Annise Parker, the newly-elected happens-to-be-lesbian mayor of Houston was sworn in Monday and the opening prayer was given by ... Rev. Joel Osteen.
Is your head spinning? Osteen heads the nation's most mega of evangelical non-denominational megachurches, Lakewood Church in Houston where about 45,000 people cycle through a revamped sports stadium for services every weekend.
Osteen has been all over telling folks (Larry King, Whoopi Goldberg) for years that homosexuality is not "God's best." I presume he means "God's best choice" because otherwise I'm lost in the dropped or implied rest of the sentence. But "God's best" is phrase Osteen never finishes so I'm just guessing.
Yet, Osteen hasn't joined the more strident wing of the religious right in damning gays. Indeed, Osteen takes heat from other evangelicals who condemn him for not laying down a line of fire about sin of any kind. That's not his style, says the preacher known for his broad smile and sermons that God wants you to be happy. Osteen's best seller was titled, Your Best Life Now.
Source: Faith & Reason, USA Today
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I love Joel and his family and I am praying for them but this move is ridiculous. This is something that he could have easily refused to do and this is something he will live to regret. The Bible makes it clear not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers and that we should separate from the sinful lifestyle of people even if those people are believers in Christ.
It is unfortuated to hear what Joel Osteen did regarding homesexuals. But what we need to do is really pray for him and continually life him up before God.
Joel Osteen Blessed the MAYOR of Houston, NOT her lifestyle. The Mayor holds an OFFICE. God LOVES Annise Parker as a person. HE hates her lifestyle or deathstyle. We can't eradicate homosexuality, which is older than the Bible, itself. There is a difference in praying a Blessing over an OFFICE or a City as opposed to Blessing a person's lifestyle. People Wake UP! Question: How many of you are Blessing and eating food or using products produced my homosexuals? Answer: You don't know. I thought so!!!
Joel Osteen Blessed the MAYOR of Houston, NOT her lifestyle. The Mayor holds an OFFICE. God LOVES Annise Parker as a person. HE hates her lifestyle or deathstyle. We can't eradicate homosexuality, which is older than the Bible, itself. There is a difference in praying a Blessing over an OFFICE or a City as opposed to Blessing a person's lifestyle. People Wake UP! Question: How many of you are Blessing and eating food or using products produced by homosexuals? Answer: You don't know. I thought so!!!
Dear Trust God Not Man,
With a fake name like that, I thought for sure that you would be a person who was on God's side. Yet you defend Joel who is an immature Christian at best and who has no sense of Christian history and apparently no knowledge of the Bible. In the grown-up world of real Christianity, frankly, Joel is a little boy who has been left big toys to play with and he is making serious mistake after serious mistake. Also, you defend homosexual lifestyle by suggesting that it is older than the Bible. Well, the sin of murder is older than the Bible as well, if you want to go there, but that still does not make it right. This nation is going to hell in a hand basket, and you and Joel are helping to lead the way.
Bishop Jacobson, you obviously didn't read by entire post, if you had, you'd see I do not condone the deathstyle of homosexuality. You're obviously confusing the BLESSING of a City and OFFICE with the BLESSING of a person.
Trust
No you are confused it seems to me. the mayor is the city and the city is the mayor. joel blessed both and the fact is he should not have been there in the first place. Where in the hell is that woman named Gwen when you need her.
More and more evil is being seen as good and good as evil. Many who call themselves Christians are compromising with the world. They are finding excuses for those who practice sin. When doing this, they become enemies of a holy God.
Thank you Betty, Bishop Jacobson, and Rev. Tobert for not being ashamed of the Word of God. Thank you for proclaiming the TRUTH. Future generations will not know what God is like, and what He wants them to be like unless they read the Bible for themselves. So many are being deceived by those who call themselves Christians. It's so very sad that many of these people are preaching from pulpits or have other leadership roles.
As true Christians, we should pray for those who practice sin. Pray that they will see the Light, the Truth, and the Way. Love them, but never compromised God's Word for them.
How could Joel Osteen lead this poor women even more astray? He's suppose to be a man of God, isn't he? What he should have done instead was met with her one-on-one and told her (with the help of the Holy Spirit) how to be born again. It makes me think Joel is more concerned about his popularity than he is this women's soul. Beware, true Christians! Satan is everywhere, especially in the church. We must read the Bible for ourselves to keep from being deceived.
Betty, you're right... We don't know, but... Joel Osteen does.
Betty...and you do, too.
A radio minister back in the mid 90s told all his radio listners to visit a website called the (gay agenda) on the website the homosexuals are speaking about taking over. When I began to read the letter it stated that the gay community were going to move into high positions to change laws and that they was going to recruit our sons and daughters by meeting them in bathrooms and certain locations. They also said "if the Churches will not except them they are going to take over our churches." Christian all already telling how homosexuals have taken over their churches.
Go to (When homosexuals take over a church)
Many shall depart from the faith giving heed to suducing spirits an doctrins of devil. The bible speaks of a great fallen away from the faith
Thanks, Wisdom2349, for the info. God bless you.
Yes, God is a loving God. He loves the sinner but hates the sin. God is also a just God. He has promised to punish the sinner who does not repent and turn from his wicked ways. Once a sinner repents and excepts Christ as Lord and Savior, that person desires to do what is pleasing to God. If one continues to live in sin and believes the sin not to be sin, that someone has not really accepted Christ. True Christians know Christ, and they know sin when they see it. God has written His laws in their hearts. They don't compromise God's Word, and they love the sinner enough to tell him/her the truth.
I pray that God will use Joel Olsteen to minister salvation to her and that she take heed and repent and turn to Jesus Christ.
Joel is showing us that he is no "John the Baptist" and is not willing to be persecuted for righteousness sake. He, and unfortunately many other leaders are confusing masses of unsaved people.
Scripture says, "Though I give my body to be burned and have not love it profited me nothing." Who is Love? God is Love. How can one say one has Love (God) when he doesn't love others enough to tell them the truth. What is the truth? What does the Bible says about being a homosexual? It is an abomination to God. The Bible makes it very clear that those who practice this sin will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.
Satan must be overjoyed that so many religious, so-called Christians are deceiving people all over this world. Pray these leaders will stop serving Satan and begin truly serving the One who gave up His life for them.
"Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals...shall inherit the kingdom of God."
｜｜｜｜｜｜｜｜｜｜God
God is love and God is just. He condemns SINNERS to hell, not SIN! (Reconsider and accept God's gift of salvation by Jesus, the Christ.)
Beware! Osteen preachs the world's riches, not God's!
this same subject was discussed more extensively @
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/01/joel-osteen-annise-parker-gay-rights-evangelical/1
its interesting that although blacks suffered terrible persecution for 1700 years because of a extreme unreasoned belief in a scripture in leviticus(old testament)"make slaves from the surrounding countries for life to be passed on your children as inheritance", they have now(led by their churches) chosen to embrace another scripture of that same book with their own unreasoned extreme belief to persecute those who are gay.
its also tragic that the majority of black churches in this country choose to do the same.
REEDIT
its interesting that although AFRICAN blacks
the bible has never declared homosexuality a sin. which would become even more apparent if olstein ever exposed his "god's best"to open discussion.
in joel saying he knows what is "gods best" he is making the assumption that he knows the mind of god, which is absolutely contrary to scripture which says that believers see in part thru a poor reflection darkly, and that only the spirit of god knows the mind of god.
the whole thing is such a flaggrantly bad expression of scripture, that it suggests a total lack of responsibility for someone who holds scripture in such high regard.
believers appear to hold onto a god says mentality, which says that god says and i obey without question. that is the old testment relationship to god which was expressed in deut. 28.
but the new covenant calls us to test everything, keep the good.(1thess5:21). and rather than a set of rigid rules we are called to godlove our god, ourselves , our neighbor who is everyone else, and to godlove as christ godloved. and by doing that we not only automatically obey the law(for which we receive no righteousness) but in addition we fulfill the law as christ did...............who said follow me. (the fulfillment of the law is love)
consider that while the old covenant was about committing yourself to having a relationship to god thru regulation( god said approach) as in deut 28, the new covenant in contrast says that thru a 1john1 witness(that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life)(1john1) of the spirit, the same spirit that lives in each believer, we will thru fellowship of walking in the light(1john1), be able" to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. " romans12:2.
Joel is the blind leading the blind..He is not a man of GOD, its to obvious..
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Does anybody rmember that guy named Jesus or somethiong like that? Nah. Nobody here
Well, to me it's obvious. Before I go further, I must say that it pains me to write this.
For many clergy, their churches and congregations become nothing more than "business" and "a means to an end." Politicians do the same thing. In order to grow their base, they turn a blind eye to things they shouldn't. When you already have the largest church in the nation it's no longer about growth but maintennance. In order to stay large and meet the dollar goals that are made based on high numbers you have to broaden the base. Joel is doing this by accepting what other churches will not. He wants to have the church where gays feel free and accepted. He has always been an "ear-tickler" and cotton-candy preacher. Actually, he really isn't a preacher at all but rather a motivational speaker.
Anyway, it is my opinion that God is not pleased with Mr. Osteen. God's word is clear. Period.
The Word of God is our judge.
Romans 1:24-27 (New International Version)
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
WHAT IS THISSS!!! We just need to pray for him and have God deal with him. But OMG! I cant believe he did this, lol!
Joel has become popular because he doesn't throw stones. He doesn't call people names, like "liar," "cheat," or anything else, that is why he doubted that he would call someone a "sinner." That does not mean he doesn't know the consequences to sin. The Bible teaches us to pray for our government officials. I believe that is what he did. Do we as Christians want a prayer to be removed from inaugurations? I don't think so. But, looking back, have we prayed for our leaders that have been inmeshed in some sin or another? I certainly hope we have prayed for them! He appears to want his congregation to be "won" to Christ because of all God's benefits to us. It isn't until we are "won" that we are transformed. I commend him on his approach to the ministry, and his willingness to go out on a limb to pray for this politician. Perhaps he will "win" the gay community to Christ, and afterward they with 1 John 1:9 may be cleansed. The Bible teaches, "if we bless a house and it does not deserve it, the blessing will go back onto the one who did the blessing. I'm certain there was nothing pro "lifestyle" in his prayer. We all have our sins, let you who is without sin, cast the first stone, at Joel Osteen. I doubt he goes up to "anyone" to confront their chosen lifestyle. All sin is alike to God. Is there a glutton out there? Have they been told by their pastor that they sin? How about someone else's pastor? I'm sure the mayor, since her city is a great distance from his church, that he is not even her pastor.
Sue R: You have some strong points. God loves all people. There are fornicators, liars, adulterers, molesters, over cities and in high positions - even over congregations. Do we pray for them? Do we pray for all people? YES. It does not mean you are affirming their lifestyle actions. We often fail to examine the man in the mirror, and where we have come from, and are still coming from. God many speak to her while in that position even. Position is position. Qualifications are qualifications. There's always room for refinement. I am sure we have said at a certain point: God, I don't know what you are doing or why I'm here. I don't know how you placed me here in the midst of an unworthy state.
Points of enlightenment have come to many of us even in the many different types of positions. If it is for her to be enlightened, she will be at the appointed time. In the meanwhile, pray for her to effectively do her job.
Sue R: You have some strong points. God loves all people. There are fornicators, liars, adulterers, molesters, over cities and in high positions - even over congregations. Do we pray for them? Do we pray for all people? YES. It does not mean you are affirming their lifestyle actions. We often fail to examine the man in the mirror, and where we have come from, and are still coming from. God many speak to her while in that position even. Position is position. Qualifications are qualifications. There's always room for refinement. I am sure we have said at a certain point: God, I don't know what you are doing or why I'm here. I don't know how you placed me here in the midst of an unworthy state.
Points of enlightenment have come to many of us even in the many different types of positions. If it is for her to be enlightened, she will be at the appointed time. In the meanwhile, pray for her to effectively do her job.