening, they're Joel Osteen fan boys. <br /><br />I had an exchange on Facebook with a friend this week who posted a Rob Bell video. I was really quite shocked because I consider her to be quite discerning and very protective of her kids. I directed her to the great review of the Nooma videos from Greg Gilbert at 9-Marks. <br /><br />She wrote back, <em> "I certainly can't speak for his other series, but this particular lecture was really good! As with everything/everyone, constantly evaluating is necessary...but I also try to remember that God can speak through anyone/anything (donkey!) so I don't try to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but listen with keen ears and a discerning heart to see if there's anything there for me. So thankful for the Holy Spirit to guide and guard me...</em><br /><br />Well, OK, I suppose there's <em>something, at some point in time</em> we can learn from Bell, or Osteen, or anyone else who preaches a different gospel. But as you said, the reason these guys have a platform is because people allow them to have it. And they keep spreading their message like a bad virus. <br /><br />Isn't that kind of like being an accessory to a crime?Paula Bolyardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05567777774272590296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-39292139269313924112010-06-02T11:51:17.520-05:002010-06-02T11:51:17.520-05:00Sheep feed pastors. That is what sheep do. They ...Sheep feed pastors. That is what sheep do. They are open to abuse because of that, but they also look for pastors that suck up the slop they put before them. So, they are culpable not just of sitting under false teachers but gathering them in. Heaping them up as it were. Expecting the sheep to rise up en masse is probably asking a bit much. Wisdom comes in onseies and twosies and they end up joining solid churches.<br /><br />A pastor who laps up flattery like water has no need of counsel or correction. In his mind the sheep are well fed, just look what they produce for him. <br /><br />al sendsAlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02659402617723892967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-902830602945395832010-06-02T11:32:46.584-05:002010-06-02T11:32:46.584-05:00Yes, a very good point that isn't said often e...Yes, a very good point that isn't said often enough, the responsibility of laypeople to rightly divide the word of God. I see it in a local congregation too -- even when the pastor is clearly unbiblical in some of his ideas, they just shrug it off and say, "well that's not an essential doctrine" and keep listening anyway, a form of laziness too common among churchgoers who never consider that a pastor who is way off in one area *just might* be wrong in several other doctrines as well. <br /><br />2 Timothy 4:3-4 comes to mind, regarding how it really is in this present age, that too many people will not put up with sound doctrine but gather a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.Lynda Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01755739519555633760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-31427336652481658232010-06-02T09:50:26.436-05:002010-06-02T09:50:26.436-05:00Thanks Dan. Fully agree.
Once I spoke similarly i...Thanks Dan. Fully agree. <br />Once I spoke similarly in a sermon (about TBN I think) and afterwards was asked if I pray for them. I said, "I sure do. I pray God would shut them down before they do even more damage, that the goats who flock after them would be saved, and the sickly sheep would finally discern the true from the false." <br />Not sure if that answer satisfied the questioner. <br />It's still my answer because of Jude 3 , Titus 1:9-11, 2 Tim.4:2, Romans 16:17,18, 2 John 9-11. etc.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12039108004526542211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-79329228130782812432010-06-02T09:13:29.800-05:002010-06-02T09:13:29.800-05:00Right, sir. Ain't no perfect ones. And we litt...Right, sir. Ain't no perfect ones. And we little folk are accountable for that too. There needs to be an interactive hunger for the Word, not just the feeding of yes, yes to the minister. Got to hold him to it with participation.Death or Glory Toadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552779168563447377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313009.post-26497251992980729832010-06-02T08:24:54.917-05:002010-06-02T08:24:54.917-05:00Thanks for thinking with me here, Pooka. To make s...Thanks for thinking with me here, Pooka. To make sure I'm clear, the minimum bottom-line I'm singling out is what people support with their... er, feet. You sit under and support an un-Biblical ministry, you support it.<br /><br />NOTE: un-Biblical, not imperfect. <i>All</i> ministries are imperfect! How could they not be? We're in them!DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.com