Osteen and Owen: Who Should We Read? Where Should we Affix Our Gaze?

As my church family and I worked through Philippians 3:17-4:1 yesterday, we came to the conclusion that we need to fixate our gaze on the right people and the right teachings, and turn away from that which is detrimental to our walk with Jesus. This reminded me of an experiment that I did a few years ago. I share it again now as a reminder to be careful when choosing what read and where to look.

In college I took a class called, "Methods of Social Research." As a young sociologist-in-training I needed to learn the ins and outs of using research instruments in order to obtain accurate information about any number of subjects. There are people who make a lot of money measuring or manipulating social research. I, on the other hand, got a 'C' in the class. With that said, there is no scientific merit to my experiment. It actually only serves to support my own presuppositions and should not be used as a reference or source of actual truth. Now that I have craftily drawn you in so that you are saying, "Tell me more! Tell me more!" I will reveal to you the results of my findings.

I was in a Walmart getting a tire changed several months back. I walked over to the book section to find something to pass the time and stumbled upon one of Joel Osteen's offerings, It's Your Time: Activate your Faith, Achieve your Dreams, Increase in God's Favor. I thought this would be a good time to care for the flock of God by examining the popular "Christian-like" literature out there so that I could protect our church from false doctrine. (You should already see a presupposition at work here.) I opened it up and began reading. In 45 minutes I was done with all 320 pages. I know that you are saying, "Wait a minute, Pastor. Are you telling us that you read over 7 pages per minute? That is less than 10 seconds a page." 

Joel Osteen

Let me explain. Through the years I have learned how to scan well, so I am able to read lighter works quickly. Alas, Osteen's book is the epitome of a lighter work. There is more genuine theological content in some of the books on my youngest children's bookshelves than what I found in It's Your Time. That may sound harsh, but I am borrowing from the approach of the Apostle Paul. He reserved his harshest words for the church because he expected them to live worthy of the calling to which they had been called (Ephesians 4:1). 

If Osteen was not claiming to be a Christian, and he didn't bear the title, "pastor", and his gathering wasn't called a church, and he wasn't so stinking popular, I might say, "Well, that was a sweet little booklet that could offer the illusion of hope in the midst of a difficult situation." The problem is that the book is just a repackaged version of the prosperity gospel with all of the focus placed on the power of the individual, the demand upon God to act in accordance with our desires, and no consideration of the reality of individual sin and its consequences. He uses the classic health and wealth interpretations of Scripture which take them completely out of context and leave the reader with the thought that things can get better, but offers them nothing to hold on to beyond the smooth speech and gleaming smile of a self-help guru who makes a lot of money by scratching people's itching ears. Okay...on to my experiment.

To contrast Osteen's contribution to today's Christian bookshelf with some popular works of yesteryear, I decided to see how many pages I could read in a Christian classic. I chose John Owen's, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. John Owen was an English Puritan who wrote this particular volume in 1647 in 

John Owen

order to demonstrate "that the doctrine of universal redemption is unscriptural and destructive of the gospel (taken from J.I. Packer's introductory essay in his 1959 reprint of Owen's work)." So how far did I get in 45 minutes? 14 pages. That's it. 

You might say, "That's great, but I am sure you weren't scanning Owen's work like you were Osteen's." How right you are, and that is just the point. You can't scan Owen. His words are so loaded with theological meat that you would have no understanding of what he was saying if you were just to scan them. You might only be able to say, "Wow, he sure does use a lot of Scripture in there." Which you just couldn't say about Osteen's work (I won't even go down that road). I would argue that there is more benefit for your soul found in 14 pages of Owen than in all of Osteen's writing combined. I know that is a pretty bold statement, but just consider the following quote from Owen. 

"[Christ] did not suffer for [the church], and then refuse to intercede for [it]; he did not do the greater, and omit the less. The price of our redemption is more precious in the eyes of God and his Son than that it could, as it were, be cast  away on perishing souls, without any care taken of what becomes of them afterward. Nay, this also is imposed on Christ, with a promise annexed: 'Ask of me,' saith the Lord, ' and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession,' Ps. ii. 8 who accordingly tells his disciples that he has more work to do for them in heaven (64)." You may need to read that again. I know I did. Those words will give you something to chew on for a long time.

I am not saying that you should only read the Puritans or only in-depth, theological works. I am saying, that the stuff that is pumped out by today's publishers with such rapidity that it will make your head spin leaves its readers wanting for something more. This desire is usually fed by said publishers by releasing more light-weight garbage sooner than you can say, "I've lost my sugar high." (Consider that it took Owen seven years to write The Death of Death.) 

So what does my experiment conclude other than the fact that if the books we read are an endorsement of the people we are, then the Christian Church is in trouble? I am not sure. I hope that in my own life it reminds me to read well. I hope to not waste the few moments God has given me in this life on things that do not draw me up into the worship of the Almighty God who is beautifully excellent and worthy of every ounce of intellectual effort I can put forth. I know that I will fail at this. The desires of my flesh are strong and are always working to pull me away from the things of the Spirit. Even so, Christ has died for my sins, and has been raised for my justification. Death has been put to death in the death of my Savior, King Jesus.This is truth that pierces my heart with joys inexpressible. 45 minutes, 14 pages, countless blessings. 

And, by the way, Osteen can't hold a candle to Owen when it comes to hair either. Happy reading.

How Do You Pray For The Persecuted Church?

Yesterday was the International Day of Prayer. We, along with many other churches around the world, took time to pray for the persecuted church. This day was sandwiched on either end by times of learning and praying on both Saturday and Sunday nights. 

As we gathered on Sunday night, we used the World Watch List, produced by Open Doors USA, to help us learn about the persecuted and to equip us to pray effectively for them. This is a resource that you can continue to use as you seek to pray for those who are suffering because of their relationship with Jesus. Here is a very simple way to use this website in your praying.

1) On the home page either click on the country on the map or on the list below.

2) Read the overview of the country and the situation facing the persecuted church.

3) Watch the video resource on the left.

4) Take a few moments to pray through the three prayer points offered just under the overview.

If you add this to your normal prayer schedule (or to your normal internet browsing schedule) you will soon find that you have prayed through the 50 countries where persecution is at its worst. You will have cared well for the global church.