On Sunday night, 41,000 fans packed Nationals Stadium in Washington,
D.C., to hear a message of hope, inspiration, and encouragement from
Joel Osteen. Most paid about $20 (including fees) for the privilege.
Osteen sold out the stadium — a feat the Nationals rarely accomplish. But did he have to sell out to do so?
Osteen is the latest embodiment of the American Religion —
Revivalism. For centuries now, preachers have known how to fill stadiums
or circus tents and send people home with hope in their heart and a
skip in their step. Osteen promises you will leave a transformed person —
at least until his tour comes around again next year, when you can be
transformed again.
Osteen’s message is a positive one for a difficult time. Every one of
us has seeds of greatness inside, potential that has not yet been
released, buried treasure waiting to be discovered. If you were a car,
you would be the fully loaded and totally equipped model — “with pin
stripes,” he says, gesturing to his suit.
Before God created you, he planned great things for you. As you
stretch your faith, “God is going to show up, and show out, in
tremendous ways. … If you don’t step into your destiny and release your
gift, then this world will not be as bright as it should be.”
That’s a pretty positive message. What could be wrong with that?
The biggest problem with Osteen’s message about God is that it is
really a message about me. God is a potential, a force, a co-pilot,
waiting to be tapped and deployed. I may have a net below me, but I am
the one that has to take the first steps on the wire: Continue at Daily Caller
See also: Joel Osteen Worships Himself
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