No Politics From This Pulpit

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  • Posted By: Pamela1961 @ 02/10/2008 5:58:19 AM

    P.S. the reason we have so many extremist in the Muslim faith is because they have turned into politicians. It is a very dangerous road to cross. The Rev. Osteen is just that a Minister. He knows that is his calling and not politics. Why would he want to pick a political party when his ministry serves all. Our country created a separation of church and state for this very reason. Freedom of religion should and does rein in this country as it should be. It is up to each individual to make their own decisions as God has deemed by giving us choice.

  • Posted By: sayitboldly @ 01/29/2008 6:41:35 PM

    501 c churches are compromised they sell out to tax free money instead of trusting God and standing for truth...they bow to non tax status and compromise doctrine and impact in world

    • Posted By: mariaowens03 @ 02/09/2008 11:03:40 PM

      I am been impressed upon to start ministry and we started in our home, first with bible study on wednesday night and then sunday morning service. We were reading up on 501c churches and tax cuts, etc. and after reading all that I decided that I cannot sell out to the worlds government system to be a god over what God has called me to do. So I am truly trusting God to sustain our ministry. On another note I do not want to judge Mr. Osteen, because there are many lives that he is being used to change and it is also up to each individual to read the bible and gain a relationship themselves with God.

  • Posted By: enemyofthestate @ 02/08/2008 4:55:53 PM

    First and foremost,perhaps whoever wrote this article should learn about their own country! This is NOT a Democracy! This country is a REPUBLIC, read the Constitution. Democracy ALWAYS fails!. There has never been one in the history of the world that has ever succeeded, and this one is on the fast track out because men and women have been deceived into beliving a LIE. And as far as the comment from kmphx3, why then do Churches Incorporate?? They DONT need permission from a foreign entity to operate, the foreign being the IRS.! Why do you think they will be able to force HATE crime legislation down the Churches throat, because they are creations of the STATE. Wake up people and come out of her, the Corporate Church that is. If you really wanted to give to GOD in the form of tithes and offerings, you wouldnt be waiting at the end of the year to get it back from the IRS!

  • Posted By: nyborn @ 01/26/2008 11:04:36 AM

    I would like to make a fact known. So many people seem to think that separation of church and state is in the Constitution, it's not. It was from a letter from Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists. Oh and by the way, anyone that refers to the war as illegal or President Bush as war mongering maybe look at where you stood when we first went in, then get back to me. Most if not all the country was for it then things get hard and people start waving the flag, the white one.

    • Posted By: kmphx2003 @ 02/08/2008 4:12:21 PM

      Thank you so much for stating that the idea of separation of church and state in not in the Constitution. There is no article, amendment, or anything else in it that states it. It's a shame that the media and others have pushed it down so many throats believing it to be the truth when it wasn't . Also, thank you for serving this country. The troops never get enough credit for the work that is done. No one likes war, but regardless of political affiliation or whether or not the war is agreed upon, the troops, their jobs, and families should be supported until it is finished.

    • Posted By: Dave in NM @ 01/26/2008 11:12:55 AM

      Ahh, the "surrender" argument. So if you break into someone's house, rape their children and destroy what you don't steal, leaving out the door you came in is "surrendering?"

      /The Constitution does prohibit the official establishment of religion

      //Many of us, myself included, recognized the war for what it was from the beginning

      • Posted By: nyborn @ 01/26/2008 4:29:14 PM

        Did we have some bad information, yes. After we destabalized the country, is it right to leave them to fend for themselves with the other wolves in the region? No. Having been there I can tell you were things bad when I was there, yes! I felt bad for the people. Is it better with additional troops yes. Explain the recent decrease and stabalization and tell me why cutting tail and running is the best plan? Oh and oranges and apples doesn't work. WMD and all that stuff aside I know what we're doing is the right thing because I saw how Saddam lived and how he treated people and heard the stories Iraqis would tell us. They waited at our gate fof daily jobs because thier country had none. I saw the way the kids waited for the convoys for toys and food we could spare.

        • Posted By: Dave in NM @ 01/26/2008 5:05:04 PM

          You're switching horses midstream. You started by saying "everyone was for the war at first, now you want to quit when it gets difficult." Now you're saying we started the war on "bad information," without admitting that that essentially amounts to a illegal war run by an administration that intentionally manipulated the evidence. Saying how bad Saddam was, and how happy the kids are to see the convoys, is just plain changing the subject. (Of course, it's all pretty far afield from the topic at hand, which is church/state separation.)

          All that being said, I want to add that, however we feel about the war, the vast majority of progressives are VERY much on the side of the troops. You guys didn't create this situation, and I know the vast majority of you are doing a very hard job well. I'm grateful that you volunteered to serve your (our) country.

  • Posted By: sbond @ 01/28/2008 6:36:30 PM

    peace and love wrote, "It is urgent that those of us who feel that far right conservatism has ruined our country MUST get out to vote. Politicians who are against this - Democrats - have the responsibility to get the majority view into power. We currently have a President who speaks to Jesus and then makes decisions for the country. Between the war and the economy that has obviously not been a good choice for us as Americans. I'm voting for whoever is running against the GOP candidate"

    Would you rather that the president didn't speak to God?? Guess again, we as a country would be worse off without a leader taking spiritual advise from God. If you have a better solutions, lets hear it, please.


    • Posted By: favone @ 02/05/2008 11:45:33 AM

      You will know them by their fruits, and if the man in the white house now is talking with God, there is no evidence of it.

  • Posted By: PeeJay @ 02/03/2008 10:48:16 AM

    I agree with Pastor Osteen, there should not be politics in the pulpit. The pastor, through teaching the word of God & sharing the spirit of Christ, helps us make the right decisions, but should not make our decisions for us. Each of us should make his or her own decisions, political or otherwise, by listening to the voice of God within our own hearts. This is why the Lord gives us free will. We need to be convicted of what is right, which comes from the voice & spirit of God in each of us, rather than from what another person, even a church leader, tells us. The Pastor???s voice is there to guide us to the voice of God, not to substitute for it. Pastor???s are human beings & as fallible as any one of us. When we listen only to the voice of a religious leader on any issue, unless the leader is a true prophet of God, we are usually receiving the word of God not full strength, but diluted. This is because it first goes through the understanding & interpretation of another human being. There is value in what our Pastors teach us, but we must constantly subject it to the litmus test of the Truth as the Spirit of God reveals it directly to us daily, and listen to the still small voice of God inside.

  • Posted By: robparks @ 01/31/2008 2:41:42 AM

    You should be politacal from pulpit but not takes sides , because we are on on side Jesus, Chirstians values should be expressed whether your a Dem. or Rep. There are no sides in Chirstainty theres just Jesus , Romans Chapter 13 is a exmaple of Good goverment. If we have obtain salvation by Grace and have Faith in the Life, The Death on the Cross, and Ressurrection. In each of us. The current goverment will look foolish , we have the power , history shows that , Christ through His Spirit brought down the Roman Empire.MMMM , I think Joel should do a Study on Romans to understand this. Its not about the canaidite its about God.

  • Posted By: patsykdavis @ 01/29/2008 1:46:11 AM

    Jesus is still on the throne and He is all we need. If more people would give as much time to prayer for our country as they do to their opinions and views, this nation would be a much better place. I agree with Brother Osteen and his late father, that church not the place for politics. It is a holy place, to reverent and worship God , for all the blessing he has given us and to win more soles to Christ.. Worship and Praise to God in itself will keep us in His grace. We are not the leaders...If you wanted to run this country according to you thoughts and opinions, then why didn't you run for president? Maybe Brother Osteen would vote for you. Let's just pray for our leaders and give our prasies to God . As Brother Osteen has said many times..."God is in control" He is the ONE we need to be talking to. Would you talk to the flight attendant about how a plane you were on is being handled? Our president is our hope and we must pray for his guidance... but God is our KNOW. Thanks

  • Posted By: sbond @ 01/28/2008 6:28:30 PM

    Joel you are by far the best minister for today's christian. I love to hear you preach and to hear your wife encourage people. Thank you for supporting the separation of church and politics. You are a great example as a minister.

  • Posted By: princessssss @ 01/28/2008 6:08:48 PM

    joel you are so wise at listening to your father and god the father as well i am proud of you

  • Posted By: peace and love @ 01/26/2008 11:15:33 AM

    The fact that Mr. Bush lied about the war affected the way Americans looked at the war. How can anyone make a choice is our leaders are full of lies? I personally and many I knew were against invading another country. We knew we would eventually leave with our tails between our legs just like Viet Nam. This is what we face now. For those who still support the lying corrupt administration, you just haven't been paying attention.

    • Posted By: nyborn @ 01/26/2008 4:38:28 PM

      I have paid attention more than most as I've been involved front line with it in Iraq. You think we want to be there? NO! Do we want to be seperated from our families? NO! Do we belive we must see this through til they can stand on thier own as a country? YES! Don't assume that we are blind we have our opinions but we can lay them aside to accomplish the mission, unlike Somolia. I just remember when the elctions were held here in America and the Democrats took control the first question on all the locals minds was: are you leaving? (mean the US miltary) They were very worried and upset of the idea that we might leave at that time. Wow, after some of the statements made here about rape and destruction it would seem that those people would want us out of there as quick as possible.

  • Posted By: flow4et @ 01/26/2008 2:15:03 PM

    It was refreshing to see a man of God reminding us of the true purpose of the church. Its so tiring to see so many ministers abusing the tax exempt status of thier temples by using their pulpits as platforms from which to become involved in the affairs of Ceasar.

  • Posted By: OnTheRightSIde @ 01/26/2008 11:06:55 AM

    Well, This does not surprise me for Mr. Olsten. He is as lukewarm on politics as he is the Gospel. It it might ofend a potential giver or book buyer.....don't do it.

  • Posted By: peace and love @ 01/26/2008 10:54:52 AM

    It is urgent that those of us who feel that far right conservatism has ruined our country MUST get out to vote. Politicians who are against this - Democrats - have the responsibility to get the majority view into power. We currently have a President who speaks to Jesus and then makes decisions for the country. Between the war and the economy that has obviously not been a good choice for us as Americans. I'm voting for whoever is running against the GOP candidate

    • Posted By: Dave in NM @ 01/26/2008 11:04:46 AM

      Yes - this! Every election, it becomes more crucial that we get these people out of power. It's intensely frustrating to see continued support for their politics among people who purport to love this country (and have the gall to pretend the rest of us don't). Truly loving this country, and its core ideals, means voting against neoconservative theocrats, period.

  • Posted By: Dave in NM @ 01/26/2008 10:35:49 AM

    A point that is almost universally lost in these discussions is the fact that the separation of church and state was intended, not only to protect the people from the tyranny of the church, but to protect the church from the corruption of governance. This has obviously taken place among the hyper-conservative segments of Protestantism that have come to the fore since the Reagan-era integration of religion and government. Gone is the emphasis on kindness, modest living and acceptance, replaced by a mean-spirited adversarial approach toward women and gays, rampant materialism (austerity doesn't sell!) and a means-justify-the-end approach toward politics and world affairs. It's a disgusting perversion of the Bible's teachings, and living proof that the founders of this country were right in constructing the wall between church and state.

    (No, I don't believe religion was ever immune to the lust for power; I just think modern political conservatism has dragged politics and religion to new depths.)

  • Posted By: kortzfunke @ 01/26/2008 10:10:36 AM

    And do not even get me started with the catholics and their priests and how much they have done to protect children that have been born or make the world a better place.. Religion should remain private and low key and people should be politicized and wake up. AKF

  • Posted By: peace and love @ 01/26/2008 8:46:54 AM

    Christians believe that religion is okay in government as long as it's THEIR religion. They aren't so sure/welcoming if another religion appears.

    Religion and politics don't mix. Individual beliefs guide individuals. Keep it out of government.

  • Posted By: ndolan622 @ 01/25/2008 11:35:12 PM

    I have always enjoyed Joel Osteen! And I was baptized Catholic!

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