Chrystalwuzhere
02-25-2006, 07:59 AM
The first 5 posts in this thread were copied over from the old board by Chrystalwuzhere.
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:58 am by Chrystalwuzhere.
Here is an article in support of Joel Osteen. When I read the article, there were a few things about it that bothered me, and I found a bit disturbing. Ministers like Osteen are distracting their flock with self-help sermons, and not preparing his them for the world, and era in which we live. Sin isn't mentioned, and without sin... no preaching of a Savior. What Joel preaches is truly a feel-good gospel. And he's got the fastest growing program in the country. People don't want to hear about God's mandates to live a Godly life, or how to grow in the faith... they want their ears tickled. As such, Osteen is lulling the flock to sleep... he's not stepping on their toes... not offending.
Popular preacher is connecting with TV and book fans.
Friday, July 08, 2005 By JOHN A. ZUKOWSKI
The Express-Times
Georgina Bouvier of West Chester, Pa., says something's stirred in her at the age of 36 she hasn't felt before.
"For the first time in my life I'm really beginning to understand the love God has for me," she says.
What helped trigger it is Joel Osteen, she says.
But Osteen isn't her local pastor.
He's the pastor at the country's largest church -- the massive 30,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston. Membership has boomed so much the church's new home is the 18,000-seat Compaq Center arena -- the former home of the Houston Rockets basketball team.
Osteen has been tagged everything from the "Smiling Preacher" to the "Prosperity Gospel Minister" to Christianity's hottest rising star.
Osteen's chummy half-hour sermons are the most-watched religious shows on TV and are shown locally on several TV stations, including Sunday mornings on WGTW and WTFX. His book, "Your Best Life Now," has topped both national and local best seller lists, including the one at Hackman's Bible Book Store in Whitehall Township.
At a book signing at Sam's Club in Philadelphia -- before the second of two shows at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center -- Bouvier was one of hundreds in line cradling a copy of Osteen's book, waiting for an autograph.
One of the reasons she's there is because of something Osteen isn't: a "fire and brimstone" preacher.
"Most preachers you hear make you feel bad about yourself and they talk about the worst part of yourself," Bouvier says. "Joel Osteen talks about the best part of yourself."
Statements like that signal Osteen is a huge force in Christianity who is reaching out to people far beyond the standard Christian market.
So, The Express-Times went to interview the man who is America's biggest religious phenomenon.
While it will be difficult for anyone to fill the broad evangelistic appeal of the ailing Rev. Billy Graham, Osteen seems the most likely to do that.
Part of it is Osteen's feel-good TV sermons peppered with jokes, personal anecdotes and large doses of encouragement.
The other is his book. Osteen has been able to do what many others haven't been able to do: write a non-preachy Christian self-help book.
Local Christian bookstore owners say Osteen's book -- along with Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" -- has tapped into a market of Christians that may be the silent majority: people who are more concerned with everyday moral decisions than controversial, hot-button religious topics.
"There's definitely a hunger for making more out of your life and people are looking for something to make their life better and more fulfilling and Osteen's book provides some direction for that," says Bill Tilley, owner of the Washington Christian Bookstore.
Hackman's book manager, Nancy Marcks, agrees Osteen's book does that.
"So many people are so negative they want things to happen on the outside but they don't look inside," she says. "But if we have a heart and a dream, and it's what God wants us to do, we've got to live it."
What's also making Osteen a phenomenon is that he's been able to reach people who usually shudder at the idea of watching a televangelist.
Robert Johnson of Medford, N.Y., who also was at the book signing, said he's a regular watcher. But his non-religious grandfather started tuning into Osteen, too.
"Honestly, it was because of the money," he says. "He started watching him because Joel Osteen doesn't ask for money like other preachers do."
While Osteen is drawing more admirers, it hasn't come without some skepticism.
CNN's Larry King -- who is usually cozy with celebrities -- recently grilled Osteen on "Larry King Live" -- particularly about if people who didn't believe in Jesus would go to heaven.
"I'm just going to let God be the judge of that. I don't know," Osteen replied.
A few days earlier, the Rev. Billy Graham gave King an almost identical reply when asked the same question.
"That's in God's hands. I can't be the judge," Graham said.
But while no one seemed concerned with Graham's remark, critics pounced on Osteen so hard he had to clarify his remarks on his Web site.
Then Osteen has problems from the extreme religious right.
There are Web sites jammed with criticism of Osteen for -- horror of horrors -- making people feel good about themselves, and especially because Osteen says he prefers not to use the word "sinner" in his sermons.
Yet the groundswell of people turning to Osteen shows he's reaching the massive audience between non-religious cynics and far-right extremists.
In an era filled with divisions of red states and blue states, liberals and conservatives, and seekers and believers, Osteen openly shuns talking about hot-button religious topics such as abortion and homosexuality.
In what political analysts say is perhaps the most political and religiously polarized era, is Osteen Christianity's hope for a unifier?
I had the opportunity of a short face-to-face interview to ask him.
Osteen comes into the Sam's Club through a fire escape door with an entourage of handlers. He sits down at a table to sign a few piles of books. That's before he gives some interviews and signs books in person for hundreds who wait.
He's lean but not as toweringly tall as he seems on TV. Sitting posture-perfect with a crisp, white shirt and burgundy tie, he smiles as he signs books without a trace of weariness or boredom.
Boyish at the age of 42, he has the aura of a classic Hollywood film star. If any actor would play Osteen it would be the young Jimmy Stewart.
After he does a radio interview, I'm ushered into a small room for a five-minute interview.
Away from the handlers and out of the TV lights, he seems like a small-town pastor. He leans forward. He's soft-spoken and his manners are the kind of politeness that seems to come from genuine cheerfulness rather than celebrity charm.
He has an uncommon focus and possesses something few preachers have -- the late Rev. Fred Davis of Greater Shiloh Church in Easton had it, too -- which is that no matter how busy they are it seems like they have all the time for you.
I tell Osteen the one comment I hear from people is that they like him because he talks about how to deal with everyday problems. He seems happy about that.
"When you go to church you want to hear what's practical," he says. "I'm all for people being able to use things in their lives. Jesus was very interested in how people lived their lives."
He says he's also aware he appeals to many non-churchgoers.
"We get so many letters and e-mails that start with 'I don't go to church but I watch your program,' " he says.
The famous smile comes when I suggest he'd like to be a unifier in a politically and theologically charged era.
"I'd be honored to be called a unifier," he says, before saying he's aware there's much division.
I also wonder where he gets the ideas for his sermons.
"We have a prayer time at the church and I try to listen to what people's needs are," he says, sounding more like a small-town minister in the Lehigh Valley than a star pastor.
He hopes his book and sermons lead people to a purpose in life.
"When you get that sense of purpose, God helps put in your heart some direction," he says.
The Live 8 concerts are the next day, so we chat about helping the poor. He tells me about some of the programs at his church to help the needy.
But soon a handler swoops in. The interview is over. Osteen must also talk to a Philadelphia newspaper, before going to sign more books.
"I'm sorry we don't have more time," he says.
That comment suits his perfect Southern manners. But it seems like something more. It seems as if he wants to connect.
Before I walk out, he asks about The Express-Times and about me being a religion writer. It doesn't seem like small talk. Osteen really seems interested.
"If you're ever in Houston come see us," he says as I leave.
A few minutes later he goes out and does what I've never seen anyone else do at a book signing.
Osteen walks to the back of the line that winds around to a desk where he will sign books. The crowd breaks out in applause and flashbulbs pop as he shakes hands and walks down the line to the desk.
When I get back to the Lehigh Valley, I tell a few people who ask that yes, the Smiling Preacher actually seems sincere and actually, well, even humble.
But as he grows in popularity I'm sure more questions and criticism will come his way. He will likely draw more heat in a politically polarized era that demands sides be taken.
But I can't help thinking about his smile at the idea he could be a unifier.
To read the article, click here (http://www.nj.com/living/expresstimes/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1120813587120600.xml&coll=2).
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:58 am by Chrystalwuzhere.
Here is an article in support of Joel Osteen. When I read the article, there were a few things about it that bothered me, and I found a bit disturbing. Ministers like Osteen are distracting their flock with self-help sermons, and not preparing his them for the world, and era in which we live. Sin isn't mentioned, and without sin... no preaching of a Savior. What Joel preaches is truly a feel-good gospel. And he's got the fastest growing program in the country. People don't want to hear about God's mandates to live a Godly life, or how to grow in the faith... they want their ears tickled. As such, Osteen is lulling the flock to sleep... he's not stepping on their toes... not offending.
Popular preacher is connecting with TV and book fans.
Friday, July 08, 2005 By JOHN A. ZUKOWSKI
The Express-Times
Georgina Bouvier of West Chester, Pa., says something's stirred in her at the age of 36 she hasn't felt before.
"For the first time in my life I'm really beginning to understand the love God has for me," she says.
What helped trigger it is Joel Osteen, she says.
But Osteen isn't her local pastor.
He's the pastor at the country's largest church -- the massive 30,000-member Lakewood Church in Houston. Membership has boomed so much the church's new home is the 18,000-seat Compaq Center arena -- the former home of the Houston Rockets basketball team.
Osteen has been tagged everything from the "Smiling Preacher" to the "Prosperity Gospel Minister" to Christianity's hottest rising star.
Osteen's chummy half-hour sermons are the most-watched religious shows on TV and are shown locally on several TV stations, including Sunday mornings on WGTW and WTFX. His book, "Your Best Life Now," has topped both national and local best seller lists, including the one at Hackman's Bible Book Store in Whitehall Township.
At a book signing at Sam's Club in Philadelphia -- before the second of two shows at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center -- Bouvier was one of hundreds in line cradling a copy of Osteen's book, waiting for an autograph.
One of the reasons she's there is because of something Osteen isn't: a "fire and brimstone" preacher.
"Most preachers you hear make you feel bad about yourself and they talk about the worst part of yourself," Bouvier says. "Joel Osteen talks about the best part of yourself."
Statements like that signal Osteen is a huge force in Christianity who is reaching out to people far beyond the standard Christian market.
So, The Express-Times went to interview the man who is America's biggest religious phenomenon.
While it will be difficult for anyone to fill the broad evangelistic appeal of the ailing Rev. Billy Graham, Osteen seems the most likely to do that.
Part of it is Osteen's feel-good TV sermons peppered with jokes, personal anecdotes and large doses of encouragement.
The other is his book. Osteen has been able to do what many others haven't been able to do: write a non-preachy Christian self-help book.
Local Christian bookstore owners say Osteen's book -- along with Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" -- has tapped into a market of Christians that may be the silent majority: people who are more concerned with everyday moral decisions than controversial, hot-button religious topics.
"There's definitely a hunger for making more out of your life and people are looking for something to make their life better and more fulfilling and Osteen's book provides some direction for that," says Bill Tilley, owner of the Washington Christian Bookstore.
Hackman's book manager, Nancy Marcks, agrees Osteen's book does that.
"So many people are so negative they want things to happen on the outside but they don't look inside," she says. "But if we have a heart and a dream, and it's what God wants us to do, we've got to live it."
What's also making Osteen a phenomenon is that he's been able to reach people who usually shudder at the idea of watching a televangelist.
Robert Johnson of Medford, N.Y., who also was at the book signing, said he's a regular watcher. But his non-religious grandfather started tuning into Osteen, too.
"Honestly, it was because of the money," he says. "He started watching him because Joel Osteen doesn't ask for money like other preachers do."
While Osteen is drawing more admirers, it hasn't come without some skepticism.
CNN's Larry King -- who is usually cozy with celebrities -- recently grilled Osteen on "Larry King Live" -- particularly about if people who didn't believe in Jesus would go to heaven.
"I'm just going to let God be the judge of that. I don't know," Osteen replied.
A few days earlier, the Rev. Billy Graham gave King an almost identical reply when asked the same question.
"That's in God's hands. I can't be the judge," Graham said.
But while no one seemed concerned with Graham's remark, critics pounced on Osteen so hard he had to clarify his remarks on his Web site.
Then Osteen has problems from the extreme religious right.
There are Web sites jammed with criticism of Osteen for -- horror of horrors -- making people feel good about themselves, and especially because Osteen says he prefers not to use the word "sinner" in his sermons.
Yet the groundswell of people turning to Osteen shows he's reaching the massive audience between non-religious cynics and far-right extremists.
In an era filled with divisions of red states and blue states, liberals and conservatives, and seekers and believers, Osteen openly shuns talking about hot-button religious topics such as abortion and homosexuality.
In what political analysts say is perhaps the most political and religiously polarized era, is Osteen Christianity's hope for a unifier?
I had the opportunity of a short face-to-face interview to ask him.
Osteen comes into the Sam's Club through a fire escape door with an entourage of handlers. He sits down at a table to sign a few piles of books. That's before he gives some interviews and signs books in person for hundreds who wait.
He's lean but not as toweringly tall as he seems on TV. Sitting posture-perfect with a crisp, white shirt and burgundy tie, he smiles as he signs books without a trace of weariness or boredom.
Boyish at the age of 42, he has the aura of a classic Hollywood film star. If any actor would play Osteen it would be the young Jimmy Stewart.
After he does a radio interview, I'm ushered into a small room for a five-minute interview.
Away from the handlers and out of the TV lights, he seems like a small-town pastor. He leans forward. He's soft-spoken and his manners are the kind of politeness that seems to come from genuine cheerfulness rather than celebrity charm.
He has an uncommon focus and possesses something few preachers have -- the late Rev. Fred Davis of Greater Shiloh Church in Easton had it, too -- which is that no matter how busy they are it seems like they have all the time for you.
I tell Osteen the one comment I hear from people is that they like him because he talks about how to deal with everyday problems. He seems happy about that.
"When you go to church you want to hear what's practical," he says. "I'm all for people being able to use things in their lives. Jesus was very interested in how people lived their lives."
He says he's also aware he appeals to many non-churchgoers.
"We get so many letters and e-mails that start with 'I don't go to church but I watch your program,' " he says.
The famous smile comes when I suggest he'd like to be a unifier in a politically and theologically charged era.
"I'd be honored to be called a unifier," he says, before saying he's aware there's much division.
I also wonder where he gets the ideas for his sermons.
"We have a prayer time at the church and I try to listen to what people's needs are," he says, sounding more like a small-town minister in the Lehigh Valley than a star pastor.
He hopes his book and sermons lead people to a purpose in life.
"When you get that sense of purpose, God helps put in your heart some direction," he says.
The Live 8 concerts are the next day, so we chat about helping the poor. He tells me about some of the programs at his church to help the needy.
But soon a handler swoops in. The interview is over. Osteen must also talk to a Philadelphia newspaper, before going to sign more books.
"I'm sorry we don't have more time," he says.
That comment suits his perfect Southern manners. But it seems like something more. It seems as if he wants to connect.
Before I walk out, he asks about The Express-Times and about me being a religion writer. It doesn't seem like small talk. Osteen really seems interested.
"If you're ever in Houston come see us," he says as I leave.
A few minutes later he goes out and does what I've never seen anyone else do at a book signing.
Osteen walks to the back of the line that winds around to a desk where he will sign books. The crowd breaks out in applause and flashbulbs pop as he shakes hands and walks down the line to the desk.
When I get back to the Lehigh Valley, I tell a few people who ask that yes, the Smiling Preacher actually seems sincere and actually, well, even humble.
But as he grows in popularity I'm sure more questions and criticism will come his way. He will likely draw more heat in a politically polarized era that demands sides be taken.
But I can't help thinking about his smile at the idea he could be a unifier.
To read the article, click here (http://www.nj.com/living/expresstimes/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1120813587120600.xml&coll=2).