Which is why people like Warren, Osteen, Meyer and any number of seeker friendly, word faith heretics refuse to address the sinful condition of man. Schuller states that to be born again means to change from a negative self image to a positive one. This look at Schuller does not even get into the depth of his heretical beliefs or his association with the ecumenical movement and the new age infiltration. It is quite telling indeed that Carmen would associate Osteen with Schuller and Peale since he is the present day embodiment of their false teachings. What about Jesus? We remember him, don't we? What did Jesus have to say about this positive self worth message?
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. - Matthew 16: 24 (ESV)
Deny himself! You will never hear that preached at Lakewood Church. Beloved these are not small matters of side doctrinal disagreement. You can be post-trib and I can be pre-trib and we can agree to disagree because no one is going to hell over the disagreement. When you take the core of the Gospel and casually strip it out you are no longer preaching the Gospel. This one statement by Carmen on Facebook has generated over 70,000 "likes" and over 12,000 "shares." Osteen reaches hundreds of thousands of people each week with a gospel that cannot save them. One of the positive responses to Carmen's post tells the story:
"About 7 years ago I was in a point in my life where depression was bad. I had not been in fellowship with a church for a long time because I was hurt by the church several times to the point that I thought I was not good enough. I knew that I needed fellowship but I was afaid [sic] that once again I would be hurt. On a bad day I was channel surfing and there was Joel Osteen saying that God loved me. Me. He went on to say no matter what I had done that I was worthy. I felt as though he was talking to only me. This was a turning point in my life. I needed to hear this the way he presented God to me. I found a wonderful church where the gosple [sic] is spoken unadulterated. Joel Osteen laid the seed in my heart and I give God the glory."
Beloved, God is not hard to find if you are truly seeking Him. He can be found at Lakewood Church. I praise God that this person was able to come back to God because of the simple message that God loves us. Realize however that she still had to find a church that preached the unadulterated Gospel. Isn't this enough you might be asking but you forget the other side. For every one successful story like this, how many people think they are saved when they are not? How many people will stand before Christ and say Lord Lord, only to hear that He never knew them? How many people are sitting under deception beloved? A hundred for every one? A thousand? People look for anything correct Osteen says to excuse all that is incorrect. They look for these outlier success stories to deflect away from all the people who have been falsely converted. Like Carmen and so many others who do not like their carnal Christianity boat rocked; they are willing to sacrifice biblical literacy on the altar of Kumbaya Christianity.
Reverend Anthony Wade - September 20, 2014
