Joel Osteen’s evil gospel

By Elizabeth Prata

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.

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)

They have an agenda of purposeful deception, (Acts 20:30) and their motive for this deception is dishonest gain. (1 Timothy 6:5).

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).

 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. 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.

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

Remember that Nadab and Abihu tried ‘a different approach’ and God incinerated them on the spot. (Leviticus 10:1-3). 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. 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. God is patient with this evil Osteen putting his hand on God’s holy name in attempts to “make God good.” Osteen fails to preach “the whole counsel of God“.

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).

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.

Here is Justin Peters explaining Osteen’s theology and how it does not plumb with scripture. 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

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)