Free PDF: The Osteenification of American Christianity
Hank Hanegraaff’s The Osteenification of American Christianity is now out of print, but we’re excited to make the entire book available free as a PDF. Please see the description section below.
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Description
Description
Osteenification is nothing short of the wholesale transformation of American Christianity. The fresh new face of “baptized” humanistic psychology—a new Babel reaching to the heavens, all the while promising “your best life now.” In short, Joel Osteen is the de facto high priest of a new brand of Christianity perfectly suited for a feel-good generation. And his claim to America’s largest church is just a small part of the story. With one billion impressions per month on Facebook and Twitter, he is the hip new personification of God-talk in America.
But behind Osteenian self-affirmations—“I am prosperous,” “My God is a ‘supersizing God’”—there lies a darker hue. Behind the smile is a robust emphasis on that which is negative. If you are healthy and prosperous, words created your reality. Conversely, if your baby dies or your spouse contracts cancer, you are the prime suspect:
“The moment you speak something out, you give birth to it.
This is a spiritual principle, and it works whether what you
are saying is good or bad, positive or negative.”
From Genesis to Revelation, Osteen simply uses Scripture to communicate whatever he wants. Not even Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses treat the Scriptures with such disregard. They at least attempt to grapple with the biblical languages. Osteen does not so much as seriously consider the English text. Indeed, that is what the Osteenification of Christianity is. It is conforming Scripture to cultural norms as opposed to allowing the plain reading of the text to transform. The glory of the cross exchanged for the paltry glory of consumerism.
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