Alternet – by Travis Gettys, Raw Story
Joel Osteen’s reputation was submerged in the wreckage left behind by Hurricane Harvey — and at least one pastor says the televangelist got what he deserved.
John Pavlovitz, head of North Raleigh Community Church in North Carolina, said the “prosperity gospel” minister had discredited his faith by tweeting out banal platitudes as locals mosques and furniture stores offered shelter from the hurricane that flooded Houston.
“You’ve experienced the wrath of millions of people who watched the week unfold and determined they were witnessing in you and your megachurch’s response to the hurricane—everything they believe is wrong about organized Christianity,” Pavlovitz said, “its self-serving greed, its callousness, its tone-deafness in the face of a hurting multitude, its lack of something that looks like Jesus.”
The North Carolina pastor said Osteen’s critics had found his social media expressions of “thoughts and prayers” hollow and disingenuous, and they were disgusted by his self-serving excuses for his “late and underwhelming act of kindness performed under duress.”
“Don’t wait for an invitation, you don’t wait to be shamed by strangers, and you don’t make excuses,” he said.
“I imagine you feel like this has been a rough week,” Pavlovitz wrote. “It hasn’t. You’ve had the week you probably should have had, all this considered. You’ve had the week that was coming long before rain ever started falling in Houston.”
He urged Osteen to learn from the experience and understand why his critics have questioned his theology.
“They rightly recognized that mansions are not places that servant leaders emulating this humble, foot-washing Jesus occupy,” Pavlovitz wrote. “They correctly saw the massive chasm between the ever-grinning, your ship is coming in, name it and claim it prosperity promise that is your bread and butter—and the difficult, painful, sacrificial ‘you will have trouble’ life that Jesus and those who followed him lived in the Gospels.”
The pastor hoped Osteen would follow the example set by his fellow Houstonians and turn away from his “coddled, cozy, stock photo existence.”
“You had a difficult week, but you are safe and dry, and despite the criticism and pushback, blessed with more abundance than most people will ever know,” Pavlovitz wrote. “That’s good news for you. I don’t hold any of that against you.”
“The even better news, Pastor Osteen, is that you are alive,” he added. “You are still here and you have a chance now to show people that Christianity is far more than their greatest fears about it, much better than the worst they’ve seen of Christians, and more beautiful than the ugliness they’ve experienced in the Church.”
I WOULDN’T TALK…. SINCE THERE ARE NO DAMNED “PASTORS” IN THE NEW TESTAMENT EITHER………… THE POT SCREAMING AT THE KETTLE, THE WONDERFUL “LESSER OF TWO EVILS” THAT PUT US WHERE WE ARE………… JUST ANOTHER FILTHY TRASHY SONOFABITCH………………………….. YALL WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED? THE SAME PEOPLE THAT TWISTED AND DISREGARDED THE NEW TESTAMENT, ARE THE SAME ONES THAT TWIST AND DISREGARD THE BILL OF RIGHTS…………………………….
Yeah, true dat, and yet I welcome anything that exposes that jewelry-flashin’, mansion- dwellin’ forked-tongue speaker of lies with a selfish heart. I know it’s all mixed up, but we can’t let the other bastards get in our way.
And now, I just had a light bulb moment about that word I typed above: jewelry. Interesting first syllable. Kinda ties in with what you said about twisting and disregarding. Full circle, eh?
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LMAO!!!
YA GO THAT DIDJA????
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I RECOGNIZED THAt…. i almost fell outta my damn chair……
Yeah, a dead give-away.
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Ephesians 4: 8, 11, 12, 13
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:”
pastor- poimen, shepperd, pastor
THATS FINE, AND I’LL ACCEPT THAT…………. IF YOU CAN SHOW ME THE LAW CONCERNING “PASTORS”…………I MEAN…… IF WE HAVE IT FOR “ELDERS AND DEACONS……………”
Qualifications for these gift ministries which are for the service to the body would be that these individuals are called (kletos- called or invited) of God and servants of Jesus Christ, not self appointed. Just as Paul an apostle was called and sent out by God and His Son Jesus Christ to proclaim the gospel of God concerning Jesus Christ, the purpose being for the perfecting(complete furnishing and equipping) of the saints.
Other than this, you’ll have to speak to the author, God.
This is just another reason I quit going to church. Years ago I got sick and tired of all the hypocrisy found in all modern day religions. The way I look at it is that you don’t need four walls to tell me that I’m in the house of God. My church is inside of me in my heart. Besides, Jesus didn’t need a church, he was the church!
I haven’t seen Coral for years. This morning I look up and there’s Coral, working at the IGA at the cash register. I said how come you’re not at church? She said, no, I’m working here Sundays now. So I asked, no more church on Sunday? She just smiled and pointed at her head. I knew exactly what she meant. Just what you just said.
Mazeratti Ministers and Porche Preachers.
“If Jesus saves, he better save himself, from gory glory seekers, who use name in death.” Ian Anderson-Jethro Tull
Fake-ass Christians.
Thank god it was a pastor that unleashed un-holy hell on him.
Because if it was a pastor that unleashed holy hell on him.
He would have tracked down Joel and punched him in right in the chesticles.
A restaurant owner, a friend of ours, made up 2 large pans of food and took them to the donate place for hurricane victims only to have the food dumped out by inspectors, then the name of the restaurant put on a list, then a visit was payed by inspectors, the restaurant was written up for “violations.”
Mind you, many more restaurants that donated food had the food dumped, payed a visit, etc..
The friend/owner that we personally know was rightfully angry, and said they’ll never do this again.
God bless you a Katie.
That was good on the ground testament.
If I could write a song now through your information.
I would entitle it.
“Crying Shame”
flee, very appropriate name!
Thank you.
Just to let you know.
I’m on online web comment probation.
I talked to the online web god and goddess today.
I guess probation is better than moderation.
One more strike and I’ll be out.
I’m in a comedy group home halfway rehab house now.
So I have to be on my best behavior.
I still love you though.
That rehab house ain’t never gonna be the same.
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That’s a heart-breaking story, Katie. How stupid the world has become. And if they use the excuse that they have to throw out all donated food because it might be unsafe, well, are they gonna close every restaurant down? Big Brother is a bitch!! Wasting food is a sin. Denying loving kindness, neighbor-to-neighbor, is a mortal sin. Feed the hungry!!
🙁
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Agreed.
‘ and said they’ll never do this again.’ what did he mean by this….he will never prepare food for the needy again?
She won’t do it this way with inspectors swarming. The food never got to the needy through these channels, dumped out, all of it.
She’s a giver so she’ll find other avenues.
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/area-immigrants-aid-victims-of-harvey-flooding/article_ef09aa57-f8be-5ccc-9ea8-9b297bdbc06c.html
Angel, thank you.
🙂
Another way to help (though not food for humans):
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/still-creek-ranch-hosts-horses-belonging-to-flood-victims/article_390e68ce-090c-5829-9d25-9b7e10438379.html
Oh.. man you ladies scare me.
So I have to pass info onto you.
If you study history.
I hate that word history.
It’s not my story..
It’s not her story
It’s His story.
But back in the greek legends.
And I can prove it.
There is still a ruined temple.
Made in her honor.
She was called the Oracle of Delphi.
And they still have a temple ruin in Greece in her name.
That’s where the so called rulers and rich noble men would seek her wisdom.
Well actually it was in a cave.
But they built a temple for her.
Look it up if you don’t believe me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilz8kYYjKwM
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for galen at 8:30 pm:
Pythia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia
http://www.ancient.eu/Pythia/
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/pythia-oracle-delphi-001641
http://kofv.org/daughters-of-vartan/about-us
they were a sponsor from the article in your link, interesting….
Armenian Sisterhood having invocations in Boston :
https://postimg.org/image/97sm4z939/
https://postimg.org/image/ns9ozt41x/
Come to my church to pay respect to the lord and don’t forget to pay your tithes. I’m an not rich enough, so every penny counts!
Matthew 19 : 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Did anyone notice the fleet of buses the pastor from NC had gotten to bring people to his church from Houston?
Neither did I.
A Liberace lookalike who worships Satan.
take the eye off the weather manipulation and have the preachers duking it out…..JD: “it’s all theater folks”
I can’t post this as a stand alone piece due to the copyright. However, I want to share it with y’all, so here it is:
“Houston’s homeless shrug off riding out Harvey on streets”
http://www.cleveland19.com/story/36280828/houstons-homeless-shrug-off-riding-out-harvey-on-streets
http://www.churchofchristpreaching.com/audio/GiftsOfHolySpirit.mp3
Koyote, this preacher says that “when that which is perfect is come”(I Cor. 13:10) refers to the new testament, the new testament being that which is perfect.
Is not the book of Corinthians part of the new testament?
Is the new testament still in progress, still being written?
The epistles/letters were written and circulated among the churches, therefor, Corinthians also would have been circulated throughout the churches.