Joel Osteen is probably the most popular pastor/t.v. evangelist in America today. His church seats 16,000 people and his books are best sellers. He purports to preach Christianity, but in my opinion the religion that he preaches is anything but Christian.
What makes Joel Osteen's message so deceptive is that there doesn't seem to be anything that he says that one could label as non-Christian. He tell us to be kind, generous, forgiving etc. All of which are good Christian virtues. The problem is that he never seems to say anything that is distinctively Christian. Those of all religions, including many atheists, can relate to what he is saying. This seems to be the next logical step in the ecumenical movement, which I believe ultimately ends with the Anti-Christ, who will unite all religions under himself.
For years now, in an effort to be unified, Protestants have been saying that only a few core doctrines, such as, the life death, and resurrection of Christ really matter. The rest are secondary and not germane to our salvation. It was just a matter of time before someone came along who believed that even these core doctrines get in the way of true unity. This someone seems to be Joel Osteen.
In the 80's and 90's there was a debate within Protestant circles as to whether it was appropriate to bring rock music into the church as a vehicle of worship. In many places there was even a debate as to whether rock music could be Christian at all, or if it was hopelessly of the Devil. Gradually some churches began to make use of it, and those that did grew in numbers. Eventually the others (including some Catholic Churches) became aware of this, and in an effort to keep up with the Joneses, introduced rock and roll worship into their churches. Even many who were steadfastly opposed have caved in in an effort to bring in the people.
At the moment Joel Osteen has one of the largest church's in the nation. He got that way by preaching a generic, watered down message that all can relate to. Since in these days the amount of people you have in your church is the main indicator of success, it should not surprise anyone if we see more and more pastors preaching what amounts to a Dr. Phil/Oprah self-help message in order to pull in the masses.
If the Anti-Christ is going to unite all the world religions he will probably have to use, at least in part, some sort of a generic human potential message that appeals to all and can be adopted into all religions. In his 60 minutes interview Osteen was filmed at a book signing. At one point a man came up to a very Protestant Joel Osteen, and told him that he was Jewish and the lady next to him (possibly his wife) was Catholic, and they both love and get a lot out of his programs and books. This, in my opinion, is the next step along the road to the ecumenism of the Anti-Christ.
Just so I am not misunderstood, I do not believe that the religion of Joel Osteen is the religion of the Anti-Christ, but it does seem to be a major step in that direction.
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2 comments:
Gary,
Did you know Joel is my uncle's brother in-law? I'll be sure to get the message to him that you think he's the precursor to Anti-Christ. Just kidding. Seriously though, I think you hit the nail on the head. Watered down Christianity and the Relativism you discussed below go hand in hand...and what is easier than extremely watered down Christianity for Anti-Christ to take a hold of? What bothered me when I was a protestant is that they would always be talking about growth being so important, yet, it seemed that the more I learned about protestant teachings the dumber I got because there is so much internal contradiction.
Anyway, I'm working on my uncle. Then, perhaps, we'll get to Joel... I think the trouble I'm having is that it is so hard to tell these successful preachers (my uncle pastors a large "non-denominational" church too) that they, despite doing some good, are doing a lot of harm too. They are praised by so many people. People practically worship them. It is hard for them to believe they could do more good by leaving the spotlight, praise, and money. However, "Blessed are the meek...for they shall inherit the earth." Any suggestions?
Always,
Nate Graff
Nate,
Small world eh? The only advice I would have is to pray hard and talk when given the opportunity.
You are so right. Praise is deadly. Plus once you have a big church like that you have to pay the bills, and the only way to pay them is to keep the people you have, and if you got them by tickling their ears you will have to keep them by doing the same.
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