Thinking about Faith
I just read this impressive criticism of Joel Osteen’s latest book. This is not meant as a forum for bashing our favorite “target”; I chose Osteen because he is a famous public figure for Christianity. What I want to know is, how do we as a church determine what is acceptable teaching and what is unacceptable?
Re: Thinking about Faith
Funny… I never even heard of the guy until someone mentioned him to me a year or so ago and I am not sure I want to learn much more… just not interested. Over the years, I have been a big part of some movements that really became targets for fellow Christians (like the “Bible Answer Man”) to throw tomatoes. It was odd to hear to what they said compared to what we experienced and knew from the inside. God can do some really unusual things sometimes… that is why they are called “signs and wonders”… they really make us wonder as God tweaks our minds.
Maybe a better question
Who are some Christian authorities that you trust or have helped you grow in your faith? This can be anybody from C. S. Lewis to Rob Bell to VeggieTales.
Conversely, who are some Christian celebrities that you think others should avoid?
For me, the NET Bible offers a new level of insight into the Bible. The translators have provided copious notes (about two notes for each verse in the Bible) explaining their train of thought in rendering the original languages into English. These notes are designed to be accessible to people at various levels of biblical knowledge.
Matthew “Skippy” Tuck
“Life is deep and simple, and what our society gives us is shallow and complicated.” Fred Rogers
That's one I'll hit up....
Skippy-
Good question!
You stole some of my thunder; C.S. Lewis has been a wellspring of inspiration and knowledge for me. “Mere Christianity,” and my favorite, “Screwtape Letters” changed my life. Both are easily in my top ten books.
I also throughly enjoyed the imagery of Jesus as a lion, in the Narnia series. Powerful, wild, and a king. I was so used to the “nice guy” Jesus our culture paints, that it changed my whole view of our Savior.
I just finished Philip Yancey’s book “The Jesus I Never Knew.” And, as I just learned, penned all the commentary in my student Bible. Another great writer.
Nigel-
Why Christianity?
Any recommended literature that addresses (answers?) this question directly?
YBFAM,
Dean Floyd
Lion of the tribe of Judah
Narnia… “He is good but he is NOT a tame lion”. I loved the Narnia series… also screwtape letters… “Pilgrims Progress” really grabbed me too… also “Fox’s Book of Martyrs”… Josephus’s account of the fall of Jerusalem in AD70 rocked my world… I can never get it out of my head. Now I know why Jesus was so grieved for Jerusalem and told them to head for the hills when the Roman army started setting up camp around the city… he saw it coming… also John Wimber, John Arnott, and Mike Bickle have influenced me a lot.
good stuff
Anything by Tooser will keep you up at night, maybe for weeks, and challenge your preconceived ideas about faith, (in a good way) As far as contemporary writers I love John Piper. And it is a little light but wonderfully poetic - and it just lifts my spirits to read Max Lucado.
Do we serve a "Two cookie God"?
I found this remarkable simple teaching by a local guy that I have been talking with and it really hit my wife and I…
http://gschwend.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/the-two...
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Don Miller, Rick McKinley,
Don Miller, Rick McKinley, Rob Bell, C.S. Lewis, and R.C. Sproul.
As far as your question about who we let shepherd us in print, I dunno bro… but that’s a great question. I know for some people Rob Bell is a heretic and for others a spring of inspiration. Personally I ask folks around me who are well read for advice on a new author. If I come across something new that influences my thinking I ALWAYS give a copy to someone I trust to read and compare notes with… plus books are much more fun when discussed, don’t you think?
Book Recommendations & Our Brother Joel Osteen
I read one Christian book after the other and have done so for years. So I have read a lot Christian books. The best author/teacher I have encountered is Brennan Manning, who in my opinion is on a different spiritual and heart level than most…he really seems to understands the heart of the message of Jesus and gets it across powerfully and poetically. Next is Townsend & Cloud who are excellent teachers of the truth of the principles of God and how to apply them in everyday relational situations. Here are the best of the best in my opinion:
The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning
Boundaries, Townsend & Cloud
How People Grow, Townsend & Cloud
And any book by the above authors…
As for our brother Joel Osteen, most who know me know that I am a Bible based Christian and am very focused on messages being Christ-centered. So it may surprise you that I love the teaching and ministry of Joel Osteen. This is because Joel has the gifting of encouragement and faith that have been so lacking in the modern Christian church and in our world…he is telling everyone the good news that God LOVES THEM and IS FOR THEM…and that with faith God can powerfully change their lives. And he walks his talk. I had my doubts because of the seeming focus on “properity gospel” and not enough said about the fundamentals of our faith - the cross and resurrection of Jesus. However, when he came to San Jose this summer a group of us went to check him out. I don’t have time in this blog to tell you all the wonderful things that I experienced there, but suffice to say that I felt that God let me know that Joel is the real deal. He is humble, authentic, and has a great heart for God and is reaching a huge amount of people who would not otherwise be reached and encouraging them to get into their local churches, etc…I could go on and on. We should probably talk off-line. Let’s just say I stand with my brother Joel and believe he is an example of an ordinary guy who is stepping up in faith into his particular calling and making a huge impact…and that is an encouragement for all of us ordinary people if we would just have the courage to do the same with our own gifting. PS. I love Joel’s first book and recommend it, but haven’t read his second one yet. I will soon…but am pretty sure I will love it too.