What’s God Got to Do With It?

Her relationship advice is retrograde dross. Submit to your man, or at least pretend, and then do what you want.

By Lisa Miller | NEWSWEEK
Published Oct 11, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Oct 20, 2008

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  • Posted By: Ublanketyblank @ 01/24/2009 4:37:45 PM

    Isn't there a criteria for determining if a historical figure actually existed?

  • Posted By: cngrewal @ 01/03/2009 9:27:07 AM

    @F7711- I am willing to believe you if you can prove that in fact, there was no Jesus or God. Please elaborate.

  • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 10/24/2008 9:25:58 PM

    And Joel Osteen looks like a simple hayseed fresh from the country of bumpkin-land who is shrewdly, crudely chasing profits from his own platitudes - passing them off as religious advice and wisdom.

    Osteen's next book should be "Religion for Dummies" as that is truly what they're in the business of spreading.

    • Posted By: ducksinthewind @ 12/09/2008 1:55:15 PM

      "Religion For Dummies" by the Rev. Hayseed would be due out in the spring, except it would contain too much truth.

  • Posted By: bwseattle @ 12/09/2008 1:35:32 PM

    Lisa Miller is not qualified to write anything about the Bible. She does not understand it if she has ever read it. As far as the Osteen's go, p[eople would be better off reading their Bible than listening to them.

  • Posted By: F7711 @ 11/28/2008 11:13:09 PM

    Who cares, it's all B.S. anyway,there never was any Jesus,God ,or any of it.

  • Posted By: the prof @ 11/06/2008 8:31:58 AM

    Well i dont sell many books but there is a basic premise here that is the flky in the ointment. The shirt tails of daddy preacher go a long way. All ou have to do is feed the people what they want. most people called christians do not know waht is in the Bible and even fewer fo them understand the cost or understand the relationship enough to give them true or relised purrpose. It is a fire escape christianity. But God can use and will use anybody to acheive His higher purpose even donkeys.

  • Posted By: Mikabenton @ 11/05/2008 7:31:52 PM

    It sounds like you have a lot to learn about the teachings of Jesus.

  • Posted By: bdelmun @ 10/29/2008 11:27:13 AM

    Oh really, I will buiy Victoria's book to find out.

  • Posted By: Willian C DeMuth @ 10/28/2008 10:44:08 AM

    This reminds me of some George Romero movie, and Holy Moly! I didn???t realize the extent of the infection

    I had better get back to work on my bunker, it seems the Christian psycho babble has broken out of the red neck enclaves and is spreading.

    Just remember zombies are the only true born again, and they want your BRAINS!

    • Posted By: NewsBill1 @ 10/28/2008 10:52:26 AM

      I have bad news - this Christian has a Master's degree and comes from the city. Please don't confuse someone who is trying to truly and humbly follow Christ with many who call themselves "Christians"

  • Posted By: NewsBill1 @ 10/28/2008 10:40:55 AM

    This is just further evidence that Christians are to be Christ followers and live lives submitted to the Bible. However the author of this article should be careful because like most of the media - she talks out of both sides of her mouth, first she complains that the Osteens are 'spiritual midgets" and then concludes by quoting Victoria again regarding Joel's commitimet to reading the Bible. Which is it? I personally have never met a "spiritual giant" only people who thought they were.

  • Posted By: blueangelunaware @ 10/18/2008 7:43:46 AM

    With all going on in our country, could Newsweek not come up with something more to print than trying to trash Joel O. My 87 year old mother listens to his uplifting, love of Christ message everyday and it lifts her spirits and sets a tone of joy for the day. Why trash someone without knowing the scope of their contribution to our troubled country?

    • Posted By: Willian C DeMuth @ 10/28/2008 10:36:45 AM

      Exactly for the reason you have mentioned. These clowns are parasites who mooch off the old and the ignorant.

  • Posted By: goodnews1 @ 10/25/2008 4:44:38 PM

    What's the difference between Victoria Osteen vs. Ann Landers/Martha Stewart/Oprah? A few Bible verses extracted from their context.

  • Posted By: krohn2 @ 10/22/2008 5:02:34 PM

    FactCheck.Org is owned by the Annenberg group of Chicago! Talk about a conflict of interest! And Obama has been telling people on the trail to check out the site to verify his opponents claims. Funny, every time that he endorsed something, it turns out to be a part of his spin machine! Like he raised objections in the primaries when Indiana required photo I.D. to vote. He Protested that It took away people's right to vote! I
    knew then and there that he was up to no good! America, wake up from the MASS HYPNOSIS!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWTs1YyhFRg&feature=related

    • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 10/24/2008 9:19:30 PM

      Hey dummy - the Annenberg Foundation is conservative republican.

  • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 10/24/2008 9:18:37 PM

    The Osteens embody the vapid, shallow and anti-intellectual "religious" fervor raging across this country. I live in Houston and I think the Osteens are a "huge joke" myself - they're ostentacious, pretentious phonies who exploit the vapid who go to church chiefly to socialize and have coffee and donuts.

    What's God Got to Do With It, indeed!? A very apt title and a nice piece of writing from Lisa Miller.

    Americans would do well to cultivate a little healthy skepticism in their lives and stop buying into mega-churches and pastors who are so totally about entertainment, profiteering and building huge althetic facilities with Starbucks and Christian bookstores, etc... as if all this richesse is what Jesus would have expected and wanted if he should happen to visit. Just the frienly neighborhood bigots all banging their bibles and voting for Republicans.

    I myself am PRAYING that Obama wins the election by a landslide. WIll it come to pass? I'll take Victoria's shallow advice and keep on prayin'

  • Posted By: krohn2 @ 10/21/2008 12:20:13 AM

    This is so true about how the election is already bought and paid for:
    http://www.againstobama.com/2008/10/what-is-it-that-barack-obama-knows-that-the-rest-of-us-don%E2%80%99t/#comment-1929

  • Posted By: krohn2 @ 10/20/2008 8:50:35 PM

    Obama, the excuses are wearing thin. what excuse do you have for this one?:
    http://www.againstobama.com/2008/10/obama-praised-searing-and-timely-book-by-ayers/

  • Posted By: daisyduck7 @ 10/19/2008 8:36:54 PM

    I appreciate that there are people out there willing to get up on a stage and teach truth on a weekly basis. But so much of what the Osteens preach isn't truth! The Bible never says that if we pray we will get what we want. It makes no claims that the Christian life will be free from hardship. Look at the Apostle Paul- his life was anything but easy. So many "Christians" these days preach a gospel of "name it and claim it". God is made out to be the puppet and we are the master puppeteers. When in reality, it is the other way around. We serve HIM. We are HIS workmanship created in God's image to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10) In order to have a true impact on our world Christians need to get back to the Scriptures as the sole authority. Feeling good about oneself does nothing if it is a feeling that is not rooted in truth. Instead of simply giving a false pretense to feel uplifted, let's uncover the problems so that they can be fixed!

  • Posted By: camoyers @ 10/19/2008 5:19:26 PM

    Praise God for the individuals that have posted comments in support of Joel and Victoria. Let's not suppose to know how God is using them in the lives of many. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

  • Posted By: DanlBoone @ 10/18/2008 1:33:18 PM

    Christians do well to take Joel Osteen's messages as as uplifting 'pep-talks' rather than Bible teaching per se. He's encouraging, but should move Christians toward a deeper Bible study rather than drawing doctrine from his talks.

  • Posted By: the admiral @ 10/18/2008 4:18:32 AM

    If you go to Lakewood you will see an amazingly diverse congregation and you will feel the spirit of God at worship. To see reporters with an axe to grind dismiss this ministry is a crime. In Houston, this Church has a great reputation, they don't actively solicit money, and they give back to the community. The lawsuit that is referenced is a huge joke around Houston, a gold digger stewardess trying to make a buck and she lost.











































    buck.

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