In life-imitating-art, we have Joel Osteen and his feel-good boosterism approach to God. Joel is hardly unique in this. It's a soft gospel that doesn't deny the real Gospel. Doesn't much affirm it, either. It just seems to be a vanilla-verging-on-unflavored gelatin brand of Christianity. With promises of joy and properity if you just behave yourselves. Oh, deeds.
As should be evident from his appearance with Larry King (transcript here), Osteen basically neither affirms nor denies our Lord as the way, and only way, to God. As for condemnation for those who reject Christ as Lord? Fugeddaboudit. You are all good; it is all good. Why bother with those pesky biblical thingies?
Well, my name is John Luke for a reason. I'm named after John and Luke the Evangelists. From Eagle boy John, Chapter 12:48, this on affirmation of the Lord:
The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.In context, this verse means that when that last trump sounds, baby, you're going to be separated from God forever unless you confess Christ as Lord. In your heart, with full repentance.
Of course, you may think that Buddy Christ is the way to go. He's certainly not limited to Catholics. In the Buddy Christ-Joel Osteen universe, witches and worshippers of Baal can get in. What a downer if they couldn't!
Oh, and by the way -- you can get your very own Catholicism Wow! t-shirt, with the imprimatur of Cardinal Ignatius Glick. Don't wait; supplies are limited.
| technorati tag | Christianity|
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