Joel Osteen on Larry King – won’t say if Unbelievers Go to Hell

It is sad when the "pastor" of America's largest church is so incredibly wishy-washy on the issue of WHETHER MANKIND HAS AN ETERNAL PROBLEM.

If a doctor knows the patient has cancer, but just covers it up and says sweet ambiguous words of comfort without naming the disease and the consequences, is such a doctor doing a favor to the patient? NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO! To be a good doctor, you must be willing to first of all DIAGNOSE the disease, even if it is an unpleasant thing!

Doctors who refuse to give a diagnosis for fear of upsetting people should lose their license to practice medicine. In the same way, preachers who refuse to give a diagnosis on the most basic issue of man's guilt before God, should be thrown out of their pulpits.

Regarding Joel Osteen, I think he is a great motivational speaker, but I do not think he is a faithful preacher of the gospel. If he wants to preach the gospel, he should preach the WHOLE COUNSEL of GOD and stop hiding behind the excuse that it is "not his calling" to do so.

Joel's father, John Osteen, was a preacher of the gospel in the "Word of Faith" school. John Osteen was a friend of such heroes of the faith as Dr T.L. Osborn. What happens though is that people swing from one extreme to another in portraying the character of God. These men emphasized the goodness and kindness and mercy of God without denying the imperative of gospel preaching to save lost people. Joel goes further – he refuses to admit that mankind stands under the condemnation of God until they are saved by Jesus Christ.