Posted on 08/28/2013 12:22:54 PM PDT by Sopater
First point: The headline is misleading. Nowhere does he “rebuke” these writers.
Second, much of the Bible, including much of what is attributed to “Peter”, “Paul” (a lot), and “John” (especially), is pseudonymous. It’s pseudepigraphic, written by someone else in the names of the apostles or the next generation of apostles (such as Paul) to give their writings greater credibility.
If I were to sit down tonight and write a novel and sign it “Charles Dickens”, would it be a long-undiscovered novel by Dickens (believe me, I can imitate his style pretty well) or is it pseudo-Dickens? Similarly with the works attributed to Peter, Paul, and John — not all, but many.
Further, a group of scholars who studied the Bible and the writings in the Gospel concluded that the least of what Jesus actually said and did is what is in “John”. John is not what you call the finest source material.
Now, as to Osteen’s message:
Have you never heard of “hate the sin, love the sinner”? Whatever the acts that a person chooses, that person is still a child of God who is here because God wants it that way. So when you condemn, you condemn part of God’s creation. Do you really feel like it’s your place to do that? What kind of a God creates all this just to condemn the bulk of it?
“Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
The Golden Rule (a version of which exists in every major religion) says “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Do you wish others to sit in condemnation of you? Do you think it would be their place to do so? Furthermore, holding that doesn’t help your state of being any. It simply allows that person to bother you even when that person is nowhere near. What’s the point of that?
Yes, of course, we strive to live a moral, ethical, godly life. And nobody makes the best choice all the time. That’s life. It certainly doesn’t put any of us in some holier-than-thou position to condemn others to eternal damnation, if there is indeed such a thing.
Isn’t the essence of God Divine Love? Divine Love transcends all conditions in this world. If God is universal and infinite, then God’s love must be universal and infinite. (Logic 101.) That means it extends to all, always.
The good news here is that in God’s love, we can always choose again. We can always decide to redirect and change our lives. And that is what any spiritual belief system calls us to do.
No, he means win them over. But you have to start where they are.
Not at all. He’s simply preaching ideas with which you disagree. There were many such disagreements among early Christians.
How can he “bring people into faith” when he doesn’t preach the gospel???
The dad was just an older, wrinklier, “less successful” crackpot.
Well, he bought the Compaq Center, former home of the Houston Rockets, when the Rockets got a new arena. Reportedly, he draws over 16,000 to a service. If there is one thing Joel Osteen clearly knows about, it's church growth.
If anything, he would be said to have implied it. The speaker implies, the listener infers.
No, it's a true promise. "It is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom", but you have to accept the gifts. Prosperity is God-ordained. It is we who get in the way. We need to get out of God's way.
I don't recall Jesus being rich, or any of the Apostles. Were they all getting in God's way?
I also remember Jesus saying, "pick up your cross and follow me."
Yes, i know that and said that.
Then i pointed out that with either word the sense of “indirect” is inherent in the meaning of the word. If it is direct it is not implied or inferred.
It’s not about money. That’s where people make mistakes.
Jesus chose to be an itinerant preacher. (Some of the apostles had been relatively wealthy.) Jesus knew that all his needs were met, that anything he desired was his. He tried to tell others that, too. For some reason, they didn’t seem to listen to that part of the message.
In that sense, Jesus was thriving, prosperous, and wealthy. And any of us can be, too. In fact, we’re supposed to be.
Rely on God and all is taken care of. Try to do it yourself and you struggle.
This grinning shyster Amway salesman needs to to be run off TV. The SOB has no type of regious education, never sat foot in a seminary or Bible college. Why would anyone listen to this ugly ass grinning, buck-tooth Mr. Ed looking creep?
He is also intensly arrogant to imply that he knows better than John, Paul and Peter who lived in our Lord’s day. He seems to believe that he can correct Jesus himself and His teachings.
He probably never heard of Sodom and Gomorrah.
I atteneded one service in the old location prior to their move to the Summit. Nothing like having to park 1/2 mile away and walk. When one got to the sanctuary, the parking lot of was full of high dollar luxery cars. THese belonged to the those employed by the church.
The service started out fine. 20 minutes of the Praise Band, a very good production. Then the offering, but before the offering I was thrilled to listen to his wife for 30 minutes extol the virtues of giving to church. (sarcasm). Then there was the 20 to 30 minute motivational speech (not a sermon), and bam - Service over. Interesting the offering call was just as long as the (sermon).
Don’t you like that perpetual smile?
Check the credentials of these scholars.
The evidence does not support any claim that “the gospels are authentic and historically accurate.” We have documentary evidence of substantial alteration, and that’s without even having any of the originals. We know that scribes and others deleted and inserted at will. Textual analysis is very clear on this.
To claim that “the gospels are authentic and historically accurate” is a statement of blind faith unsupported by the evidence at hand.
That he calls himself pastor is pathetic. Someone should ask this grinning hyena where he got his credentials to preach from. He’s as much of a preacher as Al Sharpton. The big tooth, grinning, butt ugly creep with his trophy blonde headed wife beside him. Makes me want to throw up every time I see the shyster trying to swindle money off someone.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' (Mat 7:21-23)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1Co 6:9-11)
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