Joel Osteen’s evil gospel - By Elizabeth Prata

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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This is our second article in a row regarding Osteen. It's not like Joel Osteen is not problematic. There are legitimate gripes about what he teaches. But Ms. Prata never quotes him, she merely quotes some other source that quotes him. She throws around accusations like mashed potatoes in a food fight. This reads like a hit piece, not an instruction in the ways of holiness, not an edifying explanation, not something that builds faith or increases understanding of salvation, God's character, or how to lead a life more pleasing to God. 

And that's too often the problem with the Doctrinal Police. They're more concerned with attacks and blasting supposed false teachers than they are interested in Kingdom matters. Sad.

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The Bible tells us that there will be false teachers, wolves and heretics. They have malintent, in other words, they want to do you and your church harm. They aren’t simply misguided or temporarily misunderstanding kind people, they are predators out to get you. (Indeed. False teachers are deliberately and actively evil. We now await Ms. Prata's explanation of how Osteen fits this.)

They “will secretly introduce destructive heresies,” 2 Peter 2:1
They “distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”. (Acts 20:30b)
They are “rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception” (Titus 1:10b)
They “are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good”. (Titus 1:16b)

(Let's actually quote the fuller, relevant parts of the passages:

2Pe. 2:1-2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute...

2Pe. 2:9-22 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.

12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 

14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed — an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey — a beast without speech — who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity — for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” [Prov. 26:11] and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

Ac. 20:28-31 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard!

Tit. 1:10-16 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach — and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”

13 This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

So, notice that false teachers openly and brazenly sin. They dive deeply into depravity. It takes little or no discernment to identify a false teacher, because of the over-the-top display of licentiousness. We all have seen people who are like this. They bring reproach on the name of Christ by their astonishingly sinful life. 

Ms. Prata now needs to be very careful in answering this question: Is this the kind of man Joel Osteen is? She thinks so, as you will read below. But any honest observer would answer no. We agree he doesn't teach the whole counsel of God. Yes, he teaches things that aren't quite right. His misses it sometimes. He is mistaken. His emphasis is distorted. 

But is he a openly brazen sinner wallowing in depravity? Absolutely not. 

We need a different category for people like Osteen, something that more accurately describes their situation. "False teacher" must be reserved for people who who actually fit the biblical description. Joel Osteen is not a false teacher in the biblical sense.)

They have an agenda of purposeful deception, (Acts 20:30) and their motive for this deception is dishonest gain. (1 Timothy 6:5). (We already quoted the Acts verse above. Here is the other reference,  1Ti. 6:3-5: 

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

Paul is referring to someone in the local congregation, not a teacher in a church 1000 miles away.)

Some of your fellow pew sitters will not help if you bring this up, or will even oppose you, because some are prophesied to “gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear“. ( 2 Timothy 4:3). They like the Osteens of the world and will protect him and his ilk.

With that in mind, remember that false teachers (wolves) will not come all drooling and bloody fanged. The Bible says they will come as a masked angel of light.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). (This is why we have previously deemed Ms. Prata as incompetent to teach the Bible. She misrepresents Scripture, she yanks verses out of context, and she makes undocumented statements. The application of the above verses is a perfect example.

Let's quote a bit more of the passage to obtain the context. Just previous to the quote is this:

2Co. 11:10-12 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.

Paul is in the middle of a long defense of his own apostleship, which began in chapter 10 and lasts all the way to the end of his letter. It is clear that Paul is specifically referring to other people, his contemporaries, who are going around claiming to be apostles. They are attempting to be considered equals with or even superior to Paul, and the Corinthian church is falling for them. 

This has nothing to do with false teachers or what doctrines are being taught.)

Variance from God’s moral law is evil. Theological perversion is evil.

In these days of tolerance and all-inclusiveness, people are reluctant to call evil what it is. The Bible, however, is clear that anything not of God is of satan. (Undocumented claim.) 

And satan is evil.

A different Gospel is evil.
Workers of iniquity are evil.
Immorality is evil.
Deluding people is evil.
Works salvation is evil.

A prime example is Joel Osteen. (Hmmm. Osteen is evil. A grave allegation.)

That ground laid, here is an article which appeared in the Christian Post-

Joel Osteen Says He’s Not Cheating People by Not Preaching About Hell Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen says he isn’t cheating anyone by not talking about Hell and repentance, insisting that people feel guilty enough already, and he wants to lift up believers instead of bringing them down. When asked in an Easter Sunday interview by CBS News’ “Sunday Morning” program “Do you feel like you’re cheating people by not telling them about the Hell part? Or repentance part?” Osteen answered: “No, I really don’t, because it’s a different approach.

He continued: “You know, it’s not hellfire and brimstone. But I say most people are beaten down enough by life. They already feel guilty enough. They’re not doing what they should, raising their kids — we can all find reasons. So I want them to come to Lakewood or our meetings and be lifted up, to say, ‘You know what? I may not be perfect, but I’m moving forward. I’m doing better.’ And I think that motivates you to do better.”

 
Osteen has on numerous occasions denied that he peaches a “watered-down” version of the Gospel, stating in a February 2012 message that for many years religion has pushed down people, and people have been told that they can’t measure up to God.

“My goal is to make God good …”Christian Post (This is a bad thing? Is God not good?)

Remember that Nadab and Abihu tried ‘a different approach’ and God incinerated them on the spot. (Leviticus 10:1-3). (This is a puerile comparison. "Another approach" by Osteen is equated with the strange fire of Nabab and Abihu as if anyone who has "another approach" is worthy of death.)

Osteen’s goal is to deny the Gospel, omit the Bible parts he personally finds unpalatable, and in his human sinfulness, to REMAKE God in another image. (Ms. Prata will not document these assertions.)

This is evil idolatry and blasphemy.

Osteen dares to deny God’s goodness and to put his dirty hand on God’s ark to try and straighten it. God slew Uzzah just for touching his holy ark. (Ms. Prata doubles down by misapplying yet another OT judgment of God.)

God is patient with this evil Osteen (Wait, God was clearly not patient with Uzzah. What in the world is Ms. Prata talking about?)

putting his hand on God’s holy name in attempts to “make God good.” Osteen fails to preach “the whole counsel of God“. (Ms. Prata again misrepresents Scripture. Paul is offering his farewell remarks to the elders of the Ephesian church (Ac. 20:17). He is describing his ministry, his objective, and what he expects to endure. He gives them some last minute advice. He assures them he has taught them everything God revealed to him.

Paul is not providing a standard of performance for pastors. He is not telling the Ephesian elders about what he expects of them. He is not delineating requirements or qualifications or the methods of judging the quality of pastors.

If Paul is setting performance standard for pastors, as Ms. Prata seems to believe, then the other standards Paul supplies must be listed.

Ac. 20:21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Ac. 20:23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

Ac. 20:33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.

These must also be standards of judgment regarding pastors, right?)

But are Osteen’s followers hapless victims of an unscrupulous wolf? Yes. And no.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, (2 Timothy 4:3). (Ms. Prata already leveled this accusation, but once is not enough, apparently.)

Dishonorable people who already know they are guilty, want to be indulged in their sin, and heap up teachers like Osteen to fulfill their dishonorable needs. These people willingly listen so that their unrepented-of sins can be coddled. And unscrupulous Osteen is only to happy to modify the Gospel in order to retain those dishonorable people to get money. It is a match made in hell.

People see the Osteen smile, the mild manner, the kind approach, and are confused by their knowledge of how evil evil is, and the softness of an Osteen speech. But Osteen is like the puffer fish. It’s so innocuous! So small! Yet, “To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.” (Source National Geographic)

Theological poison is infinitely worse that the poison of the puffer fish, because it leads to perdition. And that torment is eternal. That poisonous agony doesn’t end when you die, it begins. Fortunately, the antidote for having ingested theological poison is repentance, which God will forgive immediately. (Ms. Prata keeps piling on.)

Here is Justin Peters explaining Osteen’s theology and how it does not plumb with scripture. https://youtu.be/_mlhRd3AzR0 The summary of the 3-minute video is,

Joel Osteen is a phenomenal false teacher and deceiver. He has attached the “Christianity” brand to his self affirmation, feel good pagan religion, and those who lust after his trinkets follow him by the millions down that broad road to destruction. Evidently it must be broad in order to accommodate their vast numbers.

Here is John MacArthur rebuking Joel Osteen’s theology. The summary of the 6-minute video states:

Pastor John MacArthur exposes Joel Osteen as a pagan religionist, a quasi-pantheist, and an agent of Satan. He critiques Joel’s book, quotes, and prayer and compares them with what the Bible teaches. This is an excerpt from John MacArthur’s sermon, “A True Knowledge of the True God.” Used by permission. You can read the transcript, watch, or download the full video here: http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-397 

https://youtu.be/jDuDN2FtrIo

Takeaways:

• False teachers exist (I need to keep saying this because some people disbelieve that, or purposely avoid the issue),
• False teachers aren’t just mistaken, they are deliberately hurtful,
• False teachers are evil but won’t look evil or behave in ways we normally think of as evil,
• People who follow false teachers need to be told to repent else they “will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:4)
• Joel Osteen is evil. Avoid him or anyone who tries a different approach, who has a man-centered gospel, or fails to preach the whole counsel of God.

We know that adding to the Bible by claiming to receive direct revelations of God goes against the Bible, but so does taking away from God’s word,

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)