Popular Minister Joel Osteen Accused of Misusing Bible Scripture

By RobertMWorsham (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By RobertMWorsham (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Jim Denison says the new Joel Osteen book is a misuse of scripture.

Joel Osteen, the Christian minister, talked about his book, The Power of I Am, in a Stephen Colbert hosted show. Colbert, who himself has an excellent knowledge of the bible, instantly noted that God has described himself as “I Am” (Exodus 3.14). However, it turned out that the book concerned another kind of subject matter.

Popular Minister Joel Osteen Accused of Misusing Bible Scripture[/tweetthis]

Osteen said that this book will assist people to stop thinking any negative thoughts concerning themselves. The minister explained that people frequently focus on their negative traits when they should really concentrate on positive thoughts. He asserted that many a time we speak negative things concerning ourselves.

When Jim Denison of Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, a “think tank” identifying themselves as non-sectarian, read the book, he found out that the Bible was misused while writing the modern time. Denison promptly wrote an article reminding Joel Osteen of the vital theological maxim that the Bible could never ever mean what was never actually meant. He said that to understand what was written in the scripture, the reader must find out what was originally meant and apply the same to his or her life. Only through this process can one understand the full power and wisdom of the word of God.

To give an example, it is written in Deuteronomy 15 that Hebrew slaves must be set free every seventh year. In the book, Osteen cites this example to explain contemporary challenges. He had recommended that readers of his book must shed any limitation they suffer from in their seventh year. It is to be noted that Biblical text has no link with the modern world problems.

The Christian minister cites Philippians 1:28. In this portion Paul exhorts readers to be unafraid of their opponents. This statement by the apostle has been taken by Osteen who says sickness will not hamper any person's destiny. It should be kept in mind that opponents mentioned in Paul's text were people who was opposed to things written in the gospel. It does not reference personal or physical problems at all.

The bottom line is that Joel Osteen wants every person to experience the gracious provision of God. He has misused the scripture to push forward a worthy goal. However scripture misuse is done to advance such a goal. It follows that the Bible is absolute or obsolete.

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