is joel osteen a false preacher?
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Anonymous
Sorry. I interpret it differently than you. |
Anonymous
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When Jesus called this young rich man to give up his money, the man started to grieve, because money was the center of his identity. It wasn’t that the man was rich; it was that his money was the most important thing in his life; not God.
The Bible doesn’t say that someone who is rich can never go to heaven. In fact, some of the Bible’s most faithful men and women were also wealthy (or at least prosperous)—people like Abraham and Job in the Old Testament, or Joanna and Lydia in the New Testament. But the Bible does warn us about the dangers of wealth—and one of the greatest dangers is that it can keep us from God. Instead of putting God first in our lives, we put our money and wealth first, and end up ignoring God. We also can become proud, and we trust our money for our security. This is why the Bible warns us that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Not having money or being prosperous- but loving money above all things, that’s the problem. The Talmud, a collection of ancient rabbinical writings, records the second-century Rabbi Bar Yochai saying, “Better had a man throw himself into a fiery furnace than publicly put his neighbor to shame.” This is similar rhetorically to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:29: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” Should we actually pluck our eyes out or jump into furnaces? No. Jesus is simply showing us that sin is serious, and we should do whatever it takes to avoid it. We don’t have to pluck out our eyes, but we should not forget that our eyes could lead us into sins like lust and adultery (see Matthew 5:27). Likewise, we don’t have to literally sell all that we own, but our wealth can lead us into sins like greed and exploitation. St. Paul even warned Timothy “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). God doesn’t want is to be poor and hungry and wandering the streets in His name. He wants us to take care of ourselves and those we can help with our blessings. |
Anonymous
Christians should not love of money over God. There is nothing inherently wrong with being financially secure, as long as you don't put it before your relationship with God. Use your wealth to serve God and spread the gospel. |
Anonymous
I used to listen to him until he refused to allow people in after the devastating hurricane in Houston. |
Anonymous
| Yes. He has a globe on the stage and no cross. That’s the first clue. The second is his house. Google it. He’s a scam artist. |
Anonymous
| The Bible addresses those who get their award on earth. They don’t also get rewarded in heaven. He has hoarded up treasure on earth not in heaven. He will be a goat separated from the sheep. God will say: away with you. You preached in my name but I never knew you. |
Anonymous
Christians can be financially stable and prosperous and go to heaven. They just need to keep their relationship with God as the most important thing in their life and not place money as the center of their life. Money isn’t “awarded” to anyone on earth by God as a prize. |
Anonymous
Quoting Scripture is different than presuming to know what God will say to someone. Even the most educated and learned theologians know they don’t know what God will say and do. Matthew 19:26 New International Version Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” New Living Translation Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” English Standard Version But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Berean Standard Bible Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Berean Literal Bible And Jesus having looked on them, said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." King James Bible But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. |
Anonymous
In an interview on TODAY Wednesday, Houston pastor Joel Osteen disputed that his megachurch turned away evacuees from Hurricane Harvey and countered a wave of criticism by saying city officials initially didn't ask him to use it as a shelter. "(The city) didn’t need us as shelter then,'' Osteen said. "If we needed to be a shelter, we certainly would’ve been a shelter right when they first asked. "Once they filled up, they never dreamed that we'd have this many displaced people, (and) they asked us to become a shelter. I think this notion that somehow we would turn people away or we weren't here for the city is about as false as can be." Osteen received heavy criticism on social media starting on Saturday, with people writing that he had not offered the church as a sanctuary for those affected by the cataclysmic storm, which could dump up to 50 inches of rain in some areas. "Our church doors have always been open,'' Osteen said. "We took people in right when waters started to recede, which was a day or two after the storm hit." The church had also flooded before and there were safety issues, so they were initially being precautious by not immediately opening the doors to refugees from the storm over the weekend, Osteen said. "The fact is that I don't know that we would've opened any sooner because again there were safety issues,'' Osteen revealed. "I think some somehow social media can be very powerful and they can create this false narrative. "It's easy to say, 'There's that big building, and they're not using it,' but we don't have volunteers and we don't have staff that could get here.' If they would've asked us to be a shelter early on, we would've prepared for it all." "Think of the story if we had housed a whole bunch of evacuees and the building flooded, that wouldn't have been a good story." On Tuesday, Osteen tweeted that his megachurch, which can hold more than 16,000 people, is providing shelter for hurricane victims. Hundreds of volunteers soon arrived to help collect donations from local residents. "In 2001, Lakewood housed 3,000 people during tropical storm Allison, so we're all about helping people,'' Osteen said. "We'll be here five years from now helping these people, so we feel good about who we are and what we're doing." https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna11568 Osteen and his church did let people in. They could not during the initial storm. After flood receded and it was safe for volunteers to travel, they did. Even first responders won’t go out during a hurricane, yet Osteen and his volunteers were supposed to? The claim: Joel Osteen closed his Lakewood Church to those suffering from cold weather and power outages in Texas Famed Pastor Joel Osteen is facing criticism on social media for purportedly closing the doors of his Lakewood Church in Houston and not offering shelter to those who are dealing with freezing temperatures and rolling blackouts. In a Feb. 16 Facebook post, a user wrote, "In Houston, megapastor Joel Osteen not opening his 18,000 seat arena to the freezing homeless." In a similar version of the claim, which has over 400 shares, a user alleged that Osteen received $4.4 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans but did not open his church in Texas to "shelter people freezing to death at his door." Accompanying the post is an image of Osteen's Lakewood Church, which seats thousands of worshippers. Some users pointed to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, when Osteen was similarly accused of refusing to immediately accept evacuees at his church. "While Texans need heat, food, and shelter, Joel Osteen's church remains closed...just like it did during and after Hurricane Harvey," reads a text post. Lakewood Church is open Osteen did not close the doors of his Lakewood Church; it has remained open to assist those without power and shelter, according to local media reports. Lakewood Church has had as many as 300 people coming in and out of the building, including those who are homeless and families who are looking to escape the cold, according to the Houston Chronicle. Church staff are screening attendees for COVID-19 symptoms, as well as requiring masks and maintaining proper social distancing. Lakewood Church is providing beds, blankets and other needed supplies, and church officials said no one will be turned away, Click2Houston reported. "If you need a warm place to stay, Lakewood is open. Hundreds arrived last night & more today due to power outages. Staff & volunteers are on site ready to help," Osteen tweeted on Feb. 16. "We have beds, blankets, a hot meal and supplies for those in need. Stay safe, continue to pray for Texas." Hurricane Harvey This is not the first time social media users have criticized the pastor for allegedly keeping his church shut. In 2017, Osteen came under fire when the church posted a notice saying the building was closed due to "severe flooding" following Hurricane Harvey, USA TODAY reported. Osteen refuted the claims that he turned away flooding victims and said that "the church has always been open" and that "we received shelter victims in the first day or two." He added that the church initially flooded and could not immediately open its doors. Fact check: No, Joel Osteen’s megachurch isn’t charging for online prayer requests Our rating: False The claim that megachurch pastor Joel Osteen is not allowing Texans without heat and power to shelter in his Lakewood Church in Houston is FALSE, based on our research. Tweets from Osteen, the church and the city of Houston all confirm that the church is open to those needing shelter. Numerous local outlets have also reported on Lakewood opening its doors to residents in Texas. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/02/19/fact-check-joel-osteens-lakewood-church-open-texas-winter-storm/4503362001/ |
Anonymous
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JOEL OSTEEN AND LAKEWOOD CHURCH HONORED BY CITY OF HOUSTON FOR POST-HARVEY HELP
https://abc13.com/amp/joel-osteen-hurricane-harvey-lakewood-church-honored/3957138/ OUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Pastor Joel Osteen, who initially took criticism for not opening the doors of his famed megachurch to those displaced in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, was recognized Tuesday by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and city council members for his role in storm relief. Osteen, his family, and his Lakewood Church staff were honored at city hall. According to the city, Lakewood helped thousands affected by Harvey's flooding get back on their feet, including assisting in rehabbing flood-damaged homes. Turner presented a proclamation to Osteen in recognition of the church's efforts in the aftermath of the storm. Any council member can request a proclamation, which in this case was initiated by Councilman Jack Christie. https://abc13.com/amp/joel-osteen-hurricane-harvey-lakewood-church-honored/3957138/ I don’t like Osteen, but his church does help people. |
Anonymous
| Go watch the Righteous Gemstones on HBO. |
Anonymous
That’s the problem. People believe made up stories on HBO are reality. |
Anonymous
| Then maybe watch the HBO documentary about the Falwells? Basically the same story. And Joel Osteen identity is pretty much that he is wealthy, has a plane, a hot wife, a big house and he did precious little to earn those things. Instead mr. Charlatan tells us that he was “favored” and that if you send him money you can be too. |
Anonymous
“Precious little?” The man has unique and amazing public speaking talents, and has worked like a dog for decades. Do you think he memorizes his talks on one pass? And “charlatan?” He’s not everybody’s cup of tea. He is not mainstream evangelical. But he is not absolutely outside the pale of Christianity either. He does not pretend that his ministry is all people needs. He tells them to find, attend and support a local church. And his personal money comes from books and speeches. It is one thing when people are caught up in a big emotional experience and write a big check or empty their wallet (back when people carried cash) into the collection. But a book purchase is bay a distance. People have time to think, check reviews, even skim pages if they go to a bookstore. |
Anonymous
And this is dynamite. |