(Tim) David and I are reticent to criticize Joel and Victoria Osteen lest, defending themselves against the charge that all men speak well of them, they point to us, exclaiming, "Not the Bayly Brothers; they don't!"
Nevertheless, we simply must comment on this forwarded to us by many of you. Here are Co-Pastors Osteen on Larry King Live. Asked to rate our new president's performance and to assign him a religion--pick one of three:
Larry King: Since you were last on, we have sworn in our first African-American president. What are your impressions [of Barack Obama]?
Joel Osteen: Well, I think he's doing a great job. I'm impressed with his skill, his calmness, his just strength...
King: And you, Victoria?
Victoria Osteen: I've been really impressed...
King: Recent polls show 12 percent of Americans still believe Obama is a Muslim, and 35 percent say they don't know his religion, but to most of them it don't (sic) matter. Should it matter?
Joel Osteen: Well, it matters to me. It matters to me that I know he loves the Lord, and I think it's important that he has convictions from his faith...
Then, this exchange:
King: Do you think that eventually many more states are going to allow same-sex marriage?
Joel Osteen: You know, I don't know where it's all going ... I'd love to see it stay between a male and a female, not knocking anybody else...
Victoria Osteen: We really want to see marriage between a man and a woman...
Joel Osteen: ...I'm not saying that gay people aren't good people. ...
Joel Osteen: Yeah, exactly. But again, I like to shoot for God's best...
Then this, which someone ought to nominate for the Best Expression of Today's Evangelical Gospel Presentation Award:
Victoria Osteen: When you've lost your job and you've just been beaten down and you don't see any future, it's easy to start letting those negative thoughts play. ... You don't have anything to live for. It's never going to get any better. And I think that if you don't watch it, you'll just spiral down and down and down. And that is why we feel so strongly about just giving people hope. Even at your lowest moment, you never know what God can do. He can turn any situation around. You can be just one night from getting the break you need, getting the job you want.
Victoria done, her good husband sewed it all up in a neat package:
My belief as a Christian is when we receive Christ as salvation that that gives us a guarantee for heaven.
But note carefully that the Osteens make fistfulls of money for everyone. For Larry King and CNN, but also for publishers like Tyndale House and Simon & Schuster. Tyndale has licensed the text of their New Living Translation to Simon and Schuster, thereby allowing and profiting from Joel and Victoria's false gospel being printed as study notes alongside the text of Tyndale's New Living Translation. Bound in leather, it's only $69.95:
King: The "Hope for Today Bible." This is a new Bible [from you]. How is this different from other Bibles?
Joel Osteen: It's a living translation of the Bible (sic), which is an easy version to read. And then it's got our notes besides certain passages. And it's just to help people maybe to understand the Bible a little bit easier.
Like the moneychangers in the Temple, Joel and Victoria hawk their wares to the people of God; it's business as usual.
