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it’s OUR time

By November 3, 2009Blog

Joel O$teen i$ back with a new book and it’$ not about him! Crazy, huh? But true. Thi$ time around it’$ all about YOU.

More $pecifically–your TIME.

And according to Pa$tor O$teen, it’$ your time NOW to purcha$e hi$ new book, It’s Your Time: Activate Your Faith, Achieve Your Dreams, and Increase in God’s Favor

Lucky for Joel, all of OUR TIME$ hit at exactly the $AME time. Right now.

Let’$ $ee what we’ve won.

$o what’$ thi$ new book all about? Well, here’$ what the publi$her provided… (my per$onal & mostly $narky comment$ are in red).

FROM THE PUBLI$HER:

Get your hope$ up.

Rai$e your expectation$.

Achieve that erection.

Your be$t day$ are in front of you.

Except for tho$e of you who have won the lottery… your be$t day$ are long gone.

In challenging time$ (he mean$ Obama-time$), it may be hard to $ee better day$ ahead (True! Unle$$ you’re God, a p$ychic, or Erwin McManu$–the latter i$ like a combo of the former$).

You may feel a$ though your $truggle$ will never end, that thing$ won’t ever turn around for you.

Aw, that $entence right there could be a nice beginning to a Celine Dion $ong.

Thi$ i$ exactly the moment to put your faith into action and expect God’$ ble$$ing$.

$weet, Joel! Doe$ the book come with a calculator? Or do you tell u$ how much money God is going to give u$.

It’$ your time to declare your faith (as a tax deduction?), to look for God’$ favor ($hould we do that at your $2.5 million man$ion in Hou$ton?), and to give control of your life to Him $o that you can find fulfillment in Hi$ plan$ for you (Wait. Wa$n’t this an Amy Grant-reality show on NBC?)!

It’$ Your Time to believe.

It’$ not ea$y to alway$ be optimi$tic. Life can be difficult (Tell a $tory about Victoria! Tell a $tory about Victoria!), and in hard economic time$ it’$ not ju$t your finance$ that $uffer. Your relation$hip$ can be $trained (Tell a $tory about Victoria!). Your health can be $tre$$ed.

You’re going to tell us that $tory about the time in 1992 when you and Victoria couldn’t afford to pay your car payment and Daddy had to mail you a check and it took THREE days to arrive, right? Ye$. Tell that $tory. It’$ a good one.

When one part of your life after another take$ a bad turn (like that time I was driving home from work and ended up in Printer’$ Alley with Wanda and Roberta after midnight–NOW THAT WA$ A BAD TURN), you can feel like there i$ no end in $ight (oh, there were many end$ in $ight), no way out.

The truth i$, maybe you don’t have an an$wer. But God doe$! Maybe you don’t have the $trength. But God doe$!

It’$ Your Time for favor.

CAN I GET THREE FAVOR$? The magic genie in the lamp grant$ three wi$he$.

In It’$ Your Time, be$t-$elling author Joel O$teen, pa$tor of the nation’$ large$t (and WEALTHIE$T!) church, offer$ the in$pirational truth that no matter where you $tand in life (good, cuz I’m $tanding on the promi$e$ of Joel!), you are never alone (do George & Barbara Bu$h really live in your $ub-divi$ion?). He remind$ you al$o that the bigger your burden, the greater your ble$$ing$ to come.

What? Sooooo… that pretty much means we should expect the people of Africa to strike gold, right?

You may have neglected God, but He ha$ not abandoned you.

I’ll “Amen” you on that one.

He ha$ already relea$ed good thing$ into your future.

With $parkle dust? PLEA$E TELL GOD TO BRING $PARKLE DUST

A$ long a$ you’re breathing, you can $till reclaim Hi$ favor by renewing your faith and accepting Hi$ plan$ for you.

Wait. Can it be the kind of “breathing” that require$ a tank of oxygen? Are tho$e people included?

It’$ Your Time for re$toration. (Hardware? Yes.)

In the$e page$, Joel offer$ a$urance$ that God doe$ not want you to merely $urvive challenging time$ (or to have to do it with dingy-looking knobs on our cabinets), He want$ you to thrive (Yes. I’m totally going to get brushed SILVER!). When you give your life over to Him, God will $end opportunitie$ your way $o that you can $oar to new height$ of (sexual) fulfillment.

Just like bald eagles… and vultures!

Hi$tory ha$ $hown that the mo$t difficult time$ can $erve a$ cataly$t$ for creativity (go Darfur!), innovation (thank you, India), and accompli$hment (我們在中國恨上帝,但我們知道電子!!!!!!!!!). If you hold on to your faith, a$k for God’$ favor, and don’t give in to depre$$ion or di$couragement (I will take my Cymbalta), you will emerge not bitter but better, not a victim but a victor.

It’$ Your Time to tru$t.

God already i$ working in your life to arrange the right people (I reque$t Oprah!), the right $kill$ (figure $kater!), and the right opportunitie$ to give you the tool$ (he said tool… ) you need to fulfill and exceed your dream$.

Drawing from Joel’$ experience$ (from the late 80s & the early 90s) and tho$e of (foreign & poor) people around the world, It’$ Your Time offer$ me$$age$ of faith, hope, and $trength to help you ri$e above any circum$tance $o that you can fulfill God’$ be$t plan for your life.

And don’t forget about the erection…

It’$ Your Time to $tretch. (Now we’re talkin… )

Joel ha$ filled thi$ book with bold new prayer$ (like $pells?), in$piring $torie$ (oh, please tell the one about the woman from Atlanta who read Rick Warren’s book to the man who was going to rape and kill her but instead of doing that, he let her go and she wrote a 300-page book all about it–I love that story…), and practical tool$ for moving forward in faith (and come on, Joel, throw in a free phone call with $uze Ornman for kick$). You will find in$piration from other$ who have overcome adver$ity (and E.D.) and achieved their dream$. You will find proven method$ for not ju$t picking up the piece$ but for building a new life better than you’d imagined.

The hopeful me$age$ and warm encouragement$ (he means fuzzies) in thi$ book will pu$h you to expand your horizon$ (BOING!) beyond what you thought you were capable of doing $o that you might go even farther than you’d ever dreamed of going.

But wait. The mortgage will get paid, right? And our marriage will work out? And our kid won’t die from his brain cancer? And we’ll find the job that we’ve been hunting for since last January? And what about the African babies… what sort of ble$$ings do you see in their future, Joel…

Becau$e it’$ OUR TIME. Our time to achieve our dream$ & increa$e in God’$ favor–that’$ the $ubtitle of YOUR timely book, right?

That i$ what you’re $aying, Joel, right?

It’$ Your Time!

Thank$ I thought $o.

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Matthew Paul Turner

Author Matthew Paul Turner

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Join the discussion 101 Comments

  • Dude… this made me laugh AND cringe. But mostly laugh, so we’re good!

  • Gene says:

    I wonder what your chances are of having your next book published by Joel’s publishers after that little tirade? 🙂

  • Kyle Reed says:

    This is one of the balsiest (thats a word, right?) post I have ever read and I loved every minute of it.
    Probably one of the funniest post I have read as well.

    This sums up my thoughts on this so called “book” that helps you make your life perfect.

    A wise prophet once said, “The more money we come across the more problems we see”

  • Wendi says:

    well, you did make me laugh, but almost ashamed to live near houston. the psycho-babble malarkey continues…

  • If you are blessed with an erection that lasts more than four hours after reading Joel’s book, see a doctor immediately.

  • SPARKLE DUST!? I want Sparkle dust too! That made me snort. MPT is the KING of snark!

  • PLEA$E TELL GOD TO BRING $PARKLE DUST

    Hee hee hee

    That’s funny stuff!

  • Kass says:

    Dude, you’re funny.

  • Melissa says:

    Olsteen’s philosophy is kinda like the Snuggie. In theory it’s a great idea, but in application your butt is still uncovered.

  • Michael says:

    Your comments would have been hilarious if the book’s description hadn’t made me so angry. I don’t recall the Bible saying anything about all your burdens melting away by following “proven methods.”

    The local (secular) bookstore has a shrine to Joel Osteen. Why? $$$$$$$$$$$$$! I just want to roundhouse kick that Osteen shrine in the face.

  • Kevin says:

    Awesome. Even the title of his book tells me it’s BS. You can’t “increase God’s favor.” What an idiot.

    And I hate how the cover show Joel laughing… all the way to the bank.

    @Kyle Reed – I believe the prophet of whom you speak is Notorious B.I.G.

  • Brett Barner says:

    I’m going to assume that it’s safe to say that we aren’t going to see a Joel O endorsement on the new book. Lol

    Wow and wow. Too good. And too true.

    $elah

  • Rife with jabs, you sum it all up in one blaring statement at the end. Quite nice.

  • Kyle Reed says:

    @Kevin God rest his soul, Notorious BIG. A wise wise man.

    And yes Joel is always smiling, because he is getting away with something very deviant and wrong.

  • Rob says:

    I have tears running down my cheeks from laughing out loud at this post! 🙂

    He said tool…

  • Funny!

    Are there really 3 Joels on the cover?

  • maryloveslife says:

    So… how does this post and most of these comments bring Glory to God? I am not a fan of Joel Osteen AT ALL, but what I see leads me to pray for him, not criticize him. All of this judgment in no way expresses the heart of God and really gives Christianity a bad name to anyone who may be looking on and interested in learning more about Christ.

    John 13:35
    35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

    Luke 6:34-36
    35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

  • Tim McGeary says:

    @Janet – 3 times the Joel, 3 times the blessing.

    @maryloveslife – Ecclesiastes 10:19
    A feast is made for laughter,
    and wine makes life merry,
    but money is the answer for everything.

    wait – I’m not sure if that is scriptural support for MPT’s satirical comedy or Joel’s book. I guess that doesn’t help.

  • Michael says:

    @maryloveslife

    Joel Osteen should know better. He is not a new convert. He is watering down the Gospel and mixing it with pop psychology so he can make a profit. He’s deceiving people and making a mockery out of Christianity. It makes me sick.

    Pray for him, yes. But I have a feeling that if Jesus were walking the earth, he would have some harsh words for Osteen, just as he did the Pharisees.

  • @maryloveslife
    In Mark when Jesus encountered the money changers in the temple, he immediately knelt and prayed for them and then went around and gave them all a hug, right?

  • $PARKLE DU$T….Love it! Can I get in on that? =D

  • Anonymous says:

    @Mary the only comment that might push somebody away from Jesus is yours. Why? Because it’s fake.

  • Concerned about your being a douche says:

    Gonna have to agree with the person who posted the “love your enemies” comment.

    Joel Osteen is bad news. No one who reads the bible is gonna disagree with that.

    That being said, what are you trying to accomplish here, or with the christian chirp tirades, or really with anything you do.

    You are an embarrassment to the faith that you claim. You are no different than Joel Osteen. You aren’t creative. You offer no theological commentary. You offer nothing for someone who desires to follow Christ. In fact, your “humor” looks nothing like Christ. Its degrading. Demeaning. Immature. It does nothing to build up others, to critique in love.

    You are a bain on a movement of Christianity that has given my life new purpose. You are an asshole, MPT. I cannot believe that you’ve made me side with Calvinists, Fundamentalist Christians on Chirp, and now Joel Osteen.

    What the fuck is wrong with you?

  • dubdynomite says:

    @mary @concerned:

    Sarcasm is a viable form of communication. So is satire.

    I think you may have missed the point.

  • Michael says:

    Your “You’re a bad Christian” argument loses luster when you drop the F-bomb.

  • You are AWESOME, concerned!

    🙂

  • This comment has been removed by the author.

  • Maryanne says:

    Are people REALLY defending Joel Osteen?? I think he’s going to be quite all right, sleeping in his bed of money.

    I’m sorry. Now i’m sure I’ll get called a dbag too.

  • With all due respect, “Concerned about you being a douche”, isn’t YOUR commentary demeaning? Immature? Doing nothing to build up others? If you don’t agree with Matthew’s posts, fine. That’s your American right. But that was going a bit overboard.

    As another wise prophet once said, “Can’t we all just get along?” 🙂

  • Wow, Concerned, great job siding with the ‘love your enemies’ comment.

    I think it’s kind of awesome in an ironic way that the nicest sounding comment and the most hateful comment are actually trying to make the same point.

  • i’m just gonna sit back and watch the comments go by tonight.

    who needs “V”?

  • Happyemjo says:

    OMG! “It’s Your Time” to get a friggin’ sense of humor people! I hate it when someone makes a joke and suddenly he’s not a christian anymore. Sheesh! Try thinking in Kingdom terms people. When you go around judging and telling people what they are/aren’t you just make all of us look like douches! Stop it! I’m tired of annoying, judgmental ‘christians’ giving my Jesus a bad rep!

    Great post! And yes, you’re a douche, but don’t worry Jesus still loves you 😉 (hahaha)

  • Dear Concerned…

    Ummmmm… get some balls and stop hiding behind your “anonymous” comments. Own your f-bomb!

    Hollaaaaaa!

  • concerned about your being a douche says:

    I’ll stick with anonymous thank you very much. I’m anonymous regardless… or do i need to link to my facebook, myspace, twitter, etc for you to really “know” who I am?

    The truth is, number 1, there is nothing wrong with cursing when its used to get people’s attention. Notice I didn’t call MPT a “f*** face” or some such immature jargon. I merely used the expletive to reinforce my point, much as Paul did in Philippians (when he says righteousness is like refuse, the real word is shit. look it up)

    Second, Joel Osteen is a charlatan. I thought I made that clear previously. And I get that this is satire. Its just bad satire. Just like christian rock and rap and whatever is bad art. Satire should be subtle and funny. This was neither subtle or funny. Making every s a dollar sign? Are you 2 years old? I’m all for biting, sarcastic criticism of social structures, especially Christianity. Nothing irks me more than the prosperity gospel because its fundamentally opposed to what Christ preached (and really what the entire OT does as well) but is making fun of Joel Osteen like the cool kids at the lunch table in high school made fun of the band geeks gonna accomplish anything? Nope. Is making fun of 12 year old kids who are trapped by fundamentalist parents by being forced to use the “christian twitter” helping anything? No. Its not. Its just making sure that anyone who all ready thinks that christians who are “left of center” are crazy, or jerks, or not real christians will continue thinking that.

    So maybe lets think a little bit before we speak. Lets try to love those who, for all intents and purposes, are not bad people, but ignorant. And are still loved by God, just as much as he loves us, even thought they are stupid and we’ve got all the answers.

  • Elizabeth says:

    My favorite part of “Concerned”‘s comment is that he/she mis-spelled “bane.”

    That made me laugh.

    But not as hard as I laughed at your post. Super funny, MPT.

  • Susan Isaacs says:

    projectile-vomit emoticon – :@

  • Heidi says:

    At the front end, I’m not a Joel Osteen follower, haven’t read any of his books, and have only “seen” his program while I surfed by.

    But I’m pretty sure “mocking” others – believers, imposters, or otherwise – does nothing to further the name of Christ. I’m pretty sure the gospel tells us to approach our brother first, then with one or two other people, and then publicly. You clearly have a beef with him and believe he’s in sin. Have you done these other things? Or are you just mocking him? As a fellow believer, one to another (as best can be done in the blog world) I’m asking. I’m saying I’m here, I’m personally upset by what the way you’ve written, and want to understand from your mouth (i.e. written words) if you have, in fact, followed the Biblical plan for conflict resolution in this instance. If you’re interested in responding but not in your comments, you’re free to email me at slightlycosmopolitan at gmail dot com.

    It’s stuff like this that makes me feel ashamed to say I’m a Christian. 🙁

  • Susan Isaacs says:

    This started off as a satire of feel-good Osteen, but the comments descended into a profanity-laden Spiritual Ultimate Cage Fight. Which makes me want to run to my next Osteen book and read something happy. C’mon people, enough with the character assassination.

  • Happyemjo says:

    @concerned – dude, get a life…. one that doesn’t involve looking down at people. Are you so perfect that you can cast stones? I guess we’ll never know since you choose to remain a mystery

    BTW the only people that think that way about “left of center” christians (if there is really a center) are other christians that are usually very legalistic and uptight (I’m guessing you might fall into this category)

    How come I heard Dana Carvey’s Church Lady character talking when I read your post? Hmmmmm……..

  • Happyemjo says:

    @Susan- AMEN! Let’s lighten up! What’s wrong with Christians poking a little fun at each other anyway? Our church staff does it all the time 🙂

  • Angela says:

    All I can really say is that I really want to be Matthew Paul Turner when I grow up. Too freakin’ hilarious!

    $parkle Du$t!

  • Matt Kelley says:

    everyone take a deep breath. if you don’t have a sense of humor, don’t read MPT’s blog! (or mine, for that matter)

    very funny, matthew. thanks for sharing.

  • RiverJordan says:

    If it’s My time why is JOEL on the front of MY book?

  • Love it. How appropriately honest and ridiculous. 🙂

  • James says:

    Wow. No matter who is “right” and who is “wrong” on this, it really saddens me to see the body of Christ tearing each other apart.

    Nothing quite like our humanity shining through as we all play judge, jury, and executioner towards each other, right?

  • gitz says:

    Freaking hilarious.

    Here’s the fun thing about your blog, Matthew… the comment section is as entertaining as the post.:)

  • Dianna says:

    @Jenni Clayville – Ahahha, Hollaaaa! I laughed out loud at that.

    I spent a lot of today trying to work out whether or not it’s good to do this sort of joking about with people, and am still having trouble coming to a conclusion. I think the conclusion that I came to though is that we have to allow a bit of joking and satire – we have to be able to laugh at ourselves as well as the ridiculousness of others – in order to have a healthy church. With Joel Osteen, it’s been well established for YEAAARS that he’s a proponent of the prosperity gospel, and a crackpot who’s interested in making money. Poking fun at the ridiculous things that he’s putting out and that a lot of people in the nation are consuming isn’t unloving – indeed, it challenges other members of the community to think about it.

    Now, it wouldn’t recommend walking up to Osteen and directly calling him an “asshole” (sound familiar, @concerned?) – that’s not loving. But poking fun at his work that most sane people recognize as illegitimate…yeah, go ahead.

    MPT, good job. I roared at Sparkle Dust.

  • johngf says:

    I’m going to stand up for Joel!

    I hate prosperity Christianity and I’ve seen him preach it on TV. Perhaps his books might harm some people, but I wouldn’t know, because I don’t want to buy them.

    But take a step back from him and remember some of his slogans from time to time. Joel may not be preaching the true gospel sometimes, but he is a great motivational speaker. Sometimes we have to look at the world around us, pick out the blessings (like salvation!) and be more positive. If life isn’t actually hurting, I think you should live like your best time is now. People who don’t know God will allow Christians to be angry, grumpy and unhappy, they know we’re people, but they have to see sometimes that we have a greater God who is worth worshipping no matter what our material circumstances are.

    Maybe I’ve twisted Joels message into a false one 🙂 But I’ve felt pretty down at times just because I hated my job, then I remembered it wasn’t so bad and I remembered Joel’s smile and God’s blessings and I tried to be more positive.

  • Joanna says:

    I’m still too stuck on the strange image editing on the cover to think about the message

  • Adam says:

    These comments rock!!

    Again.. with “douche” whats the deal behind the Anonymous. I mean come on. Why not just say “Hi.. My name is Joe and this is why I think your asshole MPT”

    oh well.. thanks for the laugh everyone.. I need any humor I can get.

  • Does Joel’s book account for Daylight saving’s time? What if it’s my time, but just an hour off?

  • savinggrc says:

    Bwahaha @ RiverJordan

    Dear Pot, the only point profanity makes is that you have a limited vocabulary.
    Signed, Kettle

  • @joshuadstrange says:

    really??? That last comment makes me chuckle:) MPT is the man and usually guilty of saying most of the things we’ve all thought, but never had big enough balls to say. The reality is, if you think that the BS of Joels message doesn’t hurt the faceof christianity…your nuts! Because if it was all really about this great life of “prosperity on earth”….don’t you think that would be an attractive selling point. But no, its just one more way we (joel) proves him self to be living in a bubble as the world is looking for truth, not a powder puff cream pie. MPT, thanks for the post and thanks for being real while making a joke out of a situation where a man continues to hurt what christianity is really about.

  • Faye says:

    @RiverJordan OMG! You killed me!

    @concerned & @heidi & @mary —
    have you ever studied scripture enough to know that JESUS mocked others’ actions & beliefs? That GOD had his prophets mock others’ actions & beliefs?

    Yep. He did. He did it with a motive of showing truth in the midst of their lies. Kinda like what MPT did here.

    Wow! Would that make MPT like Jesus?

    Keep on using the talent and satire and humor that GOD gave you, MPT, to point out the inane and ridiculous. You rock!

  • you will know we are Christians by our _ _ _ _. No wonder an unbelieving world looks on at us with contempt.

  • I tried to post last night when I first read it, but for some reason it would not let me.
    Anyway, to be honest, I was about to remove your blog from Google reader until I read this post. Quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve read in a while. And it was true, which made it all the better.
    My big question is, do we have to buy Joel’s book to partake in this time of prosperity, or can we just read the important parts in the bookstore instead of buying it?

  • Todd Ruth says:

    Wow. Just read thru the comments. Two words come to mind: calm down. Don’t really think this post is the reason why Christians get looked down on. MTP, funny stuff. Thanks for a laugh on a sad book.

  • Zac says:

    @Concerned Douche
    Twice now you have tried to defend christian twitter. I believe that is the real reason he came over here. The whole concept is a joke. Were we not called to go into the world and reach people from Jesus. Nowhere did I see Jesus recommend for anyone to live in a bubble and stay away from the world. Maybe the creators of Chirp made up their own version of the bible much like the morons at conservapedia or whatever its called did to make sure to eliminate any socialistic verses. The Chirp version has Jesus say,“Keep talking amongst yourselves! God forbid you interact with non-christians. In fact in the year 2009 you should create your own social networking site to avoid communicating with heathens!”

    It’s time to step out of the Bubble. MPT’s blog is great at pointing out how some christians and/or their art are absurd and certainly aren’t furthering the kingdom of God.

  • wow. so funny, and yet insanely true. satire and comedy, used to communicate truth, is an awesome medium… MPT, you are my hero. (not really, but wanted to be nice today.)

  • tomcottar says:

    MPT,
    your post is the funniest thing I’ve read all day!

    OK…I just got up about 5 minutes ago. But still. it’s freakin’ hilarious.

    It’s unfortunate that people don’t appreciate satire. I remember something about a camel and the eye of a needle…and even Paul telling the Galatians to be proud of their circumcision and impress God by…well, cutting their pickle off.

    I’d comment further about Joel’s ministry, but I just noticed a trail of SPARKLE DUST leading to my bedroom….so…

  • Justin says:

    “Concerned about your being a douche” AND THEN THE DUDE STARTS SPEWING CONDEMNATION ABOUT YOU BRINGING TO LIGHT WOLVES IN SHEEP CLOTHING? ummmm…I don’t know if this guy knows what a douche is and what that means in today’s language. AND THEN WANTS THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY!! He must go to seminary, is in his 20’s and still lives with his mom, who by the way, packs his lunch everyday to eat in the seminary library.

  • Jennifer says:

    Why should we condemn MPT for mocking Joel when Joel is clearly mocking me on the front of that book? What the hell is he laughing at?

  • Oh. My. Goodne$$. I love this!!!

  • S says:

    Not that you really need another comment. But I’ll write anyway. haha.
    When I first started reading the post, I was chuckling. Then it kept going. And going. And goinggggg. And went from funny to a little ridiculous. I got your point in the first couple paragraphs and then you could have chosen to share some intelligent commentary about why you feel so strongly.
    I’m not defending Osteen or saying your a bad Christian for writing what you did. Just saying I was a little put off by your excess.

  • Michael says:

    Some of us are confusing “love” with being “nice.”

    Love isn’t always nice. Jesus wasn’t nice when in the temple. He drove people out with a friggin WHIP people! But he was motivated by love–love for God and love for those who were being taken advantage of.

    Jesus also said not-so-nice things to the religious leaders who had made a mockery out of religion.

    Joel Osteen and others like him are making a mockery of Christ and taking advantage of those who “buy-in” (litterally) to his message. Even non-Christians recognize this.

    This isn’t some secret sin, and he’s not an infant Christian. He should know better. This message threatens to destroy the gospel and lead millions down a destructive path. MPT has used humor to shed light on this evil.

    (If you don’t think God likes sarcasm, read Isaiah 40 or the book of Job.)

  • This is craziness happening here in the comment section! Let’s remember the blog title…Jesus Needs New PR. He’s definitely getting PR, alright. Whether it’s good PR or bad, well…who knows?

    All I know is that I am STILL cracking up about the sparkle dust. I still want some of that!

  • Kevin says:

    Does MY time include the time it takes to read Joel’s book or does it start after I’m done? Because honestly, I don’t want to waste MY time reading some crappy book by a money-looking, joker-faced “Christian”.

  • Kyle Reed says:

    This is why this post needs to be made:
    http://vimeo.com/7196941

  • Tim McGeary says:

    That is a powerful video. Thank you for sharing it. Makes me sad that our country’s version of Christianity has been exported in this way.

  • the holly says:

    don’t miss joel on _the view_ today!

  • George says:

    I think my 2 favorite Joel Osteen ‘moments’ are…

    –The fact that he not only spun off “Your Best Life Now” into a million journal, devotional, etc., but also a board game!

    –I liked his second book..the cover is just an extreme close-up of his face. In the acknowledgments section he thanks someone for the great cover design. What?! It’s just a picture of your face!

    I do like his mullet though. He looks like a Canadian hockey player from the 80’s.

  • Michael says:

    That video made me sick. If you aren’t wealthy, God must not care about you. I know there were a lot of wealthy people in the New Testament. Just look at the apostles. And Jesus. He was loaded!

    Did anyone notice the mural of Jesus at the back of the stage. Even in Africa they have a white Jesus.

  • Zac says:

    @Kyle Reed,
    That video is like an exclamation point on what is wrong with people like Osteen. This same thing happens here and a lot of people end up rejecting God when their prosperity doesn’t happen. It makes me so mad that these so called ‘spiritual’ leaders can openly exploit people into giving them money under the guise of tenfold blessings in return. To parody them is going lightly on what they deserve!

  • Matthew Paul Turner's Doppleganger says:

    Joel Osteen? More like Joel Ostink!

    Hey, it’s me, Matthew Paul Turner(‘s doggleganger), elder statesmen of the Christian Cynic Society! I’m here to help you navigate your way through Christian culture. (Spoiler alert: It’s dumb.) I’m so edgy. It sure is good that my readers don’t know the difference between purposeful satire and pissing in the proverbial punchbowl.

    Christian culture is such a waste. It’s a good thing that I’ve written 10 books about it. (“Churched” available now at Amazon.com.) I’m kind of like that guy who makes fun of “American Idol” but can tell you everything about every contestant. You know, the I-Just-Watch-It-To-Make-Fun-Of-It Guy. Carman is my Simon Cowell!

    If my disdain for the bad parts of Christian culture was authentic, maybe I would start ignoring it or offering positive insight to people like me who grew up in backward, religious environments. Nope, I’ll just position myself as the Christian equivalent of Pitchfork instead. Ha! Everything sucks! (By the way, did I plug my latest book yet or mention my Amazon ranking yet?)

    Remember 10 years ago when we all realized that Christian radio was a wasteland full of vapid cliches? Yep, I’m going to tell you about it AGAIN! Here goes: Kutless is shallow! (In related news, Rebecca St. James is in a terrible movie! Hey, remember how Christian movies have always been terrible? It’s still funny.)

    Guess what, guys? Pat Robertson is crazy. I know that we’ve all known this since–I don’t know–1987, but I just want to remind you. He said something wacky about guy dudes today! Ha ha ha. Crazy ol’ Pat.

    News Alert: I just heard of this awful Christian alternative to Twitter. Guys, we don’t need to create “Christian” versions of things. (Except for me, who wants to be the Christian version of David Sedaris.) I mean, I know that we already talked about this with Testamints, Godtube, HisSpace, Godtube, etc. ad nauseam, but I better devote 97 tweets to this thing. It’s hilarious! Just like it was when I wrote about this stuff in 2003!

    I hope this post doesn’t cause me to lose any Twitter followers. I’ll be sure to contact everyone later today with updated stats. (It’s a good thing that I’m not a narcissist like that dreaded Joel Osteen!)

    Does this feel like overkill? Well, what else would you expect from Matthew Paul Turner(‘s doppleganger).

    {You’re right, guys: Satire is awesome! Thanks for the advice!}

  • jason says:

    We need people like MPT who are willing to stand up and point out the “prophet” has no clothes.

    I was driven away from church as a kid because of the attitudes of people like those attacking MPT for being critical of Osteen’s false teachings. Those who would rather keep quiet about abuses happening within the church rather than have someone call that person to the carpet for distortions of God’s word.

    Is it better for someone to be driven away from Christ and spend eternity in hell than for someone like MPT to come along and use wit and satire to point the fallacies in doctrine, @Mary? @Douche? @Heidi?

    Sorry to be so serious but I get very tired of those whose judgmental attitudes of people cover up actual distortions of the scriptures and Jesus’ message. If what MPT said upset you then you might want to step back and ask why Christians are allowing something so absurd that MPT can make such a valid, accurate satire.

  • johngf says:

    I’m shocked I forgot about this, but I remembered it when I watched the video about Ghana:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugZq9hiuCJo

    Jesus He Knows Me by Genesis. One of those songs that needs the video.

  • Jineane says:

    There are copious amounts of comments, but I must say that this is one of the funniest posts that MPT has written.

    He’s making fun of the fact that O’Steen’s message is full of fluffy “feel goodyness”; O’Steen’s messages are all the same, but they are just repackaged different ways to create be$t $elling book$.

    Thank you MPT for your writing style full of wit; Jonathan Swift would be proud.

  • Look, this is all in good fun. The double ganger comment was, well true and I doubt MPT would disagree with it, although, I am sure he is also offended by it. MPT won’t go and confront Joel Osteen on this crap because, Joel has to know that any sane Christian feels this way about his “ministry” so what good would it do?

    And the whole issue of this blog not giving good theological commentary is absurd. if that is the subject matter you are looking for, why not go to the 100000000 other blogs that actually do that and just leave this one alone.

    Yes, if I were Joel and I read this, it would hurt me a bit, but at the same time, it isn’t like he doesn’t know that he is a false prophet, honestly, how could he not???

    MPT’s style of writing exists for a very important purpose, it dismisses and makes light of the mediocre in Christian culture, but if you notice he often highlights the good things, like his church, his pastor, Pete, and hi favorite artists.

    This blog is nothing short of wonderful and I thank God for it.

  • tmamone says:

    Thanks to that “Joel Osteen Teaches Us” video, I always think of Joel as a wimpy voiced guy who speaks in gibberish. “Carl, shut the baby up!”

  • ttm says:

    MPT, you certainly know how to light a fire. And I love how your sometimes-snarky-and-generally-brilliant blogreaders chime in to fan the flames!

    Thanks for another hilarious blogpost! Now it’s MY TIME to $tand up and $tretch and $ee if all my prayer$ for a deliciou$ lunch will materialize into $ome kind of $urpri$e in the refrigerator. If not, I gue$$ I’ll have to get O$teen’$ book and learn a few more faith-yield$-pro$perity technique$.

    $eriously, the Ramen noodles, generic soups, and Lean Pockets are taking a terrible toll on my health. And I just KNOW God wants me to be healthy and happy and able to enjoy a surf and turf dinner every night with my rolling-in-the-bucks boyfriend! I’d better skip lunch and order that book right now… ;^)

  • baddogmooney says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  • tsdi says:

    Wow man, sometimes I think things, but don’t have the cahones to put them on my blog. You inspire me.

    – mooney

  • @carihindman says:

    “Like Spells?” was soo funny…. still laughing

  • PaulKordon says:

    What did the other MPT (Momma Paul Turner) think?

    I can hear that conversation not going well for you. I’m sure she owns the Victoria Osteen Thigh Master or some other “Christian” product!

  • tomcottar says:

    remember when johngf said,
    “Joel may not be preaching the true gospel sometimes, but…”

    yeah.

    that just about sums it up, IMO.

    of course, ‘christians’ are standing up for Oprah, too.

  • Heidi says:

    @jason – no. I hate to see people turned away from the gospel due to false prophets. I also hate to see people turned away from the church by Christians who behave in inflammatory ways, especially when they behave that way toward one another. I maintain that this sort of thing turns away at least as many searching, hurting people as do false prophets.

    Don’t mistake my original comment as support for Osteen. It’s not. I don’t support one over the other. I support neither.

    There’s a way to speak out against those spreading mistruths – a way that is honest AND sensitive to people needing to find Jesus. That doesn’t perpetuate church abuse. Truth can be firm AND bold AND act as a balm to a wounded soul. I think blog entries like these take us further from these ends than closer, and it is that fact that personally grieves me.

    I’m sorry for the “church injury” you alluded to. Nothing cuts to the heart in quite the same way as being hurt by the body of Christ.

  • johngf says:

    tomcottar: I didn’t defend anything about prosperity Christianity and I should have said I enjoyed reading MPT’s post. Maybe I didn’t join in the chorus of utterly condemning Osteen outright because I don’t have to live in the same country*. I did live in the US for a couple of months in 2004 when I saw Joel on TV preaching at Lakewood, so I know how empty his message is. And that was before I had ever heard anything about him, good or bad.

    I’m definitely not saying you should buy his books or his board games (that made me laugh!) or buy tickets for his tour. I’m just saying that one day I was feeling pretty crap about work and I found a single germ of goodness from Joel’s aura of positivity. I realised my life wasn’t crap, my job wasn’t the worst (hey, back then I had a job!) and I thought: what would people who aren’t Christians think about my God if I moped around and made things worse for everyone else by being surly. My God should be worthy of worship and my whole life should be an act of worship and I should let people see that by letting my joy come from God and what He’s done for me rather than being depressed by the effects of poor decisions made by my employer’s board of directors (and some of the lower managers). Again, though, let me say that while I felt Joel’s positive message as an encouragement that day, I’m under no illusions about the dangers of basing your belief system on Osteen himself.

    My message is: be a Berean!

    * He did come to ‘preach’ in Belfast and I prayed that he would actually have a true message of salvation rather than an empty one of materialism, but I didn’t buy tickets for the show to find out for myself. On the other hand I have payed to see Erwin McManus and I later bought ‘Barbarian Way’ for one of my friends (he was there too). I haven’t read it but he loved it and promises to lend it to me.

  • Jason Curlee says:

    hmmmm…cause I guess it’s just as great to tear down and not build up…wondering which is better…writing a book trying to encourage people the best you can knowing “Christians” will rip you apart or being the Christian tears down someone…have to say too bad…I had loved a lot of your stuff.

  • Terroni says:

    You make a great point here which seems to have been lost on many a commenter…
    What about when the mortgage doesn’t get paid, the marriage doesn’t work out, the child isn’t cured?

    What if you weren’t born again by the Spirit of God to receive assistance?

  • Jessica says:

    Great Post…your posts either make me laugh, cry, or yell in horror.
    The comments on this one rock my world! I love the usage of profanity and stupidity all at the same time. Are we really that shallow as Christ Followers…that we need to defend the heretic known as Joel Osteen. And for all those claiming we aren’t supposed to judge – within the church we are commanded to judge in love.
    Come on people…don’t pick and choose your scripture.

    Great Stuff MPT…

  • Lee says:

    Priceless. I’m glad I stumbled across your place here.

  • Haydee says:

    I agree with riverjordan.. With only 1 photo of Joel on the cover disturbed me already, and now they are 3. Creepy!
    I’m not from USA.. Learned abt Joel only recently cos I wondered why Andy Stanley(the one I look up to) ranked only 3rd among Christian churches… So I watched Joel’s teachings online.. Thought they were “good” but I sensed something was lacking. Or Someone rather. The Holy Spirit’s presence ain’t there. I
    borrowed his book fr the library but didn’t have the heart to read it cos i felt something wasn’t right.. I googled & it confirmed my suspicion.
    For us who read the Bible & truly seek God can discern spirits yea. I dislike him but guess what, I pray for him. We may be right in our accusations but who are we to judge?
    Still, u made me laugh. U r funny.

  • Debby says:

    follow you on twitter, read random blog posts, like your style, thanks

  • The saddest thing about all this is that people still take him seriously with that curly mullet. How is that even possible?

  • Amber Cessac says:

    You’re seriously a Christian?? Because this sounded like an atheist’s rant on Joel Osteen. How much money are you making off of this website, your rude, cynical tweets, and your own book? Good thing God gives enough grace for me, you, AND Joel. And good thing God doesn’t measure the amount of grace He gives us based off of YOUR standards.

  • MATTHEW! You sacrilegious bastard, that Joel is a blessing from the good and prosperous Lord of the wealthy!

    Actually, this post was rather hilarious. I’m glad, too, that since this post you’ve been willing to admit your immaturity in it (too many people think a post like this is meant to be authoritative — not that you’ve nothing good to say, but it is immature humor regardless).

    Keep it up man, I enjoy it. Though, if I may ask, how would you feel about my asking for a serious post about your discrepancies with Joel’s (frightening) theology?

  • Master Adept says:

    Needed something to share this morning – sending you peoples via a link.

    I am just loving all your commentors too.

  • ugh… i didn’t even know hisspace existed until someone posted it in the comments..

    my life is worse off for knowing this information..

  • Christie says:

    I’m happy someone is as freaked out about Joel Osteen as I am. I cringe every time I see his picture or a story about it.

  • The Journeys says:

    I confess I am no fan of Joel Osteen, and that this blog was pretty much what I would have written about the book too. After reading the comments I am not surprised that the ‘world’ looks at Christians like they do, we cannot even agree to disagree with one another. Families have disputes, I absolutely disagree with formulaic christianity that is presented in pop culture christianity, nor do I think we need to hide from the world. There has to be willingness to lay down our lives and pick up our Cross as Christ commanded. That may not look the same for me as it does you, for some it is this blog, which I think was well written, for others it maybe reading the Osteen book and then having an honest discussion about it with another christian or even a nonbeliever. If this blog is not for you then find something that is, but these comments don’t seem to be the best way to go about this…