Obama's Decision to be a Christian

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In Barack Obama's book, the Audacity of Hope, he wrote, "During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school and then to a predominately Muslim school. In our household, the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf."

But he states that his mother was skeptical of religion, so as a result, he said, "I was not raised in a religious household."

He goes on to write about his experience as a community organizer for churches in Chicago and says that he was repeatedly asked to join various Christian congregations.

But, he wrote, "I remained a reluctant skeptic, doubtful of my own motives, wary of expedient conversion, having too many quarrels with God to accept a salvation too easily won."

He goes on to claim that after much soul searching, he was baptized at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Soul Searching? Today he was in Egypt touting his Muslim background. Not a word about being a soul-searching Christian. Today, it was more convenient to be Muslim.

I suspect that in reality, joining a large Christian church in Chicago was a political move. It was one way to network with a large number of constituents. His "soul searching," it seems to me, consisted of assessing which of the several churches asking him to join them would benefit him politically the most. In the end he decided on a church that had a sharp political edge and attracted angry voters; a place that would best help Obama reach his goals. He did not choose a church that focused on the goals of Jesus Christ.

This is further evidenced in another quote from the book, in which he describes his decision;

"It came about as a choice and not an epiphany; the questions I had did not magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth."

Most people, when truly submitting to God's will, dedicate themselves to serving Him. That's the whole point. True submission = humbling servitude. It's a decision to serve Him even if one doesn't fully understand God's reasoning and purpose. Obama states that he was only willing to continue asking questions, dedicating himself only to "discovering His truth." Whatever that means, and however long that takes.

No, we're not supposed to be judging the hearts of others. But we are supposed to be wise, keeping an eye out for wolves and charlatans, watching their fruit in order to discern their spirit. Just as with Joel Osteen and his ilk, President Obama is a salesman. He doesn't seem to understand the deity and purpose of Jesus Christ, nor the purpose of Scripture, nor the purpose of Christians.

Again, pay close attention to God's warnings in Matt 7:15, Acts 20:29, Romans 16:18, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, and 2 Peter 2-3.
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Joel Osteen - a Charlatan?

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"All people can reach their God given potential of health, wealth and happiness," Joel Osteen preaches. He tells women to tell themselves;"Ten years from now I will be married." and "He's going to be rich and good looking!"

OMGosh. Is this guy a salesman? It is true that God blesses. He has blessed me and my family on many occassions. But God's blessings for our family have always been directly connected to the furtherance of HIS plan and ministry, not mine.

For example, did He provide our family with an RV? Yes. But it was after prayer along this line: "Lord, we'd really like to minister at Juventud con Vision in Juarez, Mexico. But as you know, Roland has cancer throughout his bones. If it is your will that we minister in Juarez, please provide comfortable travel for Roland. If it isn't your will, please give us the grace to accept that and show us where and how you want us to minister. Thank you, Jesus."

Had we prayed for Roland's healing? Yes, many times and many ways. Now, we were patient to go ahead with living while waiting God's answer on that. Our prayer wasn't for our own self-indulgence. Our prayer was for God to provide one of the tools we needed in order to fulfill what it was that He wanted us to do.

Remember, God's purpose for us is clearly stated in Genesis 12:1-3 and restated throughout the entire Bible. God's children have a Great Commission - to be a light to the rest of the world, and preach the Word with the courage he provides through the Holy Spirit. And the Word, the Good News, The Gospel is this: that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to die for us in order to save us, despite the fact that we are all sinners and don't deserve his gift of salvation. We have been given the gift of salvation, and all we need to do is realize our sinfulness, humble ourselves, repent, ask for forgiveness, and accept His gift.

Osteen chooses to focus on gifts from God rather than sin. He rarely uses Scripture and instead, thinks he is a "life coach." A purported "Christian" life coach, yet doesn't use Scripture as a text.

At times, he has seemed to deny that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.

Sociologist Shayne Lee and historian Phillip Sinitiere state in their book, Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace, that "Osteen's widespread popularity comes from contextualizing Christianity to meet the existential needs and cultural tastes of contemporary Americans."

That's right. I see Osteen as a saleman and "Christian" events are his marketplace. Note the amount of money spent at his events, and remember that neither Jesus nor any of his true disciples required funds from their listeners. In fact, Jesus fed the lot of them - for free - simply because they needed to be fed.

No wonder Osteen doesn't understand the deity and purpose of Jesus Christ, nor the purpose of Scripture, nor the purpose of Christians. Osteen has never studied theology or even religion at a college of seminary. He attended Oral Roberts University for a short time, but apparently didn't take the theology courses while there.

People, pay close attention to God's warnings in Matt 7:15, Acts 20:29, Romans 16:18, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, and 2 Peter 2-3.
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