Rate Joel Osteen (Entertainment Value Only)

[ralph124c]

I was watching this guy on TV, and I am puzzled.
He is enormously popular, and his books are best sellers.
Yet, I don't get this guy as an entertainer-he looks like a chipmunk, and that giant rotating skeleton globe (on his stage)-what's that all about?
In sum, I wouldn't watch the guy-I found him boring and banal.

[Jack Batty]

Dude, he's a televangelist, heavy on the -vangelist. It's not how he says it, it's what he's saying and to whom he's saying it that makes him popular. You think he'd make it big if he was standing if front of a brick wall telling dick jokes with that personality?

[Clothahump]

Ever heard the expression 'preaching to the choir"?

He's a grifter who runs a bigass TV church here in Houston. He learned the trade from his daddy, who started the church. And as we all know, churches are licenses to print money.

[FriarTed]

I don't disrespect the man but he's just not my cup of tea. I could never watch him for more than five minutes.

TV preachers that I like with few reservations because they actually say something- Robert Schuller, Sheila Schuller Coleman his daughter, Robert Schuller his son, James Robison, Charles Stanley, the late Adrian Rogers, Jack Hayford, Jonathan Falwell.

TV preachers that I like with some reservations either because of style or teaching- the late Dr. Gene Scott, his wife Pastor Melissa Scott (yes, I know what her former career was but dang, she can actually teach Bible using the ORIGINAL LANGUAGES), Arnold Murray (BIG reservations on his Kenite teachings but he is entertaining), the late Garner Ted Armstrong, the various spokesmen for the various splinter Armstrong Churches of God (NOT Flurry of the very dogmatic Philadelphia CoG).

[BigT]

He's a very uplifting version of a televangelist. He's really good at making you not feel bad about the horrible life a lot of us lead. He gets old if you're the type of person looking for substance, but some people seem to need that level of encouragement, and will only accept it from a "preacher."

And his father, if I remember correctly, was only the pastor of a regular-sized church. I believe Joel is the one who expanded it to the megachurch it is today.

Oh, and his worship leader (Israel Houton) wrote some very good music (well, for Christian worship anyways), even if the lyrics are, like Joel's preaching, quite simplistic.

[MPB in Salt Lake]

Originally Posted by FriarTed

TV preachers that I like with some reservations either because of style or teaching- the late Dr. Gene Scott, his wife Pastor Melissa Scott (yes, I know what her former career was........

What was Melissa Scott's original career?


As for me, about the only TV preacher that seems sincere at all is Jack Van Impe, meaning that I think he is sincere when alluding to Barak Obama possibly being the Anti-Christ..........

[Mahaloth]

I'm a Christian and am really against Joel Osteen. I don't think he brings any real value to the church in general.

Entertainment? I think he's dull and naive sounding.

[Bijou Drains]

Melissa Scott was a porn star

http://www.marieclaire.com/world-rep...tt-porn-pastor

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

Originally Posted by FriarTed

I don't disrespect the man but he's just not my cup of tea. I could never watch him for more than five minutes.

TV preachers that I like with few reservations because they actually say something- Robert Schuller, Sheila Schuller Coleman his daughter, Robert Schuller his son, James Robison, Charles Stanley, the late Adrian Rogers, Jack Hayford, Jonathan Falwell.

What about John MacArthur? Although he preaches mostly through radios he's rhetoric is that of NPR people compared to Al Franken and Rush Limbaugh. I disagree with his rejection of psychology and his rather too anti-Catholic for my tastes but otherwise I heartily recommend him.

[ralph124c]

Why I don't get: Osteen doesn't talk about anything vaguely Christian..its just "feel good" crap.
You can get the same effect by listening to elevator music.

[dalej42]

I think his appeal is primarily to the unchurched or to those who fell away from mainstream denominations. Osteen wouldn't be the same if he showed up each week in a cope and mitre or if his church was a Gothic cathedral rather than a basketball arena. His sermons are more like a Zig Ziglar speech than a discussion of theological issues. I'll give him credit for not ranting about abortion and same sex marriage every week, although he weasels every time he's asked about them by an interviewer.

[Mahaloth]

Originally Posted by ralph124c

Why I don't get: Osteen doesn't talk about anything vaguely Christian..its just "feel good" crap.
You can get the same effect by listening to elevator music.

Exactly. He's user-friendly Christian. Hear what you want to improve your life now instead of hear what you don't want to deal with eternal matters of the soul.

Shallow, McDonalized, religion.

[Cisco]

Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about the man.

What I do know about him, or at least what I've gathered, is that his is a message of positivity, and he doesn't talk about hell, which puts him about 50 steps above other televangelists in my book.

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

Originally Posted by Cisco

Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about the man.

What I do know about him, or at least what I've gathered, is that his is a message of positivity, and he doesn't talk about hell, which puts him about 50 steps above other televangelists in my book.

In other words not preaching the Gospel in order to gain a good audience and money.

[FriarTed]

Originally Posted by Curtis LeMay

What about John MacArthur? Although he preaches mostly through radios he's rhetoric is that of NPR people compared to Al Franken and Rush Limbaugh. I disagree with his rejection of psychology and his rather too anti-Catholic for my tastes but otherwise I heartily recommend him.

One will certainly hear solid Gospel & Bible preaching from MacArthur. He's too anti-Charismatic, acerbic & dry to get my enthusiasm, but I do respect the man.

[Cisco]

Originally Posted by Curtis LeMay

In other words not preaching the Gospel in order to gain a good audience and money.

I'd rather watch 2 gay rats buttfucking* flowers wilt than listen to someone preach the gospel.

*That sounds too fun.

[Mister Rik]

Originally Posted by ralph124c

Why I don't get: Osteen doesn't talk about anything vaguely Christian..its just "feel good" crap.
You can get the same effect by listening to elevator music.

My roommate (an older guy, my dad's age) watched Osteen, er, religiously until the Christian TV station went off the air here. On the rare occasions I bothered to listen to the guy, he really seemed to be little more than a charismatic "power of positive thinking" self-help guru who dresses his pep talks in Christian jargon. I'm not surprised that my roommate liked to watch him; my roommate's reading material is an almost steady stream of self-help books.

[AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet]

His smile is SCARY!!!!!!!!

[kelly5078]

I guess his feel-good message appeals to a lot of people. But that TV preacher smile and the constantly fluttering eyelashes give me the willies.

[Skammer]

He's a feel-good motivational speaker, essentially, which Christian trappings. I wish he'd drop the Christian trappings but then I guess he'd have to pay taxes or something.

He's way, way down the list of Christian speakers I admire. Actually he's not on that list.

[DigitalC]

I watch about 15 minutes of his show every sunday at work because the news end at 9:45. He's charismatic, has a soothing voice, tells inspirational non churchy stories and most importantly he constantly tells his viewers that a)Its' not your fault if your life sucks, its all part of Jaysus plan for you and b) Stop worrying about things because Jaysus will make everything better. That is a very powerful and addicting message, i completely understood why people follow him after seeing him. Its basically like Oprah constantly telling fatties its not their fault they are fat, here look at all this experts that say otherwise!