Joel Osteen

One of the outcomes of having Sky television in your home, and a small child, is that you end up watching obscure channels in the early hours. On a religious channel, I watched Joel Osteen this morning. He preached for nearly half an hour. Well, he didn't preach. He talked to 16,000 people about their lives with reference to God.

For those who don't know, Joel Osteen is the pastor of one of the largest churches in America - Lakewood Church, in Houston Texas. He inherited the church and the pulpit from his father. His father built up the church, then died. Joel, having never preached before, took over. Until that point, he was the TV producer of the church's output (with no theological training). He became pastor overnight. The fact that Biblical qualifications for leadership, eldership and preaching ministry were completely by-passed is, sadly, very telling.

Joel Osteen is magical. He looks like a really nice guy. And you know, I bet he is. What's more, I'll bet he's not even in this for the money, or even the adulation, the power or the popularity - even though he teaches that if you have enough faith, God will give you money, power and lots of friends. He really does teach that. He said so this morning. So maybe it would be curious if he didn't want those things for himself. But then, he already has them. Where next? The Whitehouse?

At the start of his sermon, he got everyone to raise a Bible in their hand, asked for God's power, and then preached as if he'd never really understood what the Bible was talking about. At all. He talked about having a special kind of faith that really believes in God's power. And so he used Joshua's prayer to stop the sun, and Martha's appeal to Jesus with regard to Lazarus, as examples of people with a special faith asking God to do big things.

Clearly this is dire exegesis. In one sense, the points are valid as far as they go, but they are not the main, or even secondary, point. And if that is your ONLY Bible teaching bit in the sermon, you've got serious problems. But it's even worse than that. He effectively talks about God giving you the desires of your heart. If your business is in trouble, and it's the worst recession in a century, have special faith, pray to a God who can raise the dead - and he WILL bring you in new clients. He will heal your diseases and give you the friends that you want. Er, no Joel. No. No. No. He may. In his kindness he often does. But the best thing to do with your desires is align them to God's desires. To seek delight in Him. Ask for joy, grace, wisdom, humility and godliness. Not friends, security, prosperity and a twice the money that your father had.

Naturally Joel Osteen does not address why there are problems in his congregations lives. The assumption is that your are never the author of your own downfall. He talks about struggling in tough times. Getting through unfortunate ill health. But he doesn't address why these things come about. He has no perception that our poor circumstances, failing business and troubled marriages can be brought about by our own folly, godlessness, pride or greed. There is no call to repent of sins that lead us into dark places from which we need rescuing. There is no sense that God's people receive discipline from their heavenly father in order to teach them patience, repentance and dependence on God's promises.

So, what is the difference between Joel Osteen and, say, John Piper, who also preaches to a mega-church? John Piper pleads with his congregation to find joy in God himself, in Christ, his character and righteousness. Joel Osteen tells to continue to find joy in earthly things, and that God in heaven will grant them the desires of their idolatrous hearts if they have enough faith.