If you’ve been following the recent assault suit involving Joel and Victoria Osteen, it would be easy to realize that the accuser, Sharon Brown, hardly had a case against the co-pastors of Houston’s mega church, Lakewood. A jury obviously felt the same way as they rejected a lawsuit against the two.
On Trial
While it’s easy to suggest that this is a victory for Joel and Victoria, I think it’s safe to say that, victory or not, the aftermath of the negative publicity could have long lasting effects on Lakewood, and more importantly, Christianity as a whole. An argument could be made that this should not have even made it to trial in the first place. Jesus said in Matthew 5:39 not to resist an evil person. He even goes so far to say if someone sues you for your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. As Christians, we must avoid disputing and striving but this is beside the point. I want to focus more on the comments that were made after the verdict was announced.
Whose Reputation is at Stake
In a recent article, the two, specifically Victoria, commented her faith and the battles she faced.
“Victoria Osteen, who was sued by a Continental Airlines flight attendant for allegedly assaulting her during the boarding process of a flight to Colorado in December 2005, said her spiritual strength enabled her to get past what she described as initial shame and humiliation.”
If you continue reading, you’ll notice a reoccurring theme; Victoria was not concerned about the shame and humiliation that the whole ordeal could possibly bring to the Christian faith. She was more troubled about her spotless image so perfectly portrayed on the television.
"When I came here that first Sunday after that happened, I was embarrassed. I was ashamed.”
In fact, she was so worried about her reputation in Houston, she hesitated to go out in public because she felt that people would stare and look at her in a shameful way.
"I'd go out in public," she went on. "I'd go into a restaurant, and I felt like people would turn around and look at me and they would be thinking all this stuff."
Keep Your Day Job
But then she tells the Lakewood congregation that she prayed for her accuser and “gave it to God” but goes on to say that when we pray for somebody, we “shouldn’t talk about it”. Keep in mind she was behind the pulpit and preaching to thousands of people.To take it even further she was quite sure that the case was a distraction trying to pull her down and, as a result, this distraction must not be “sent from God”. So was this Satan trying to distract her from preaching a man-centered gospel and deceiving thousands of people every Sunday? Even so, was God not on the throne when this “distraction” was sent to her? To suggest God had nothing to do with this is to deny His sovereignty.
New Beginnings/Old Message
And to put the icing on the cake, Mr. Osteen himself makes the following declaration,
"We got in the car that night (after testifying) I just felt like I heard new beginnings," he said. "It's a new beginning. It felt so good. I believe God is saying it's time for new beginnings, it's time to step into a new season of God's favors, it's time to be set free from things that have been holding you back."
So whose victory was this in the end? Was this simply a distraction that worked itself out to be a “new beginning” and a “new season of God’s favors”? No matter what the outcome. Joel and Victoria managed to turn this into a self-centered message of receiving God’s favor and in the end, its Victoria Osteen, not God, who got the glory. And this is the same message heard every Sunday morning from the pulpit of Lakewood Church.
Silence is Golden
But perhaps Victoria would have done herself good had she listened to God in the first place.
"The truth is, I didn't want to come back (to preaching)," she said. "The truth is, I wanted to stay home. I wanted to forget it. I thought: `You know what, God, maybe you are trying to tell me this isn't what I'm supposed to do. Maybe you're trying to tell me I need to sit home."
Maybe she was right.
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