Thanks for the reply and your elaboration. I accept your comments because your “inside bead”. Personal knowledge of a pastor is crucial in judging their fruit. When someone like me (who is looking in- somewhat objectively) reads a post like that, it can seem like harsh criticism. However, I need to understand the personal experiences of the bloggers before passing judgment (unlike the many mean-spirited “Christians” who harassed FBC Jax Watchdog when he began blogging).

Thanks for your ministry and the interesting articles.

I was also present the day he presented a sermon that Bill Hybels had given but presented it as his own. I was standing in line when a former member of Hybels church said, ” Good sermon. I even liked it better the second time than the first time I heard it at Willowcreek”.

Now, he is latching onto Osteen. Osteen has more members than Young-an emergency in Young’s book. He knows that Osteen is not preaching orthodox theology. Young is Southern Baptist. He should know better. However, before I left Dallas, Young was quoted as saying, in the Dallas Morning News, “Doctrine is not important. It just confuses people.” Real thoughtful, huh?

Young has publicly whined when pastors have left and some of “his” flock followed him.Poor baby, 20,000 is not enough to sooth his ego.

I respectfully disagree with you. These guys are hardly self-mocking. neither of them is mature enough to laugh at themselves.Osteen is playing at Christianity and Young hangs where the attention is. They act like Frat Boys in the Pulpit. Now that I am recuperating from my surgery, I will be working at getting our archives transferred into this new format and brushing things up. When that occurs in the next couple of seeks, just enter “Frat Boys in the Pulpit.” We have written extensively about these two in the past.

Thank you for your input.

I want to start out by thanking you for your ministry and for championing discernment in our daily Christian walks.

However, I have to disagree with your critique of the Youtube video featuring Ed Young Jr. and Joel Osteen. What I saw was a couple of pastors joking around (a little humility), ending with a good message that all pastors should hear (do not copy other pastors). While it was a little cheesy (and not that funny), I thought it was a good way to open a pastors conference (which is what it seemed to be).

I was not seeing the mocking of the Word of God, rather the self-mocking of eccentricities and traits that some well-known pastors have, and other pastors try to emulate. Could you please expound on what you did not like?

Thanks!