Posted on 11/22/2010 11:55:39 AM PST by Zender500
The View may not be a model of clear thinking but it probably offers a pretty good view of current cultural thinking—what might better be called “feelthink.” A few days ago, Joel Osteen was on the show to help kick off the Christmas season, but Barbara Walters immediately ambushed him with a question about homosexuality. Not for the first time, the ladies began showing off their expertise in Christian ethics. Walters: What about this pastor in Georgia who recently came out as gay? Joy Behar: It’s terrible that people use the Bible to condemn gays because it leads to bullying. And these people didn’t choose the way they are. Whoopi Goldberg: Doesn’t God say, “Nobody can judge you but me”? What business do we have judging another person’s lifestyle?
Any truck could drive through the gaping holes in their logic. To Walters: Do the actions of one pastor disprove all of Scripture and church history? To Behar: Are you saying that homosexuals should be pitied, then, because they can’t help it? Would their behavior be worse if it were a choice? To Goldberg: In the same Scripture that says, “don’t judge” you’ll find an awful lot of judgments. If you just ignore the ones you don’t like, it sounds like you might be judging God—is that a spot you want to be in? Instead of jumping into the truck cab and turning the ignition, Pastor Joel tiptoed around the issue, insisting that his church welcomes everybody: “But there’s the Scripture that we can’t necessarily change.” For him that’s a strong statement, but he’d been put in an impossible situation.
How about something like this: “You know, Barbara, I was invited on the show to talk about Christmas, and believe it or not, this ties in. The Bible clearly says that homosexuals are sinners—no, wait a minute, let me finish. It also says, just as clearly, that I am a sinner and so are you. But Jesus came in order to take our sins upon himself and let God judge them by judging Him. If we accept God’s judgment on our character and behavior, and believe that Jesus actually did what He said He would do, then we’ll be forgiven. That’s what Christmas is all about.”
No unbeliever is going to be persuaded by logical argument against any sin. What he needs is to be changed, and the gospel is the change agent. High-profile pastors who appear on talk shows should consider how the Apostle Paul could turn a riot, a philosophical forum, or a prison stay into a gospel sermon. In a post-Christian age, that would be a knack worth learning.
They couldn’t find a CAIR representative to harass about homosexuality?
Come on now. Some of us don’t have hot pokers sitting by the key board. Our eyes are at your mercy.
Cripes, Z....I just had lunch!
Note that rarely do they take a picture with all three bags in them at the same time. It always cracks the camera lens. You should see the number of lenses they use up during just one show if they accidentally get all three of them in a close-up.
Why do they want to talk about that particular sin anyway? There are plenty to choose from. They seem obsessed with it. I think that’s what I would have asked them. I would have said, “Is there something you ladies need to be counseled about? I’d be glad to do so, but maybe you want to do that in private, not on national tv”.
...or about women's rights, or about pedophilia, or about ecumenical outreach and religious freedom, or....the list goes on and on. Instead, they ask a Christian minister on to speak about the upcoming holidays and ambush him with the homosexual agenda.
Just like larceny, I don’t have to judge homosexuality. God already did and said it was a sin.
I want to hear again from Whoopi the difference between rape and rape-rape.
In Joel's defense, I happened to watch this live (yes, I don't know what I was thinking) and it was a VERY hostile (and typical Manhattan) audience almost from the very beginning. And, Behar and Walters began attacking from literally the very first question. Did Olsteen do great? No. But, I think he was just trying to be respectful in an otherwise disrespectful environment.
Actually, Joel should have thrown the question right back in their face : How about it Whoopie ? Barbarba ? how about those Muslim African countries who are murdering, slaughtering, genocide, hundreds of thousands of innocent Christians ? what about that evil and sin ?
Hindsight is 20/20. I don't think he went on the show with the mindset to debate Christian v. Muslim theology. He seemed pretty taken-aback by the speed and ferociousness of their attack(s).
He made the mistake so many do - he took the liberal media at their word.
Luke 12:11 & 12
11 “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say;
12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Hmmm.
I think the author is using the weakness of Osteen's response to illustrate the principle of being prepared to respond to questions with the gospel, especially to hostile questions.
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
hmmm
High-profile pastors who appear on talk shows should consider how the Apostle Paul could turn a riot, a philosophical forum, or a prison stay into a gospel sermon. In a post-Christian age, that would be a knack worth learning.Any pastor who decides to appear on a talk show should really study Paul's skill at bringing any situation or conversation back to the gospel.
The view is a left wing show. Elisabeth can’t really aruge much. If dumb Rosie had not been on and started feuding with everyone then this show would have quietly ended. When she left it got the left buzzing because Elisabeth was still on and she drew the dis respect of Rosie and the left. The left dislikes Elisabeth as much as Palin or Christine. Nobody cared the first few years about this clunker, before Elisabeth went on.
Billiantly stated.
The assumption in this statement, however is that "high profile pastors who appear on talk shows" are more interested in spreading the Gospel and saving souls than in building their own kingdom and image. It is often difficult for the pastor himself, to see beyond the Very Reverend Doctor Joseph Lookatme Blowe, PhD, DD, LLD, leader of the 10,000 member congregation to remember the reason he became a pastor to begin with. Personal corruption comes not as a tsunami but through inexorable dripping as in Chinese water torture.
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