An Open Letter to Joel Osteen

Recently I came across the following Open Letter to Joel Osteen, which I thought to be a creative and helpful take on the spiritual bankruptcy of the prosperity gospel. The portrait of God that Osteen paints is truly antithetical to the Christian faith, particularly when one considers it is premised upon the idea that faith is a force, words are containers of that force, and through speaking faith-filled words one can speak forth their own health and wealth into existence. Yet, it does not even stop there, for in the theology of the Word of Faith movement, which Osteen draws upon, God also needs to use the force of face to create reality. Mere mortals may even call upon God to their every wish through faith-filled words. This name-it-and-claim-it gospel offers an attractive package, whether or not it can bring people into communition with God Almighty is another story.

Here are a couple of other articles on the problems of Joel Osteen that I found helpful:

Christianity Still in Crisis: A Word of Faith Update

Promoting the Gospel of Self-Esteem (Review of Your Best Life Now)

Osteen's "Gospel-Light" Message (Review of Becoming a Better You)

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