Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Joel Osteen...Ive decided that...

Ive noticed that mentioning of his name solicits various responses. About a year ago i started getting a lot of questions on my radio show (am 1360 saturdays at 11am shameless plug) like: who is this guy? is he legit? my mom is reading his book...is that ok?" etc and so i decided that i should look into him before just answering off the cuff. I thought i would but i personally couldnt find anything heretical in his teaching. lakewood's (his church) statement of faith was similar to that of any evangelical church...they hold to essential christian doctrine. and so, why do so many CHRISTIANS seem to treat him with contempt or suspicion? Christians dont like Joel for 2, maybe 3 reasons. 1. He's not exegetical. but, neither is Billy Graham (he's the greatest evangelist of our time...see my most recent blog). Has exegetical preaching become a prereq for liking someone? Dont get me wrong here. i believe that every message should be exegetically researched, but not convinced its the only way for delivery. The 2nd reason Christians dont like Joel is bc he smiles too much. I'm serious. i actually had christians tell me this. Hmmm. I think that's pretty weak. So, Joel, I have decided that..i like the dude. In my research he's, while not a theological giant of the likes of N.T. Wright, Schaeffer, etc. he's not, as far as i can tell heretical. He presents a positive presentation of Christianity...thank God someone is. Do you have any idea of how tired i am of meeting bitter Rob Bell wanna-bes and know it alls (I like Rob too btw.) at emergent conferences? :O Maybe that's it. i actually respect someone who's just being himself and not trying to be someone else. And...i actually kinda like it when someone makes eye contact with me and smiles at me. The way i see it, he's not the enemy. The Philistines are. I do wish his gospel presentation was a little more in-depth and yet, at least he gives one. I'm not there week in and week out and so i'll have to hold further judgment until i can visit their new believers class or something. So, i know now that maybe some of you dont like me bc i like him. Let me conclude by saying, based on my studies...He's just a different tribe yes (the largest) but as believers we're still all Israel. thk God for variety. Personally, i'd be bored out of my skull if there were only one flavor of worship/message delivery. Joel Osteen...I like the dude.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Who Is Billy Graham? + a deeper question

Take the Cola ... i mean take the Billy Graham challenge. Here it is, randomly ask people under 25 if they know who billy graham is. Ask people at your church, at baja fresh, at delux...wherever. Ask them if they know who Billy Graham, you know, the greatest evangelist of the 20th century is. BTW, i was actually born again through reading a billy graham book. i think you'll be surprised at the results. recently, while speaking at a seeker church i quoted him and my most FAQ afterwards was, "who is this guy billy graham?" i'm being totally serious. (If you really want to freak em out ask "Who is Luis Palau?" Now, for the real question: WHERE is the next Billy Graham? Who has the ear of the (let me emphasize here) Lost in the USA? Note, i'm NOT talking about pastors like Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, or...dare i say it...yes I will...even Rob Bell. And no I'm not talking about Class 100 or a new believers class. All the above are cool and thank God for them. No, i'm talking about American Evangelists. People who take the gospel TO the Lost. You know, people who share the gospel outside the church walls and campuses and are respected...Where are they?