Joel Olsteen Joins With Catholics To Convert Confused Protestants

What?..Um - theological satire ^ | 6/28/2007 | seth

[Alex Murphy]

Houston, TX — Joel Olsteen, author of the bestselling book Starting Your Best Life Now, has agreed to work together with the Roman Catholic Church in Texas to help convert Protestants who are confused about the large number of denominations. According to one poll, many Protestants are troubled with the conflicts and disagreements among groups like the Baptists, Presbyterians and Lutherans, and they have begun to ask themselves what the church should actually look like. “Any regularly attending Catholic has seen the marked increase in the number of Protestant converts,” stated Mark Hamill, archbishop of Houston. “Many of these Protestants are coming to our Pastors looking for answers. They are confused about all of the contradicting diversity, and they need answers to help them sort through the chaos. That’s why we called on Joel Olsteen for help.”

Olsteen, who has also authored Your Best Life Now Journal, Your Best Life Now Devotional, Your Best Life Now Calendar, and Your Best Life Now For Mom (available here), has already helped hundreds of Protestants convert to Catholicism stress-free. Olsteen stated, “Mark has asked me to help confused Protestants to realize that it’s okay if they leave their original denomination, because ultimately it’s not about denominational affiliation. It’s about living victoriously. It’s about living the joyful life, and if changing denominations is what will bring that inner peace and joy, then the choice is obvious — convert!”

Former PCA member Carrie Fisher shared her conversion experience with INN News. “Joel Osteen was so great for me. He helped me tremendously. Well I guess that’s why he is after all, America’s most influential Christian in 2007. He helped me discover a peace in my heart about my desires to become Catholic, despite the challenge I faced and still face with my disapproving family. Olsteen showed me that in order to be victorious, I had to stop restricting Christian living to one single denomination. Once I realized this, none of the differences mattered to me anymore!”

Pictured above: Joel Olsteen showing his anti-or-pro-denominational sentiments by donning Catholic garb.

In an interview with Olsteen, INN reporter Joseph Knoll asked Olsteen to explain why his consulting is so successful. “Well, Joseph, one of the first things I do to help potential converts is take them to one of my church services to attempt overwhelming them with the diversity in my church. When they see the smoke, the lights, the lasers, and when they hear the pop-style music, most of these people begin to wonder if they are even in a church. In fact many of those who consult me actually ask me, ‘Is this really a church?’ That’s when I ask them, ‘I don’t know, is it?’ As they look at me with a puzzled expression, I explain to them that the number of tickets requested for services at my church is only second to tickets to U2 concerts. I tell them that my church is so popular because I help people be happy without getting caught up in all the doctrinal non-essentials. ‘It all doesn’t really matter,’ I tell them. And then it hits them that it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, or whatever, because we’re all in the family of God seeking a life of joy, as my book Your Best Life Now explains, which can be yours for only $9.99 from our website.”

Alec Guiness, another PCA convert to Catholicism, told INN News, “Osteen helps the dogmatic Presbyterian mind to relax his rigid expectations. He doesn’t want us to stop seeking uniformity in a church. He just wants us to see that we can be insistent about our preferences for church doctrine and practice, while at the same time relish in the fact that ecclesiastical differences really don’t matter. One day my loving parents said to me, ‘You know Alec, Catholics believe in a works salvation.’ I said to them, ‘Well even so, it doesn’t even matter. It’s all about setting your mind free and finding happiness and joy in God.’ I couldn’t have said that without Olsteen’s wisdom.”

Hamill and many other Catholic leaders couldn’t be more excited. “We’ve seen a 9% rise in Catholic membership,” stated Hamill. “Olsteen is absolutely amazing. He sets other converting Protestants on fire, and they become so excited that they go out and tell other confused Protestants about the help they received. Before it’s all said and done, Olsteen’s methodology has Protestants so confused that when they come to a Catholic church, they are able to breathe a sigh of relief and find true inner solace. We become a real safe haven for them.” –

This has been a news brief by the Imaginary News Network

[Terriergal]

Great piece. It wouldn’t surprise me bit - after all Joel does believe in god.

I don't get it...

[Terriergal]

They are confused about all of the contradicting diversity, and they need answers to help them sort through the chaos. That’s why we called on Joel Olsteen for help.”

LOL that is good satire.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

It’s a good thing that heaven “attendance” isn’t based on the opinion of humans, rather the Word of God.

Osteen does not take a stand for anything. In his secular interviews, he waffles more than a breakfast special at IHOP. He’s out to win popularity contests, not souls for Glory.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

Great satire always has the ring of truth to it. This is funny; and very much true.

[Terriergal]

So, who wins in a fight, Joel or Anakin??

That'd be a tough one... you know Joel can bench press 300 lbs. And he has nicer teeth.

[HarleyD]

Sounds Orthodox.

[Terriergal]

ha! more satire!

[MarkBsnr]

Nice work, Alex.

[dangus]

The comments here have been funny, but I don’t get the main article. I’m not trying to be a wet blanket; I’m just curious if I’ve missed something. Is leading people into the Catholic church just some anti-Catholic writer’s satirical on leading them into apostasy? And why a bunch of Catholic Star Wars characters? Did Olsteen make some comment about Catholicism, Jesuits and Lucas, or Campbell?

[Gamecock]

That Joel Osteen! What a whacky guy!

[Salvation]

I noticed that you typed the name of the Lord in small letters.

Appropriate for Olsteen. LOL!

[preta]

“I think that Joel is a great human being”, by whose standards are ‘you’ basing this might I ask, God/Jesus’ or man’s???
“The guy has a front row seat in Heaven in my opinion”, thank the Lord you stated in ‘your opinion’, because I’d bet in God/Jesus’ economy this is most definitely NOT true.
Sorry to say Joel IS NOT a true minister of the true Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, he’s a motivational speaker who waters down the gospel, and wants to soothe your ‘itching ears’ while he’s doing it.
We’re ‘called’ to preach the “whole consul of God”, not just what makes people feel good and comfortable. Joel and those like him need much prayer, and to get right with God/Jesus before it’s too late.