VICTORIA OSTEEN & YOU: Last week, famed [Calvinist] pastor, Mark Driscoll, stepped down from his position at Mars Hill church after allegations of plagiarism, misuse of church funds, and abuse of power. His elders called the church and its network under his leadership one the most hostile, coercive, unChrist-like environments they’d ever been a part of. Of my nearly 1500 Facebook friends (many non-Calvinist Christians), not a single one posted a mocking, “gotcha” type status in regards to this man’s misstep. Instead, I saw many calling for prayer. This week, a 36-second video clip of Victoria Osteen speaking - edited from 30 minutes of contextual content - followed by a caustic Bill Cosby moment spliced from his TV series went viral. Of my nearly 1500 Facebook friends, many have jumped on the mocking, “gotcha” bandwagon pronouncing everything from the Osteen’s being heretics to #&@*ing idiots. I’m not here to blast Mark Driscoll. I actually believe him to be a faithful man of God. Likewise, Im not here to defend every word spoken by the Osteen’s, because God knows they’ve misspoken more than a few times. I do, however, have a few things to point out regarding these instances: 1) Of what spirit are you? Lay down John Piper for a few moments and re-read God’s Word. Take Proverbs, for example. God says that kind of frothing over calamity is evil. In fact, He says it’s evil to rejoice in the calamity of the wicked, let alone those who profess the same God. Even if you disagree on some theological basis, how about praying for them? 2) I know many of you. You don’t dislike the Osteen’s because you’re so well-versed in their beliefs and have given their books & sermons enough attention to make a righteous judgment. Rather, you’ve heard years of hearsay, snippets of the clips (mostly taken out-of-context), and hours of sermons against their agreement with the so-called “prosperity gospel.” You’ve cheered your favorite speakers’ anti-Osteen messages under the guise of nobility, believing yourselves to be partnering in championing the TRUE gospel. Meanwhile, you live your American, middle-class secular life, with good jobs, nice homes, and 2.5 kids whom you drive to school and/or daycare in automobiles that would be the envy of 95% of the world. In other words, you are rich. Don’t dare give God any credit though – which means the only alternative is giving yourself credit. That sounds biblical, right? Let that hypocrisy sink in for a moment… 3) Almost every single accusation against the Osteen’s I’ve heard in my lifetime has been due to either some distortion or misunderstanding of their belief, taking something out of context, or capitalizing on the fact they’re not the most eloquent speakers on the planet. If you’d familiarize yourself with the environment and fruit of their church just a smidge beyond the surface, if you’d actually read their books in full and understand their context, if you had a heart to give someone whose ministry has brought more to the foot of Christs cross and the liberty of His resurrection than you probably ever will, you might actually understand the gift and calling on their life is one of encouragement. Theyre not void of Jesus-focus. Did you know after the camera shut off, hundreds receive Christ via a call to repentance and the cross almost every single service? I know, because my aunt attended the church for a decade. After all of that time, she walked away humbly worshipping Jesus, not herself. What Victoria was saying was in no way intended to be a “worship yourself” statement, but in context, how WE benefit from obeying God’s precepts. This is absolutely TRUE. Perhaps she didn’t do the greatest job in articulating the point, but in the proper context it’s quite biblical (see my post from a few days ago: “It’s Not About Me”). Bottom line: I understand there is a time for correction. I understand the Osteen’s have never been renowned for being the most well-spoken theologians on the planet. But, then again, neither have you! Apparently, neither has Mark Driscoll. Nor anyone of your heroes, save Jesus Himself. How about instead of mocking, we start mining for gold in what our brothers and sisters are saying and doing? How about we look at their life and the fruit of their labors as the measuring stick, rather than merely their intellectual and verbal prowess? How about we display a little humility, rather than dancing on sound-byte graves dug by modern-day Pharisees?
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 20:27:17 +0000
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