On Sunday December 23rd, Joel Osteen was interviewed by host Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. Politics came up and Wallace asked Osteen what he thought about Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. The subject then turned to Mormonism. Here is the transcript of the conversation.
WALLACE: And what about Mitt Romney? And I’ve got to ask you the question,
because it is a question whether it should be or not in this campaign, is a
Mormon a true Christian?OSTEEN: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said that he believes in Christ as his savior, and that’s what I believe, so, you know, I’m not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are. And so, you know, Mitt Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me, and I don’t think he would — anything would stop me from voting for him if that’s what I felt like.
WALLACE: So, for instance, when people start talking about Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, and the golden tablets in upstate New York, and God assumes the shape of a man, do you not get hung up in those theological issues?
OSTEEN: I probably don’t get hung up in them because I haven’t really studied them or thought about them. And you know, I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don’t know. I certainly can’t say that I agree with everything that I’ve heard about it, but from what I’ve heard from Mitt, when he says that Christ is his savior, to me that’s a common bond.
Common bond? This is frightening. Joel Osteen is the pastor of the largest church in America, is seen on TV world-wide by millions of people and then goes and speaks on a subject he admits to know nothing about. He is so concerned about not offending or judging anyone that he inadvertently leads people astray with his ignorance.
I have been asked in the past why I am not a fan of Joel Osteen. Here is why; I believe a pastor is more than a positive, motivational speaker. Pastors are suppose to preach the WHOLE gospel, both the good news and the bad. The good news make no sense unless one understands the bad news. Osteen doesn’t like to preach about sin, but has failed to understand that without the knowledge of what sin is and how it offends God, we will still be lost in them. I can think all the positive thoughts in the world and turn my life into a worldly success, but unless I face the bad news, the good news will do me no good.
Pastors are to be teachers. Before one can teach, you need to know the difference between truth and error. To do that, you must first be willing to identify error. This is impossible to do unless you are willing to judge. In our politically correct society, judging is taboo and condemns the “judger” as one who is intolerant of others. Has it ever occurred to Osteen that by refusing to judge, he is also refusing to identify error and hence has no right to preach truth? You cannot declare something to be true without also identifying the opposite as false.
Pastors are supposed to protect their flocks. I don’t know any other way to put it than to say that Mormonism is a wolf. Sure, individual Mormons may be nice, moral, family loving people, but the system of belief is an abomination. Any belief system which teaches that men are Gods in embryo is straight from the pit of hell itself. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and must be identified as the danger that it is before more sheep are fooled into the wolf’s den.
Any shepherd who refuses to first identify danger and then protect his sheep from the wolves does not deserve the responsibility of being a pastor. In contrast to what we see happening with Joel Osteen, praise God for the Great Shepherd who was willing to lay down His life for His sheep. There is a passage of scripture which comes to mind and I think it fits this situation perfectly. John 10:11-15 states;
I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
To see the conversation yourself, go to the Fox News web site. The part of the conversation about Mormonism is from 3:17 to 2:39 . It is possible to fast forward to that spot.
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