His sister and I went through 1st through 12th grade together, and the Osteens lived next door to friends of my parents. They were a very religious family. To call him a fraud because he doesn’t beat you over the head with guilt is rather unreasonable in my opinion.
The problem is that one day, according to Scripture, all men will stand before God to be judged. Joel Osteen chooses not to bring people to Salvation but to good feelings and self-indulgence. Some of us believe that is irresponsible.
The success of an illegitimate coiner depends largely upon how closely the counterfeit resembles the genuine article. Heresy is not so much the total denial of the truth—as a perversion of it. That is why half a lie is is always more dangerous than a complete repudiation. Hence when the Father of Lies enters the pulpit—it is not his custom to flatly deny the fundamental truths of Christianity, rather does he tacitly acknowledge them, and then proceed to give an erroneous interpretation and a false application.
For example: he would not be so foolish as to boldly announce his disbelief in a personal God; he takes His existence for granted and then gives a false description of His character.
~ A.W. Pink
I have known many families that are “very religious” but have no idea who God is. The real question is...Is he preaching the Gospel found in the Bible or another gospel?