I worry about you on these threads, but that's a serious charge to level and something I thought I should see for myself. I did a quick search which came back with a video by this title: Joel Osteen: ‘The Scripture Says That Being Gay Is A Sin
And also came back with this on FR:
Pastors, LGBT Groups React to Joel Osteen's Remarks on Sin
To which, you replied:
Osteen calls homosexuality a sin?I have a pretty good idea the kind of trouble I'm in, so I worry about what you and a few others here are doing to your selves.Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
21 posted on 1/30/2011, 1:59:24 PM by Gamecock (The resurrection of Jesus Christ is both historically credible and existentially satisfying. T.K.)
Why? Because my sense is that the Holy Spirit uses those who let Him, especially willing souls with a large audience of hurting, life damaged souls in need of, not a lecture about their sins, but rather to hear the Way out of the pain and into His Healing, Love and Peace.
On these threads, you have had testimony after testimony of people who told you how his sermons helped them through a difficult time, yet you ignore them or argue with them. Curious.
My take is that Osteen or anyone else could not give someone words that do what others tell you has happened for them. That's the stuff of the Holy Spirit and their stories confirm this for me.
From that point of view, you'd be wiser to not go around hammering on a messenger who is willingly being used by the Holy Spirit and who is giving all credit to Him.
You don't know who needed to hear the message, who would be open to that particular messenger as with no other due to the gifts God has given him, but instead is influenced by you to turn away.
You don't seem to be able to see Who actually was at work carefully fanning that dying ember back to Life, to burn anew with the Holy Fire our Creator originally placed in each of us, but for so many is being tamped down or stamped out. You seem to be too busy with your mission to catch that detail.
I don't worry about Osteen and am not defending him. He doesn't need defending. I worry about you and a few others here.
But, I bet you don't believe a word I've told you and are going to look for quotes to show me how wrong I am.
Osteen does not preach what people need to get saved.
Jesus death on the cross is about more than just giving us a comfortable, happy life that lets us open our own doors to be all that we want to be.
There is no good news without people being aware that they are sinners who are heading for hell, and he doesn’t address sin, hell, judgment, the need for forgiveness, reconciliation, new birth, or any of the other things the apostles preached to the world.
Encouragement is fine and has its place, but it is NOT the gospel and encouraging people to *accept Jesus* for what they can get out of Him, is not going to get people saved.
Joel Osteen Doesn’t Want Anti-Gay Stance To Define His Ministry. He says "but I don’t really focus on a lot of those things, I try to stay in my lane of what I feel called to do. [Gay marriage] does come up in interviews and things, but that’s not my core message.”
His core message? Does he really think he is not called to preach against homosexuality?
Acts 20, 26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,d which he obtained with his own blood.e 29I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.Thankfully Paul preached the while counsel of God. According to Scriptur if someone, like Osteen doesn't, he has blood on his hands.
Elsewhere Osteen has said that gays can go to Heaven, which the certainly may. But Osteen once again left out repentance and the tapping into the grace offered by the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus.
And what did he say in another interview?
"I believe that scripture says that it's a sin but I always follow that up by saying you know what, we're not against anybody," Osteen said to Larry King. "There's a lot of things Larry that I don't understand - so I just don't want to preach on it, preach about it."
What is there to understand. Scripture teaches homosexuality is a sin. He is again dodging the question.
Dodging it just like he did here. This time it was so egregious that it drew the attention of Al Mohler, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, who opined
“established the perfect platform for Osteen to respond with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Osteen “did not.”“Viewers of CNN saw a display of confusion, evasion, and equivocation coming from one presented as a Christian pastor,” charged Mohler. “What they were really seeing is the total theological bankruptcy of the word of faith movement and the gospel of positive thinking.
“Osteen cannot, or at least will not, speak even the simplest word of biblical conviction. He states his intention to stay in his ‘lane’ of glib affirmation.”
And actions speak louder than words. Don't forget he prayed at the ingratiation ceremony Houston's gay mayor Annise Parker. I'm sure he prayed a Christ centered prayer there. Oh. Wait! He didn't.
So who is Houston mayor Annise Parker? You may have seen that she recently went after 5 Houston pastors who, like Paul, preach the whole counsel of God. Did she go after her buddy Osteen? No. Did he, as one of the most "influential pastors in America" come to there defense? No.
He is, like others have said a snake oil salesman and not a very good one at that.