by Anthony Tauler

Created on: January 01, 2009

Before answering this controversial question of whether or not Joel Osteen is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ or just making people "feel good", we must first delve into the question, "What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?" or better yet, "What does the word "gospel" mean?

Webster's Online Dictionary states that the word Gospel [means] "a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning "God's spell", i.e., word of God, or rather, according to others, "good spell", i.e., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek _evangelion_, i.e., "good message." Hence by this literal translation we can clearly validate that the Gospel, intended to be preached by men to other men (specifically to those who do not know of it) is simply something of a "good" message and thus is certainly not one that would make a man feel "bad," nor is it intended to condemn the opressed but rather to liberate those who gladly receive it with joy. So if a "good"message makes the hearer of it feel good, then why my fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, is it not then doing it's purpose. For nothing good, if genuinely done or expressed, can in its true intention make someone feel bad, but rather good. So why do we then make a contrast of something that a man does that makes others feel good. Or, by this do you then mean that preaching the Gospel ought to not make a man feel good, but rather bad, or worse, condemned?

Now, back to Joel Osteen's sermons that some claim to only make people feel "good" about themselves and not spread the gospel or "good tidings" or "good news" or "good message" of Jesus Christ. Brothers and Sisters of the faith, exactly what is Joel Osteen preaching other than "good tidings" or good news" or a "good message?" Is he now supposed to preach strict adherence to the Word of God or eternal damnation used to coerce fearful and wanton believers to fearfully and ignorantly accept God's message of salvation. Or would he not much rather preach a message of exhortation to the body of Christ which edifies the body, not weaken and cripple it. I can understand a message of love and salvation to those whose souls have not been rescued by God. However, it is not God's messenger that saves souls but rather preaches in hope that the message of goodness and love might be received with exactly that - goodness and love. Joel Osteen's sermons are replete with messages of "good tidings." Just because he is not constantly quoting scriptures or reading passages from the Bible does not mean that

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