A Refreshing Spiritual Leader - Joel Osteen

Joel Osteen is a refreshing voice on the television evangelical circuit. I listen to him most Sunday mornings when I am in the house and I find myself looking forward to his presentation as I do to Dr. Wayne Dyer's. I am fully aware that both these men come from Christian traditions, especially Osteen. I am not a Christian but from a Christian tradition. I now practice the Baha'i Faith which does not require one to leave one's religion to become a Baha'i so I can call myself a Christian Baha'i. But I find Osteen a comforting voice in the wilderness of ideas, rants and raves about what we should be doing not to go to hell and damnation.

I like the fact that he always starts with a joke. I like his tone and the rhythm of his speech, his vocal cadence and his disarming smile. I can listen to him because he does not judge and chastise me like some of the other preachers on television. He encourages me to be a better person and to have faith that God is there for me no matter what. His message is uplifting; it lifts me out of negativity.

I listen to him because when he is finished, I feel better about myself and have a more positive outlook for the day. I try to remember at least one thing that I could do for that day to move me forward in the direction that God wants to take me.

On the other hand, I cannot stand to listen to someone abuse me on television by calling me a sinner and claiming to know all the wrong things I am thinking and doing. After sermons like those I feel like a failure and that there is not much I can do to help myself. The mountain appears to be insurmountable. When Osteen speaks, he speaks in a language that I can understand and he speaks as though he believes in me and my power to do the right thing. His voice comes through like a loving, benevolent and down to earth kind of guy.

Osteen has been criticized by some other church leaders who believe he is not mentioning God and Jesus as many times as they would like but that does not stop his popularity. He still remains one of the more influential preachers on television. The traditionalists claim that he is preaching half-truths because he does not speak about hell and damnation and all the waywardness of mankind. Osteen responds to that by saying that we all know when we are doing wrong things; we do not need someone to tell us that. He is so right.

While watching an interview with him on 60 Minutes last year Osteen defended his preaching style by saying that he sees himself as a life coach and a motivator who uses the messages from the Bible to inspire new hope in his audience.

He preaches about a God who is loving, forgiving and who wants the best for mankind. Not a God who is a stern judge waiting and ready to punish us for our mistakes as human beings.

Osteen makes you want to believe in the future and that anything is possible. His mantra to his audience which I find so awesome is that the best days are yet to come regardless of what we might or might not have done. That is positive, that is the message the world needs today. We have enough bad news it's time for people like Joel to revive hope and compassion in the world.