Confession: I was ready to be outraged by Joel Osteen last night. I almost wanted to be outraged, but instead I didn’t feel that saddened or disappointed by what I heard.
I can’t tell you I agree with him. I don’t know what kind of stuff he personally does with his money; like that $13 million advance.
I do know that he comes across as a genuine believer. Yes, I have only seen him on TV, but he most definitely has a passion for God and what God can do in someone’s life. His theology does seem light, there is no doubt.
He unabashedly knows what part of the Gospel he is good at teaching. He believes that is his niche. Someone else’s niche may be talking about sin and redemption. Someone else might find there niche in exclusively helping the poor.
I guess what I am saying is that I do believe he is doing a lot of good for God. And, I guess, what I struggle with a bit, is realizing that God is at work through something like Osteen’s ministry, but I don’t really agree or enjoy his (Osteen’s) type of message or ministry.
I didn’t come away from the interview outraged. I simply came away unaffected. There will always be believers out there that are doing a lot more polarizing and dividing than Osteen is doing. I didn’t hear any judgment out of the man’s mouth last night.
He reminded me of a really excited kid in a Sunday school class that is just so happy about what God is doing in his life, and that is where Osteen is stuck. I guess I am all too human to hold that against him.
1 comment:
Dude- You got me hooked on this Olsteen character. I have spent a couple hours watching a wide array of videos about him on Youtube. He is hard to listen to. His message seems a little misguided, cheap, and not holistic, but I do like hearing what you had to say. No one has it right. Only Jesus. I just need to remember that, cause I am sure I will be seeing Mr. Olsteen in heaven.
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