Last night Joel Osteen was interviewed on 60 minutes. I only saw two minutes of the Osteen segment, but that’s all I needed to see. You can see the video or transcript on the CBS News website.
The part I saw was when host Byron Pitts raised the subject of Osteen’s latest book, To Become a Better You, which gets released today (Oct. 15). In the book, Osteen lays out seven principles that he believes will improve our lives. (This book has already improved Osteen’s life. He reportedly got a $13 million advance for the book.) In commenting on the book, Pitt remarked to Osteen: "To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are. Not one mention of God in that. Not one mention of Jesus Christ in that."
Osteen’s response? "That's just my message. There is scripture in there that backs it all up. But I feel like, Byron, I'm called to help people…how do we walk out the Christian life? How do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, 'Here’s a book that going to explain the scriptures to you.' I don’t think that’s my gifting," Osteen says.
Then GET OUT OF THE PULPIT.
How can a preacher set forth "Christian principles" without Christ? The fact is, he can’t. I’m glad that Byron Pitts got Michael Horton’s take on this. (Horton is a professor of theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California.) Horton rightly observed: "[Osteen’s] core message is God is nice, you’re nice, be nice. It's sort of a, if it were a form of music, I think it would be easy listening. He uses the Bible like a fortune cookie. 'This is what’s gonna happen for you. There’s gonna be a windfall in your life tomorrow.' The Bible's not meant to be read that way."
Horton went on to say that he believes that Osteen tells only half the story of the Bible, focusing on the good news without talking about sin, suffering and redemption.
I agree.
Horton goes even further. He levels the harshest charge of all, calling the Osteen method of teaching heresy. "It is certainly heresy, I believe, to say that God is our resource for getting our best life now," Horton says. "Because?" Pitts asks. "Well, it makes religion about us instead of about God," Horton explains.
Yes, that is precisely the problem. America’s motto has become: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." From that flows the commitment: "As for me and my house, we will serve ourselves."
That’s why tens of thousands are flocking to Lakewood Church and why millions are buying Osteen’s books. As one of our church members put it in an e-mail to me this morning: "It is like god lite or the diet coke of the gospel. All the things you love about God without all of that conviction to weigh you down…."
Well, I had intended to write on something different today – putting forth from Scripture a positive alternative to emotionalism. But perhaps this interview with Osteen was just what I needed to press home the dangers of emotionalism. Wait another day or two, and I will show you from Scripture "a more excellent way."
The part I saw was when host Byron Pitts raised the subject of Osteen’s latest book, To Become a Better You, which gets released today (Oct. 15). In the book, Osteen lays out seven principles that he believes will improve our lives. (This book has already improved Osteen’s life. He reportedly got a $13 million advance for the book.) In commenting on the book, Pitt remarked to Osteen: "To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are. Not one mention of God in that. Not one mention of Jesus Christ in that."
Osteen’s response? "That's just my message. There is scripture in there that backs it all up. But I feel like, Byron, I'm called to help people…how do we walk out the Christian life? How do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, 'Here’s a book that going to explain the scriptures to you.' I don’t think that’s my gifting," Osteen says.
Then GET OUT OF THE PULPIT.
How can a preacher set forth "Christian principles" without Christ? The fact is, he can’t. I’m glad that Byron Pitts got Michael Horton’s take on this. (Horton is a professor of theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California.) Horton rightly observed: "[Osteen’s] core message is God is nice, you’re nice, be nice. It's sort of a, if it were a form of music, I think it would be easy listening. He uses the Bible like a fortune cookie. 'This is what’s gonna happen for you. There’s gonna be a windfall in your life tomorrow.' The Bible's not meant to be read that way."
Horton went on to say that he believes that Osteen tells only half the story of the Bible, focusing on the good news without talking about sin, suffering and redemption.
I agree.
Horton goes even further. He levels the harshest charge of all, calling the Osteen method of teaching heresy. "It is certainly heresy, I believe, to say that God is our resource for getting our best life now," Horton says. "Because?" Pitts asks. "Well, it makes religion about us instead of about God," Horton explains.
Yes, that is precisely the problem. America’s motto has become: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." From that flows the commitment: "As for me and my house, we will serve ourselves."
That’s why tens of thousands are flocking to Lakewood Church and why millions are buying Osteen’s books. As one of our church members put it in an e-mail to me this morning: "It is like god lite or the diet coke of the gospel. All the things you love about God without all of that conviction to weigh you down…."
Well, I had intended to write on something different today – putting forth from Scripture a positive alternative to emotionalism. But perhaps this interview with Osteen was just what I needed to press home the dangers of emotionalism. Wait another day or two, and I will show you from Scripture "a more excellent way."