Thursday, July 14, 2005

What a Shame

We wonder why our churches have no power. Joel Olsteen has the
largest church in the US and read the transcript from this interview.
Terrible. He claims now to have botched the interview. What do you
think?

Link for interview on Larry King.

Or listen to Al Mohler on Joel Olsteen, heard on KKMS (Todd Friel)

Joel says that he doesn't like to use the word "sin." What? I mean I think I just threw up in my mouth? What did Jesus call people to do? He called them to leave their life of sin. He calls us daily to pick up our cross. The cross and blood is represenative of the sacrifice. For what? SIN. He died because we sinned. I just don't understand how so many people would go to a church that a preacher doesn't even talk about sin??? Is this feel-good Christianity? I wish I could sit down with good ole Joel Olsteen. I pray that God turns his heart around and points him back to the truth. He has veered.

3 comments:

Ed said...

Wow. It sounds like someone has too many financual supporters to offend any of them.

Unknown said...

Tia! Thanks for your thoughts. I'm glad you responded, I wondered what people thought.

I agree with you regarding "I don't know." I think many times Christians come across as "know it alls" and we don't ever want to be stuck w/o an answer. I watched Billy Graham on the same show ( Larry King) and he did an excellent job w/o sounding arrogant.

On another note, we have to hold someone like Joel Olsteen to a higher standard. He is leading 35,000 people every week and not counting to the 100s of thousands that are watching on television. As I was reading the interview, i tried to imagine how Paul or Peter would have responded to those questions. I think there is a way to say the truth in humility. Many times as Christians, we have the truth but our presentation of it is not in humility. For a man like Joel to never talk about sin or hell...something is wrong. Bad wrong. Jesus talked about hell more than He talked about heaven. He also said that the Christian life is easy...Joel that is. Easy??? I'm not sure I would agree with that either.

He received many negative comments about his interview with Larry King and he has now since recanted a lot of the things he said. Interesting. He prob. has a genuine heart but his teaching is very wrong.

erin said...

joel is the product of the feel good faith. and just recently i have realized how much i have drenched myself in that same theology over the years. we want to believe God is loving, not just. we know somewhere in the back of our minds that He must judge and there must be a result of the sin that we commit, yet we don't want to talk about it. we lie to people and tell them there are easy steps to living and living to your potential. ironically there are those steps..but they aren't the kind that feel good and are easy at all. "To live is Christ and to die is gain." did we hear that? to die is gain...not to focus on ourselves and fix ourselves with steps and by trying to maximize our full potential...but to die to all of that and truly live...that is Christ and a relationship that totally focuses on Him and seeks Him. that is life! that is why we are here. sadly while it seems joel has a good heart and love for people, sounds like he is a bit confused about God's word. he is the very reason people come to know Christ and fall away quickly when things get hard. i couldnt get over how he downplayed abortion and homosexuality. he is definitely trying too hard to be politically correct. the truth cuts like a knife, a two edge sword and is sure to offend. but that is exactly what is needed. the truth shall set you free and we need to be freed of trying to be good people..cause that is impossible. the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
ok off the soapbox now.