John
10:10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill,
and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly.
This week has held another strange occurrence
for me; I have found myself agreeing with the Olsteen’s, and in particular
Victoria Olsteen. Joel and Victoria head
up an evangelical movement that stresses financial success. It is only a narrow definition of prosperity
that relates to financial abundance. I
just see a couple who market a brand of “Me First” spirituality that is a
perversion of the Gospel.
This
week, or maybe it was last, Victoria Olsteen was mired in controversy. There was a short video (forty-one seconds) released
telling those gathered in front of her. “I just want to encourage every one of
us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I mean, that's one
way to look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when
we're happy.”
This link should get you to the offending
video:
I
was taken aback by the outrage that her comments unleashed. Most critics commented that Victoria Olsteen
has turned Christian worship into idolatry, an idolatry of self. Often this comment came after another
criticism that “This is why women should not be in the pulpit.” There was a rather humorous response that included
a Bill Cosby video clip – it is worth seeing.
But
I have a question for Rev. Olsteen’s critics.
I know that none of them read this lowly blog, but it is a question
worth pondering. Who do you think
benefits from our worship? If your answer is God, then you seriously need to
reconsider your own self-importance. I
question who is engaging in idolatry.
Mark
10:15 “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the
kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Rev.
Olsteen’s comments I think laid open a deeper question of our relationship with
God. Ask any parent what they want for their
child. The answer seems pretty
universal, ‘I want my child to be happy.’
Could
it be that all of what we read in the Bible, the direction to Love God, and
each other, and do charitable acts, and share our struggles, and our triumphs,
and all that, be about making us happy?
Could it be that God takes pleasure in our obedience because it makes us
happier? (Yes, I am aware that I am close to saying that whatever you
find pleasurable is God’s will for you – but I am not saying that.) Could it be that God’s desire for us is to
be happy? Why would that be idolatry?
I
have a set of rules for my kid. He does
relatively, but inconsistently, well with following them. The rules I have set out are based on what I
think is best for him, not me. He has a
curfew because I know that really nothing good can come about from being out on
the street wandering aimlessly at midnight.
Yes, there is an aspect that the curfew is for my comfort – I would not
sleep that well if he were not home.
Despite that, the curfew really is for his benefit.
What
Victoria Olsteen has done is shift the focus on our life with Christ from the
footing of avoiding punishment, to a foundation of joy and love: where
obedience is about a display of gratitude, not an act of contrition. I suspect
it is therein that lies the problem for her critics. It calls into question the
nature of God, the nature of our relationship with him, and his desires for us.
How
many of these critics have as the focus of their worship the appeasement of an angry
God? How many of these critics want us
to remain subservient to the demands of God, instead of responsive to his love
and generosity?
I
am not saying that Rev. Olsteen’s comments were meant to imply all that I have taken from them. Nor do I endorse her and her husband’s
theology. But I do think that for a moment
(forty-one seconds) that she revealed a deeper truth.
"When you come to church, when you
worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself,
because that's what makes God happy." – Victoria Olsteen
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