Confession: that headline was just to get your attention. Evangelical leader Joel Osteen has
not been accused of having a gay affair but it may just be a matter of time. My gaydar does off every time I see this guy--and it's not because I like him. I don't.
Joel Osteen: 'Homosexuality is a sin'Known for his focus on uplifting Christian messages and ability to stay away from controversial social and political issues (Read Newsweek's "No Politics From This Pulpit"), Texas megapastor Joel Osteen has found himself in the headlines this week for telling CNN's Piers Morgan that homosexuality is a sin.
Osteen and his wife Victoria are among America's most influential religious figures. Acording to his Web site at Lakewood Church, the 16,000-seat Houston church he pastors, Osteen's "weekly sermon is broadcast into every U.S. television market where it is viewed by seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month. His weekly broadcast is also seen in nearly 100 nations around the world." His book "Your Best Life Now" was a New York Times bestseller and his influence crosses religious and national boundaries. Osteen's inspirational-message approach to Christianity has its critics, and after his interview on CNN, he's likely to gain a few more.
Asked point blank about homosexuality by the eponymous host of Piers Morgan Tonight, Osteen was forced to address an issue that he'd just as soon avoid.
"Yes, I've always believed Pierce the scriptures show that homosexuality is a sin. But I'm not one of those who is out there to bash homosexuals and tell them that they're terrible people and all of that. I mean, there are other sins in the Bible, too. And I think sometimes the church --and I don't mean this critically --but we focus on one issue or two issues, and there's plenty of other ones. So I don't believe that homosexuality is God's best for a person's life --sin means to miss the mark."
Osteen's beliefs on homosexuality are not unique within Christianity --though many (as Morgan suggests) may find them offensive or even hateful.
The pastor told On Faith's Sally Quinn in a 2008 interview that he tends to not "focus" on sin, but instead forms his preaching around a positive "abundant life" approach to Christianity...
http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2011/01/joel_osteen_homosexuality_is_a_sin.html?hpid=talkbox1