Chapter 13: The Power in Your Words
Rebuttal
Joel opens with an illustration drawn from baseball. Jose Lima, a pitcher for the Astros, was uncharacteristically upset because the left field fence in their new ballpark was significantly closer to that in their old one. The significance of this lies in that right- handed batters tend to hit toward left field, and this makes it harder on the pitcher. Joel blames the fact that Jose’s performance as a pitcher plummeted the next season is because when he first stepped onto the pitcher’s mound, he said, “I’ll never be able to pitch here.” This is to a large extent unverifiable.
Joel has gone from “we think it, therefore it is manifest” to “we say it, therefore it is manifest.” While he may be relatively close to the mark on both counts, the sole act of thinking or speaking, contrary to what Joel would have us believe, is not enough to influence or bring about events. While it is by no means in question that words have power, as is stated repeatedly in the Bible, the manner and magnitude of power is here in question. Joel bemoans the tragedy of those who call themselves names. He claims that these people are “paving the way for failure.” As we’ve said before in previous chapters, there is an extent to which consistent negative thinking will drag you down. To hear Joel say it, however, would make you thing that saying aloud, “I’m an idiot” would actually lower your I.Q. by five points. To support his point, Joel cites James 3:4, which reads, “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.” I’ll add the next verse, so the illustration will make more sense: “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it also makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” Joel is, as per usual, not taking into account what the author intended his writing to mean to its original audience, as well as the context of the scripture. What James is saying in his letter is that the tongue is capable of tearing down people; with only a few words hearts can be broken, and friendships ruined. Even on a less drastic scale, James says just six verses after the one that Joel cites, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” In essence, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Joel goes on to miss the point of James 3:4 even more by saying that when James is comparing the tongue to the rudder of a ship, he is saying that the tongue plays a significant role in determining the direction of your life. In the same paragraph, James also compares the tongue to a spark that is capable of setting an entire forest ablaze. What conclusion are we to draw from this? The extent of James’s rudder metaphor is that both the tongue and rudder are small in comparison to that which they are a part of, yet they have a significant amount of control.
What Joel says next is one of the most ridiculous and laughable things he’s said so far. He claims that he once “heard about a doctor who understood the power of words. One prescription he gave to all his patients was for them to say at least once every hour, ‘I’m getting better and better every day, in every way.’ The doctor’s patients experienced amazing results, much better than the patients treated by many of his colleagues.” Not surprisingly, Joel gives no reference or other indicator as to who this doctor that he “heard about” is. This is a totally unverifiable claim, and it employs correlation-causation reasoning. In other words, what the story is saying is that because A and B have something to do with each other, A caused B. This is a flawed argument. Joel’s story is flimsy in its supporting detail and will not hold up to the least bit of scrutiny. I wonder if this “prescription” would have any effect on terminal cancer patients? The only doctor that I can think of who would give a prescription like this is Dr. Phil. But that reminds me, I once heard of a lawyer who told all his clients to say each morning, “I don’t want to go to jail” and he never lost a single case! Yeah, right.
Joel builds on the point made by his aforementioned story. He says that if we repeat aloud something to ourselves “often enough, with enthusiasm and passion, before long your subconscious mind begins to act on what you are saying, doing whatever is necessary to bring those thoughts and words to pass.” Again, he gives no reference to support this statement; no study, expert, or other work is provided as a source. As a remedy far those of us struggling with low self-esteem, Joel suggests looking in the mirror each morning and saying, “I am valuable. I am loved. God has a great plan for my life. I have favor wherever I go. God’s blessings are chasing me down and overtaking me. Everything I touch prospers and succeeds. I’m excited about my future!” This mantra starts out fine, but quickly becomes Joel’s patent version of ridiculous and even egotistic. “Everything I touch prospers and succeeds.” Where do you get that? A lot of Joel’s mantra has been covered in previous chapters, and it bears mentioning that there is nothing wrong with being excited about one’s future, but saying that to yourself repeatedly won’t alter the course of events.
Further on in the chapter, Joel tells us to “guard what we say,” and that if we’re “murmuring, complaining, ant talking about how bad life is treating you, you’re going to live in a pretty miserable, depressing world.” What he’s saying here is true. However, when Joel claims that “God wants us to use our words to change our negative situations” he is straying from the truth. He also paraphrases a well known saying: “Don’t talk about the problem, talk about the solution.” But how can one find the solution unless one first analyzes the problem?
The next paragraph starts off with “The Bible clearly tells us,” so you know it’s going to be a good one. Joel claims that what is being clearly told is that we are to “speak to our mountains.” Joel uses Mark 20:23, “‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’” Joel is drawing a comparison between the mountain that Jesus is referring to and our own personal problems. Speaking of problems, there are several that come with this proposed correlation. First of all, in the preceding verse Jesus tells us to “Have faith” and in the following verse, Jesus says that “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” This passage is clearly about asking and receiving. Second, there is nothing in the language that is used here to suggest that Jesus is speaking figuratively. You’ll notice he said “this mountain,” not “your mountains.” Thirdly, nowhere else does Jesus use mountains as a metaphor for personal problems, nor are they used as such elsewhere in the Bible. On the contrary, Psalms frequently use mountains as a place of refuge (Psalm 1:11, 30:7, et. al.).
Joel tries to bring further support for this argument by citing Joel 3:10, in his own special version: “Let the weak say I’m strong. Let the oppressed say I’m free. Let the sick say I’m healed. Let the poor say I’m well off.” I don’t know what Bible Joe’s reading; according to other versions only a quarter of Joel’s translation is accurate. In the NIV it reads, “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, ‘I am strong!’” This is a call to arms for the last battle, and “Armageddon demands all possible weapons and warriors… Even the weak must volunteer for military service” (The Interpreter’s Bible).
Joel next uses the story of David and Goliath. He tells us that David succeeded because he “changed his whole atmosphere through the words that came out of his mouth.” The core of this line of thinking is that David destroyed Goliath not with help from God, but of his own power and ability, simply by saying aloud that he could. Joel says we should take note of the pre-giant slaying trash talk between David and Goliath, pointing out that David spoke aloud his feelings, and that doing so made all the difference. I can picture David sitting on an easy chair on the edge of the battlefield, saying, “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give all of you into our hands” as he does in 1 Samuel 17: 47, and Goliath suddenly having a heart attack. We should take note that, following this line of thinking, a mute person would be helpless in this situation regardless of divine intervention.
In the next paragraph, Joel tells us that there’s a “miracle in your mouth,” and promises an example in the next chapter. While some might find this to provide a cliffhanger effect, it seems very anticlimactic to me. Taking the contents of this chapter together with the hermeneutical skills of its author, one might believe that Joel Osteen firmly believes in casting magical spells.
Monday, May 3, 2010
A rebuttal of Ch. 13 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 13: Reprogramming Your Mental Computer
Rebuttal
In the beginning of chapter 13, Joel tells us to look on the bright side of things. He likens our minds to a computer, a not uncommon metaphor. He says that we “can have the most powerful computer in the world, but if you program it with the wrong software or with misinformation, it will never function as the manufacturer intended.” He furthers this metaphor using the example of computer viruses. Just as computer viruses have ill effects on a computer, negative thoughts have ill effects on a person. Also, just as we may inadvertently pass on malware to a friend’s computer, we may unintentionally pass on negative thoughts to those around us. Sadly, this is where Joel ceases to be consistent with what is right.
Joel claims that “before we were ever formed, He programmed us to live abundant lives, to be healthy, happy, and whole. But when our thinking becomes contaminated, it is no longer in line with God’s word.” As comedic as it is for Joel to claim what is and isn’t in line with God’s word, the above statement raises a few questions. Say God intended us to be “healthy” and “whole”, among other things, before we were so much as formed in our mother’s womb, and that all conditions contrary to this are caused by our own negative thinking. How then are things like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, babies that are born blind, or other birth defects even possible? A developing fetus is certainly not capable of negative thinking, right? But there’s hope, Joel says. In order to circumvent a downward spiral into feelings of “feelings of inadequacy and insecurity,” we must recognize the problem and change the way we think. He consoles us, saying. “you are not defective. God made you, and he has programmed you for victory.” I beg to differ; humans are quite defective. According to Romans 3:10-12, “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have become worthless; there is no one who does good; not even one.’” Hebrews 8:8 says, “But God found fault with the people and said, ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (emphasis added).
Joel once again touches on his point that our thoughts determine our emotions, which again is not entirely untrue. Where he errs, unfortunately, is in his use of Deuteronomy 30:19. He uses it to support that thinking positively “is not a once-and for-all matter. It’s a choice we have to make on a moment-by-moment basis. We must choose to dwell on the positive, choose to dwell on the good.” While this may not be a false assertion, his use of the aforementioned verse certainly is. According to Joel, it reads, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses, positive and negative; therefore God says choose life.” Not only is Joel misconstruing the meaning of the verse, but he is adding words to it that aren’t there. In the NIV, it reads, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live”. Here God is laying down the terms and conditions forIsrael’s occupation of the Promised Land, what will happen if they meet those terms and conditions, and what will happen if they do not. Notice there are only two sets of juxtaposed nouns, “life and death” and “blessings and curses;” Joel seems to have added a third, “positive and negative,” presumably for his own purposes.
Joel says truthfully that we cannot stop “negative thoughts from knocking at your door, but you can control whether or not” you open the door. He consoles us by using Isaiah 26:3, “God will keep you in perfect peace.” Not only is this out of context, but it is also not the correct wording of the verse and not the entire text of the verse, either. The entire verse reads, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” This verse, despite its wording, does not guarantee freedom from conflict, but it is part of a hymn of gratitude, “thanking the Lord for victory over their enemies.”
Joel says that every time we get “worried, upset, or depressed, all we’re really doing is delaying God in bringing the victory.” Again, Joel is placing God’s power under the limits of human thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, an assertion which is prevalent throughout his book. As I’ve said before, it is ridiculous to think that the god by whom the universe was formed can be limited simply by the way we think.
Joel quotes Mark 9:23 in part, which reads: “Everything is possible for him who believes.” The context is Jesus speaking to a man whose son has been possessed by a demon since childbirth, and is being presented before Jesus to heal “if he can.” Mark 9:23 is Jesus’s response, “‘“If you can”’? said Jesus. “‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’” Joel claims that the inverse is also true; that nothing is possible for he who does not believe. Granted, if I don’t believe that construction paper feathers will enable me to fly, I probably won’t jump off a cliff with a bunch of them taped to my arms and legs. Aside from that, it is just another assumption that Joel throws out there without any support, scriptural or otherwise. Joel warns us that even at times when we don’t feel like keeping positive attitudes we should, because “every minute you allow yourself to lapse into a negative attitude is a minute that God cannot work in that situation.” This sentence is flawed in a number of ways. Joel cautions us not to spend to much time lapsing. Wiktionary defines lapse as “a temporary failure or slip.” So really we can only spend a limited time lapsing; after that we’re wallowing. As I’ve pointed out countless times before and no doubt will again, God is by his very nature all powerful, and the notion that he can be limited by our thoughts and attitudes is beyond ludicrous. Even if what Joel said was true, having a negative attitude and believing are not mutually exclusive.
Joel describes a restless night in which he picked up his Bible and turned to a passage to which “the Lord seemed to be prompting” him. Here, Joel actually gives us the context of the verse as he cites it. 2 Chronicles 20:17 is God encouraging the people of Judah for an upcoming confrontation with several of their enemies, an “impossible situation” as Joel puts it. The verse reads, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Oh Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” Joel took this to apply to a dilemma that he was facing at the time: a lawsuit concerning his church’s venue. What puzzles me is that Joel quotes the verse as reading “You don’t have to fight in this battle. Stand still and you will see the deliverance of the Lord.” I searched 17 different translations of the Bible and no version had the same wording as the one Joel quoted.
Joel shares with us that a few weeks later, his attorneys called him and informed him that the opposing party wanted to settle, even though those same attorneys told him that they would never settle. Newsflash, Joel: the vast majority of litigation is settled out of court, and your lawyers are human and capable of error just like everyone else. The opposing party probably wanted to avoid the extensive costs associated with continued litigation and reach a compromise that would save everyone time and money. Joel proudly says that “in less than forty-eight hours, we came to an agreement and totally settled that lawsuit!” He quotes Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live in peace with him.” That may be so, but all around the nation lawsuits in which the parties engage in behavior not pleasing to God settle as well. Joel’s is not a special case. He brags that “the company that was so adamantly opposed to our church leasing the arena agreed to lease us nearly ten thousand covered parking spaces at the Compaq center for the next sixty years. Not only did this save us millions of dollars, but it allowed us to move into that new facility approximately a year sooner than we would have otherwise.” Despite what Joel would have you believe, the company did not give him those things out of the kindness of their heart, because Joel won them over with his ways that are pleasing to the Lord. The company did those things because they signed a settlement agreement, and included in the terms of the settlement agreement were ten thousand parking spaces leased for sixty years. What Joel doesn’t tell us is what he had to give up as his part of the agreement.
Joel instructs us to keep our trust in God, so he will fight our battles for us. He tells us that if we “simply obey His commands, He will change your life for the better.” Wow, I didn’t know it was that easy. Paul certainly didn’t when he said in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29,
Joel says that no matter what difficulties we go through, “the Bible says, ‘Don’t get weary and faint in your mind.” This is Hebrews 12:3, but in no discernable published translation. The NIV reads, “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and loose heart.” Contrary to what Joel would have us believe, this verse is Paul telling the his church to watch and learn from those more experienced in dealing with opposition to their faith, so they will “not grow weary and loose heart.” This does not mean, as Joel says, to reject negative thoughts so that God can bring us more stuff and “bring us out with the victory.”
Joel concludes with telling us that choosing the right thoughts is key, and not just when we’re feeling good; we must “keep your mind set on the good things of God” at all times. If we do all this and are consistent, “God will continually work in your life.” Since when is it up to us as to whether or not God continually works in our lives? This chapter, though containing some things that are not entirely untrue, is just another tour in how we can control God through our thoughts and actions.
Rebuttal
In the beginning of chapter 13, Joel tells us to look on the bright side of things. He likens our minds to a computer, a not uncommon metaphor. He says that we “can have the most powerful computer in the world, but if you program it with the wrong software or with misinformation, it will never function as the manufacturer intended.” He furthers this metaphor using the example of computer viruses. Just as computer viruses have ill effects on a computer, negative thoughts have ill effects on a person. Also, just as we may inadvertently pass on malware to a friend’s computer, we may unintentionally pass on negative thoughts to those around us. Sadly, this is where Joel ceases to be consistent with what is right.
Joel claims that “before we were ever formed, He programmed us to live abundant lives, to be healthy, happy, and whole. But when our thinking becomes contaminated, it is no longer in line with God’s word.” As comedic as it is for Joel to claim what is and isn’t in line with God’s word, the above statement raises a few questions. Say God intended us to be “healthy” and “whole”, among other things, before we were so much as formed in our mother’s womb, and that all conditions contrary to this are caused by our own negative thinking. How then are things like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, babies that are born blind, or other birth defects even possible? A developing fetus is certainly not capable of negative thinking, right? But there’s hope, Joel says. In order to circumvent a downward spiral into feelings of “feelings of inadequacy and insecurity,” we must recognize the problem and change the way we think. He consoles us, saying. “you are not defective. God made you, and he has programmed you for victory.” I beg to differ; humans are quite defective. According to Romans 3:10-12, “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have become worthless; there is no one who does good; not even one.’” Hebrews 8:8 says, “But God found fault with the people and said, ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (emphasis added).
Joel once again touches on his point that our thoughts determine our emotions, which again is not entirely untrue. Where he errs, unfortunately, is in his use of Deuteronomy 30:19. He uses it to support that thinking positively “is not a once-and for-all matter. It’s a choice we have to make on a moment-by-moment basis. We must choose to dwell on the positive, choose to dwell on the good.” While this may not be a false assertion, his use of the aforementioned verse certainly is. According to Joel, it reads, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses, positive and negative; therefore God says choose life.” Not only is Joel misconstruing the meaning of the verse, but he is adding words to it that aren’t there. In the NIV, it reads, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live”. Here God is laying down the terms and conditions forIsrael’s occupation of the Promised Land, what will happen if they meet those terms and conditions, and what will happen if they do not. Notice there are only two sets of juxtaposed nouns, “life and death” and “blessings and curses;” Joel seems to have added a third, “positive and negative,” presumably for his own purposes.
Joel says truthfully that we cannot stop “negative thoughts from knocking at your door, but you can control whether or not” you open the door. He consoles us by using Isaiah 26:3, “God will keep you in perfect peace.” Not only is this out of context, but it is also not the correct wording of the verse and not the entire text of the verse, either. The entire verse reads, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” This verse, despite its wording, does not guarantee freedom from conflict, but it is part of a hymn of gratitude, “thanking the Lord for victory over their enemies.”
Joel says that every time we get “worried, upset, or depressed, all we’re really doing is delaying God in bringing the victory.” Again, Joel is placing God’s power under the limits of human thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, an assertion which is prevalent throughout his book. As I’ve said before, it is ridiculous to think that the god by whom the universe was formed can be limited simply by the way we think.
Joel quotes Mark 9:23 in part, which reads: “Everything is possible for him who believes.” The context is Jesus speaking to a man whose son has been possessed by a demon since childbirth, and is being presented before Jesus to heal “if he can.” Mark 9:23 is Jesus’s response, “‘“If you can”’? said Jesus. “‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’” Joel claims that the inverse is also true; that nothing is possible for he who does not believe. Granted, if I don’t believe that construction paper feathers will enable me to fly, I probably won’t jump off a cliff with a bunch of them taped to my arms and legs. Aside from that, it is just another assumption that Joel throws out there without any support, scriptural or otherwise. Joel warns us that even at times when we don’t feel like keeping positive attitudes we should, because “every minute you allow yourself to lapse into a negative attitude is a minute that God cannot work in that situation.” This sentence is flawed in a number of ways. Joel cautions us not to spend to much time lapsing. Wiktionary defines lapse as “a temporary failure or slip.” So really we can only spend a limited time lapsing; after that we’re wallowing. As I’ve pointed out countless times before and no doubt will again, God is by his very nature all powerful, and the notion that he can be limited by our thoughts and attitudes is beyond ludicrous. Even if what Joel said was true, having a negative attitude and believing are not mutually exclusive.
Joel describes a restless night in which he picked up his Bible and turned to a passage to which “the Lord seemed to be prompting” him. Here, Joel actually gives us the context of the verse as he cites it. 2 Chronicles 20:17 is God encouraging the people of Judah for an upcoming confrontation with several of their enemies, an “impossible situation” as Joel puts it. The verse reads, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Oh Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” Joel took this to apply to a dilemma that he was facing at the time: a lawsuit concerning his church’s venue. What puzzles me is that Joel quotes the verse as reading “You don’t have to fight in this battle. Stand still and you will see the deliverance of the Lord.” I searched 17 different translations of the Bible and no version had the same wording as the one Joel quoted.
Joel shares with us that a few weeks later, his attorneys called him and informed him that the opposing party wanted to settle, even though those same attorneys told him that they would never settle. Newsflash, Joel: the vast majority of litigation is settled out of court, and your lawyers are human and capable of error just like everyone else. The opposing party probably wanted to avoid the extensive costs associated with continued litigation and reach a compromise that would save everyone time and money. Joel proudly says that “in less than forty-eight hours, we came to an agreement and totally settled that lawsuit!” He quotes Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live in peace with him.” That may be so, but all around the nation lawsuits in which the parties engage in behavior not pleasing to God settle as well. Joel’s is not a special case. He brags that “the company that was so adamantly opposed to our church leasing the arena agreed to lease us nearly ten thousand covered parking spaces at the Compaq center for the next sixty years. Not only did this save us millions of dollars, but it allowed us to move into that new facility approximately a year sooner than we would have otherwise.” Despite what Joel would have you believe, the company did not give him those things out of the kindness of their heart, because Joel won them over with his ways that are pleasing to the Lord. The company did those things because they signed a settlement agreement, and included in the terms of the settlement agreement were ten thousand parking spaces leased for sixty years. What Joel doesn’t tell us is what he had to give up as his part of the agreement.
Joel instructs us to keep our trust in God, so he will fight our battles for us. He tells us that if we “simply obey His commands, He will change your life for the better.” Wow, I didn’t know it was that easy. Paul certainly didn’t when he said in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29,
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
Joel says that no matter what difficulties we go through, “the Bible says, ‘Don’t get weary and faint in your mind.” This is Hebrews 12:3, but in no discernable published translation. The NIV reads, “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and loose heart.” Contrary to what Joel would have us believe, this verse is Paul telling the his church to watch and learn from those more experienced in dealing with opposition to their faith, so they will “not grow weary and loose heart.” This does not mean, as Joel says, to reject negative thoughts so that God can bring us more stuff and “bring us out with the victory.”
Joel concludes with telling us that choosing the right thoughts is key, and not just when we’re feeling good; we must “keep your mind set on the good things of God” at all times. If we do all this and are consistent, “God will continually work in your life.” Since when is it up to us as to whether or not God continually works in our lives? This chapter, though containing some things that are not entirely untrue, is just another tour in how we can control God through our thoughts and actions.
A rebuttal of Ch. 12 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 12: Choosing the Right Thoughts
Rebuttal
In the first chapter of Part Three, Joel tells us that there is a battle raging all around us, but we “may not even be aware of it. The battle is not for a piece of land or for natural resources,” but for something of much more value: our minds. This is a good description of spiritual warfare. Joel proposes that to start off, we must “think about your thoughts first of all.” He says that our “enemy’s number one target area is the area of your thoughts. As support, he uses the fact that “satan” is the Hebrew word for adversary, that satan “is often used as a proper name for a powerful, angel-like being who is the avowed enemy of God and humans. Although Satan has great powers, he is no match for God.” While all of this is true, it is a bit of a non sequiter, since nothing in the above quotes indicates what Satan’s “number one target area” is, be it our thoughts or otherwise. Joel says that it is imperative that “we must be extremely not only about what we ingest through our eyes and ears, but also what we think about. Unfortunately for Joel, it is impossible for anyone to ingest anything through their eyes or ears; only the mouth is capable of ingesting.
Joel says that if we are “always thinking positive, happy, joyful thoughts, you’re going to be a positive, happy, joyful person, and you will attract other happy, upbeat, positive people,” and that the inverse is true as well. He says basically that if we think happy thoughts we’ll be happy, and if we think sad thoughts, we’ll be sad. This is to some extent true. He says that we are in control of what we think; we can choose to dwell on either the positive or negative things running through our brain. All of this is fine.
Joel says that we can’t walk around in denial, living under the false assumption that “nothing bad ever happens to us.” He points out that bad things happen to good people, and vice versa. He advocates an attitude of realism, and suggests relying on God for support, using Isaiah 40:31 and John 16:33 in context as scriptural support. Unfortunately, this is too good to last.
Joel says that if we cheer up, God will “turn your situation around. As long as you harbor that poor, defeated outlook, you will continue to live a poor, defeated life.” He says that “if you don’t think God can turn your situation around, He probably won’t.” This is a recurring theme in this book, our thoughts and attitudes being able to limit what God can do. Joel uses Proverbs 23:7, “As a person thinks in his heart, so he will become.” This is not necessarily what the verse says. With verse five included to give it some context, the text reads, “Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost, but his heart is not with you.” The footnote in verse five is to denote that the section there may also be translated as “for as he puts on a feast, so he is,” or it may be translated as Joel quotes it. However, given the context I doubt that was what the author intended it to mean.
Next, Joel says that when we think positive thoughts, we “will be propelled toward greatness, inevitably bound for increase, promotion, and God’s supernatural blessings.” Joel uses Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on the things which are above.” He uses this same verse in Chapter 2, but there it reads, “Set your mind and keep it set on higher things.” Neither of these is marked with a translation, so the only conclusion one could draw is that Joel skews the same text in one manner for purpose A and in another manner for purpose B. The entire verse in the NIV reads, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Obviously Paul is not talking about thinking positively, but about keeping our minds on things that really matter. The same thing applies to Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” Paul isn’t telling the church in Philippi to think happy thoughts, but rather he is, according to the New Interpreter’s Bible, urging them to “imitate Paul who embodies for them the gospel message” and to remind them “of the close link between the proclamation of the gospel and the moral demand to be like Christ, which rests on those who respond.”
Joel tells us that it may be hard to focus on the positive, especially in times of adversity. He claims that “psychologists are convinced that our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts.” While I am not necessarily contesting this claim, it is unprofessional and sloppy of Joel to make such a sweeping statement without citing any sources. Joel continues to tell us that our lives are our own, and that we are the only ones that can be held accountable for our actions. He tells us that even if we have been thinking negatively, we can change our ways and start anew. While, as Joel accurately claims, we are the only ones who can be held accountable for our actions, we are not our own. Romans 6:18 says that “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.” Four verses later, Paul writes, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Unfortunately, Joel’s example of the depths of despair does not revolve around anything pertaining to the last two verses he quoted: “You’re never going to get out of debt. You’re never going to be successful. You’re always going to live in poverty and lack.” None of this bears any eternal significance; what would be a better example of psychological spiritual warfare that Joel is attempting to describe here would be: doubting one’s standing with God, complacency, or distraction from God’s work.
Joel goes on about the power of thoughts and how they influence our lives. He says we can choose whether or not to dwell on the negative thoughts that come into our mind. The only problem here is his idea of the consequence of negative thinking is not psychological or spiritual, but material.
Rebuttal
In the first chapter of Part Three, Joel tells us that there is a battle raging all around us, but we “may not even be aware of it. The battle is not for a piece of land or for natural resources,” but for something of much more value: our minds. This is a good description of spiritual warfare. Joel proposes that to start off, we must “think about your thoughts first of all.” He says that our “enemy’s number one target area is the area of your thoughts. As support, he uses the fact that “satan” is the Hebrew word for adversary, that satan “is often used as a proper name for a powerful, angel-like being who is the avowed enemy of God and humans. Although Satan has great powers, he is no match for God.” While all of this is true, it is a bit of a non sequiter, since nothing in the above quotes indicates what Satan’s “number one target area” is, be it our thoughts or otherwise. Joel says that it is imperative that “we must be extremely not only about what we ingest through our eyes and ears, but also what we think about. Unfortunately for Joel, it is impossible for anyone to ingest anything through their eyes or ears; only the mouth is capable of ingesting.
Joel says that if we are “always thinking positive, happy, joyful thoughts, you’re going to be a positive, happy, joyful person, and you will attract other happy, upbeat, positive people,” and that the inverse is true as well. He says basically that if we think happy thoughts we’ll be happy, and if we think sad thoughts, we’ll be sad. This is to some extent true. He says that we are in control of what we think; we can choose to dwell on either the positive or negative things running through our brain. All of this is fine.
Joel says that we can’t walk around in denial, living under the false assumption that “nothing bad ever happens to us.” He points out that bad things happen to good people, and vice versa. He advocates an attitude of realism, and suggests relying on God for support, using Isaiah 40:31 and John 16:33 in context as scriptural support. Unfortunately, this is too good to last.
Joel says that if we cheer up, God will “turn your situation around. As long as you harbor that poor, defeated outlook, you will continue to live a poor, defeated life.” He says that “if you don’t think God can turn your situation around, He probably won’t.” This is a recurring theme in this book, our thoughts and attitudes being able to limit what God can do. Joel uses Proverbs 23:7, “As a person thinks in his heart, so he will become.” This is not necessarily what the verse says. With verse five included to give it some context, the text reads, “Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost, but his heart is not with you.” The footnote in verse five is to denote that the section there may also be translated as “for as he puts on a feast, so he is,” or it may be translated as Joel quotes it. However, given the context I doubt that was what the author intended it to mean.
Next, Joel says that when we think positive thoughts, we “will be propelled toward greatness, inevitably bound for increase, promotion, and God’s supernatural blessings.” Joel uses Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on the things which are above.” He uses this same verse in Chapter 2, but there it reads, “Set your mind and keep it set on higher things.” Neither of these is marked with a translation, so the only conclusion one could draw is that Joel skews the same text in one manner for purpose A and in another manner for purpose B. The entire verse in the NIV reads, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Obviously Paul is not talking about thinking positively, but about keeping our minds on things that really matter. The same thing applies to Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” Paul isn’t telling the church in Philippi to think happy thoughts, but rather he is, according to the New Interpreter’s Bible, urging them to “imitate Paul who embodies for them the gospel message” and to remind them “of the close link between the proclamation of the gospel and the moral demand to be like Christ, which rests on those who respond.”
Joel tells us that it may be hard to focus on the positive, especially in times of adversity. He claims that “psychologists are convinced that our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts.” While I am not necessarily contesting this claim, it is unprofessional and sloppy of Joel to make such a sweeping statement without citing any sources. Joel continues to tell us that our lives are our own, and that we are the only ones that can be held accountable for our actions. He tells us that even if we have been thinking negatively, we can change our ways and start anew. While, as Joel accurately claims, we are the only ones who can be held accountable for our actions, we are not our own. Romans 6:18 says that “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.” Four verses later, Paul writes, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Unfortunately, Joel’s example of the depths of despair does not revolve around anything pertaining to the last two verses he quoted: “You’re never going to get out of debt. You’re never going to be successful. You’re always going to live in poverty and lack.” None of this bears any eternal significance; what would be a better example of psychological spiritual warfare that Joel is attempting to describe here would be: doubting one’s standing with God, complacency, or distraction from God’s work.
Joel goes on about the power of thoughts and how they influence our lives. He says we can choose whether or not to dwell on the negative thoughts that come into our mind. The only problem here is his idea of the consequence of negative thinking is not psychological or spiritual, but material.
A rebuttal of Ch. 11 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 11: Be Happy With Who You Are
Rebuttal
The title of this chapter is somewhat misleading. No one is arguing that it is a bad thing to be happy with who you are; it’s the how and why of being satisfied with oneself that comes into question. Right off the bat, Joel makes a sweeping statement that many of the world’s “social, physical, and emotional problems” are caused simply by “the fact that people don’t like themselves.” Granted it’s not a good to have people constantly wish that they were more like someone else or being insecure, but there is a line here. I challenge anyone to name five problems that were caused solely by someone’s low self esteem. Hitler had wonderful self esteem, he was sure that what he was doing was the right thing to do. Besides that, liking who you are is not a good thing if you are someone not worth liking. A healthy dissatisfaction with oneself can be very useful when one is engaged in or desperately needs rehabilitation for chemical dependency or is living one’s life in a manner that is destructive to others. While it is no doubt a good thing to be satisfied with who one is, I sincerely doubt that the absence of such a feeling is the cause for many of the world’s problems.
Next, Joel reminds us that we don’t need to look good in order to feel good. He says that wishing we were built differently or had a different personality is a wasted effort, and he is right. Where he errs is when he claims that “some people spend three-fourths of their time trying to be someone else.” How could he possibly quantify this? He cites no study or survey to support this “fact” and just assumes we’ll eat it right up without question. Joel extols us to enjoy the fact that we are different from other people. He reminds us that in so doing we should also be open to the advice of people wiser than ourselves and that we should not be foolhardy or rebellious. There’s nothing wrong here. However, the idea that “we never have permission to live an ungodly life” is false. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that “‘everything is permissible for me’- but not everything is beneficial. ‘everything is permissible for me’- but I will not be mastered by anything”. Instead, Paul says in chapter ten, verse 31 of the same book, that “so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Over the next few paragraphs, Joel tells us that we are special just the way God made us, that we don’t need the permission of others to express ourselves and be who we want to be. This is all true. Joel tells us not to compare ourselves with others, and that “God has an individual plan for each of our lives.” This is also correct. Joel admits that he might never be the best preacher, husband, or father, but “as far as I’m concerned, I’m number one!” This is taking it one step too far. According to Psalm 25:9, “he guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” According to Proverbs 3:34, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Finally, James 4:10 says that we should “humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” While it is only beneficial to be satisfied with oneself, the idea that everyone should think that they’re “number one” borders on pretentious and is not what the Bible teaches.
To some hilarious effect, the very next thing that is written after Joel’s claim to be “number one” is “that is what the Scripture teaches. It says ‘Let each one examine his own work.’ In other words, quit looking at what everyone else is doing and run your own race.” The text that Joel uses as support in the above quote is from Galatians 6:4 in the New King James Version. Here Joel quotes only half of the verse; the entirety of it in the NIV reads as follows: “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.” This verse appears to support what Joel is saying in this chapter, and to some extent it does, just not in the way Joel is using it. According to the New Interpreter’s Bible, “Paul is convinced that authentic faith manifests itself in action” and therefore that “to test one’s ‘work’ is to examine whether it really embodies the loving character of Christ.” It is odd that the second half of the verse, which Joel omits, can be used to support the points he makes in this chapter, but he chooses to use the first half of the verse out of context to support a flawed assertion.
Joel tells us not to give in to peer pressure and that we can’t and shouldn’t try to please everyone; we need only please God. Joel also tells us that we should not hesitate to ask for the advice of people we know and trust. All of this is true. Joel, to bolster his point, claims that the Bible says, “there’s safety in a multitude of counselors.” This is another one of Joel’s made up verses; the closest thing to it is Proverbs 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” It’s a pity that Joel either made up or mutilated a verse to support a perfectly valid point, especially when there are actual Bible verses that will do the job. For instance, Proverbs 12:15 says that “the way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Joel asks us, “Are you being the person God made you to be?” Who else can we be but the person God made us to be? To be someone other than the person God made us to be would mean that God’s plans can be circumvented by our own thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Joel says that we shouldn’t try to live life with the objective of pleasing other people or trying to emulate their own lives, and he is right. He refers to Joshua taking on the role of the leader of Israel after Moses’s death. He quotes Joshua 1:5, inferring that “as I was with Moses, so shall I be with you” is God telling Joshua to be who he made him to be, “and then you’ll be successful.” Once again, Joel is using only half of the verse. The entire verse reads, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Contrary to what Joel would have us believe, God is telling Joshua that he has his back, so to speak; not encouraging him to be different and be his own man. This is another instance where Joel uses scripture out of context to support a point that could be just as easily bolstered by a verse used in context.
Most of what Joel says in Chapter 11 is true; he just takes it one step beyond legitimacy. It is mostly where he tries to use scripture that he fails in making arguments with any veracity. This concludes Part Two on developing a healthy self-image, and we are on to Part Three: Discover the Power of Your Thoughts and Words.
Rebuttal
The title of this chapter is somewhat misleading. No one is arguing that it is a bad thing to be happy with who you are; it’s the how and why of being satisfied with oneself that comes into question. Right off the bat, Joel makes a sweeping statement that many of the world’s “social, physical, and emotional problems” are caused simply by “the fact that people don’t like themselves.” Granted it’s not a good to have people constantly wish that they were more like someone else or being insecure, but there is a line here. I challenge anyone to name five problems that were caused solely by someone’s low self esteem. Hitler had wonderful self esteem, he was sure that what he was doing was the right thing to do. Besides that, liking who you are is not a good thing if you are someone not worth liking. A healthy dissatisfaction with oneself can be very useful when one is engaged in or desperately needs rehabilitation for chemical dependency or is living one’s life in a manner that is destructive to others. While it is no doubt a good thing to be satisfied with who one is, I sincerely doubt that the absence of such a feeling is the cause for many of the world’s problems.
Next, Joel reminds us that we don’t need to look good in order to feel good. He says that wishing we were built differently or had a different personality is a wasted effort, and he is right. Where he errs is when he claims that “some people spend three-fourths of their time trying to be someone else.” How could he possibly quantify this? He cites no study or survey to support this “fact” and just assumes we’ll eat it right up without question. Joel extols us to enjoy the fact that we are different from other people. He reminds us that in so doing we should also be open to the advice of people wiser than ourselves and that we should not be foolhardy or rebellious. There’s nothing wrong here. However, the idea that “we never have permission to live an ungodly life” is false. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that “‘everything is permissible for me’- but not everything is beneficial. ‘everything is permissible for me’- but I will not be mastered by anything”. Instead, Paul says in chapter ten, verse 31 of the same book, that “so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Over the next few paragraphs, Joel tells us that we are special just the way God made us, that we don’t need the permission of others to express ourselves and be who we want to be. This is all true. Joel tells us not to compare ourselves with others, and that “God has an individual plan for each of our lives.” This is also correct. Joel admits that he might never be the best preacher, husband, or father, but “as far as I’m concerned, I’m number one!” This is taking it one step too far. According to Psalm 25:9, “he guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” According to Proverbs 3:34, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Finally, James 4:10 says that we should “humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” While it is only beneficial to be satisfied with oneself, the idea that everyone should think that they’re “number one” borders on pretentious and is not what the Bible teaches.
To some hilarious effect, the very next thing that is written after Joel’s claim to be “number one” is “that is what the Scripture teaches. It says ‘Let each one examine his own work.’ In other words, quit looking at what everyone else is doing and run your own race.” The text that Joel uses as support in the above quote is from Galatians 6:4 in the New King James Version. Here Joel quotes only half of the verse; the entirety of it in the NIV reads as follows: “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.” This verse appears to support what Joel is saying in this chapter, and to some extent it does, just not in the way Joel is using it. According to the New Interpreter’s Bible, “Paul is convinced that authentic faith manifests itself in action” and therefore that “to test one’s ‘work’ is to examine whether it really embodies the loving character of Christ.” It is odd that the second half of the verse, which Joel omits, can be used to support the points he makes in this chapter, but he chooses to use the first half of the verse out of context to support a flawed assertion.
Joel tells us not to give in to peer pressure and that we can’t and shouldn’t try to please everyone; we need only please God. Joel also tells us that we should not hesitate to ask for the advice of people we know and trust. All of this is true. Joel, to bolster his point, claims that the Bible says, “there’s safety in a multitude of counselors.” This is another one of Joel’s made up verses; the closest thing to it is Proverbs 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” It’s a pity that Joel either made up or mutilated a verse to support a perfectly valid point, especially when there are actual Bible verses that will do the job. For instance, Proverbs 12:15 says that “the way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Joel asks us, “Are you being the person God made you to be?” Who else can we be but the person God made us to be? To be someone other than the person God made us to be would mean that God’s plans can be circumvented by our own thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Joel says that we shouldn’t try to live life with the objective of pleasing other people or trying to emulate their own lives, and he is right. He refers to Joshua taking on the role of the leader of Israel after Moses’s death. He quotes Joshua 1:5, inferring that “as I was with Moses, so shall I be with you” is God telling Joshua to be who he made him to be, “and then you’ll be successful.” Once again, Joel is using only half of the verse. The entire verse reads, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Contrary to what Joel would have us believe, God is telling Joshua that he has his back, so to speak; not encouraging him to be different and be his own man. This is another instance where Joel uses scripture out of context to support a point that could be just as easily bolstered by a verse used in context.
Most of what Joel says in Chapter 11 is true; he just takes it one step beyond legitimacy. It is mostly where he tries to use scripture that he fails in making arguments with any veracity. This concludes Part Two on developing a healthy self-image, and we are on to Part Three: Discover the Power of Your Thoughts and Words.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A rebuttal of Ch. 10 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 10: Developing a Prosperous Mind-Set
Rebuttal
Joel starts off this chapter by saying that how we see ourselves will make or break us. This is true, to a certain extent. Joel says that God plants “seeds” inside of us that we need to tap into in order to make something of ourselves; he says that we need to believe “beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have what it takes.” If we go about doubtless that we possess that necessary requirements to succeed in life, we fool ourselves in the following ways: According to Socrates, the unexamined life is not worth living. If we blindly believe we can do anything, we lack the capability to step back and examine our lives and improve them. Also, there is the distinct possibility that we may be wrong and do not in fact have what it takes. A healthy amount of doubt can allow us to examine our situation and make any necessary changes. Thirdly, just because we believe it “beyond a shadow of a doubt” doesn’t mean it will happen or even that it’s possible.
Joel says that God didn’t “make you to be average.” This is like when he said God wants you to succeed in life; it’s circular reasoning. If God has created everyone to be above average, above average would become average, because everyone can’t be above average. Conversely, God could have created some people to be below average to even things out. I don’t think that’s what Joel’s getting at, because he follows it up with “God created you to excel, and He’s given you ability, insight, talent, and His supernatural power to do so. You have everything you need right now to fulfill your God-given destiny.” So I can stop reading this book? If you’ve ever seen any kind of reality T.V. show then you know that God has most certainly not vested everyone with his supernatural power and insight.
Joel quotes the following scripture to support his point: “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” The catch is that this is another one of Joel’s made up verses; this verse occurs nowhere in the Bible. Joel points out to us that this verse that he fabricated is in the past tense, so it must mean that God has already given us everything we need to succeed, and that we only have to act on it. While this assertion is not entirely untrue, I think enough is said of the point he is trying to make here when he has to make up a Bible verse to try to prove it.
Joel then goes back to his version of the story of Abraham we went over in the previous chapter. Joel refers to the call of Abraham in Genesis 12, where he claims God is speaking in past tense, under the rationale that “God planned to give Abraham a son, but as far as he was concerned, it was already a done deal. Nevertheless, Abraham had a responsibility to trust God and believe.” Unfortunately for Joel, the NIV, ASV, NASB, and the KJV all render Genesis 12:2 in present tense. I’ll take four time tested, authoritative translations of the Bible over the Osteen Prooftext Version any day.
Joel says that similar things are said throughout the Bible about us, although he makes that claim without citing any references. That’s just as well, I’m hard pressed to think of a section of scripture that tells me that I’m going to live to ninety-nine and be childless, then God is going to tell me via christophany that about a year from then I’ll have a baby. In order for any of that to happen, Joel says we must believe, act, and see ourselves as blessed.
Joel uses Romans 8:37 to emphasize his “present tense” point. He says that “we are more that conquerors ‘right now.’” As pleasant as this notion is, it is not what Paul meant when he was writing his letter. Paul was telling the Romans that they were more than conquerors over things like trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword, in Romans 8:35. Not that they would never experience such things, but that those things would have no effect on them. Joel tells us that we are more than conquerors “right now. If you will start acting like it, talking like it, seeing yourself as more than a conqueror, you will live a prosperous and victorious life.” Where does the Bible say that? Joel goes on to say that “the price has already been paid for you to have joy, peace, and happiness. That’s part of the package God has made available to you.” Does that package include a decent health care plan, dental, and a 401(k)? The only thing for which God has already paid the price is salvation and eternal life in heaven. Nothing else is guaranteed. Nothing else, that is, but what 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Not that anything else, by comparison, is really at all relevant.
As support, Joel goes on to tell a story set in a time before the conventional use of airplanes about a man who embarks on a transatlantic voyage. This man had saved for years for this ticket, and had just enough money to purchase it. He also buys a suitcase and fills it with cheese and crackers, this being the extent of his financial capability. For each meal during the three week voyage he sits in a corner and has crackers and cheese. He smells the food being served and hears the other passengers talking about how delicious the means are. Near the end of the trip, someone approaches him and asks him why he sits in the corner eating crackers and cheese; why doesn’t he come into the dining room? The man says that he could only afford the trip, that he is too poor to purchase extravagant meals. Much to the poor man’s surprise and embarrassment, the other passenger tells the poor man that the meals were already included in the price of the ticket.
I’ve heard this story before, with some minor alterations, in various other contexts, and you may have as well. As poignant as this story is, there are a few flaws in it: according to the story, the man was dirt poor and had to save up for quite some time in order to afford a one way transatlantic ticket. Once he buys that ticket, he can suddenly afford three weeks worth of cheese and crackers and a suitcase big enough to put then in? Furthermore, wouldn’t all the money he spent on a suitcase and cheese and crackers be enough to buy some amount of food on board the ship, or at least what the man believed some amount of food would cost if the means were not included? Besides, what person possessing normal capacity for reasoning would think that a company would put him in a position where he has no means of earning income, no access to alternative sources of food, and tell him that for three weeks he will have to buy his own meals or starve to death?
Joel says that this story is analogous to the way that some people go about life “missing God’s blessings because they don’t realize that the good things in life have already been paid for. They may be on their way to heaven, but they don’t know what has been included in the price of their ticket.” Once again, the only thing included in the “price of our ticket” is salvation, eternal life in heaven, the privilege of having a personal relationship with God, and persecution. No stock option, no company car, nothing. Please don’t hear me say that what God offers us isn’t enough; far from it. What God offers us has a value surpassing anything on earth, a point Joel fails to take into consideration.
Joel uses as an example a story about his father. He describes to us the conditions of destitution which were all his father knew. Joel tells us that every so often they would put up a guest speaker in their home for a week, and this would take a significant toll on the household’s budget. One day his father is offered recompense after housing a guest speaker, he is offered recompense in the form of “a thousand dollars, tantamount to ten thousand dollars today!” The relative worth of the U.S. Dollar has never reached such a sharp contrast. According to the Consumer Price Index, one thousand U.S. dollars in 1959, the year Joel Osteen’s father founded Lakewood Church, would be worth seven thousand, one hundred ten dollars in 2007, when Your Best Life Now was written. That was four years before Joel Osteen was born, and it only goes down from there.
Joel’s father politely refuses the check, and instead puts it in the church offering. Later, Osteen the senior “admitted that deep down inside, he really preferred to keep the money. He knew that he and Mother needed that money, but he had a false sense of humility. He couldn’t receive the blessing. He thought he was doing God a favor by staying poor.” It is futile and foolish to think that we can do God a favor by doing anything, but staying poor is not a bad thing; it keeps you mindful of and thankful for the things you do have. Proverbs 22:1 tells us that “a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Joel tells us that his father later said, “‘With every step I took as I walked to the front of the church to put that check in the offering, something inside was saying, Don’t do it. Receive God’s blessings. Receive God’s goodness.’” Joel’s father ignores this little voice, and places the check in the offering. Later, he admits that as he “‘did, I felt sick to my stomach.’”
Joel’s take on the matter is that
To begin, I know of no man of limited means who would not experience pangs of trepidation when refusing an offer of that magnitude. Just because the voice in “Daddy’s” head was telling him to keep the money doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Inner conflict is a key characteristic of the human condition, and that’s just what Joel’s father was experiencing. Another thing, and this has become a motif throughout Joel’s book, is that in this story God’s efforts to accomplish a task are foiled by a human’s mindset. Do you really think that if God wanted to do something, the negative attitude of a country preacher could stop him? The way that Joel keeps referring to his father as “Daddy” borders on nauseating. Perhaps he needs a reminder that we’re not his siblings, but complete strangers who have met neither him nor his father. To repeatedly refer to his father using such a personal and even juvenile term in such a widely published book is unprofessional and unbecoming of someone in Joel's position.
In the next paragraph, Joel exhorts those of us who are poor, and offers these words of consolation: “God has good things ahead for you. But let me caution you; don’t allow that poverty image to become ingrained inside you. Don’t grow accustomed to living with less, doing less, and being less to the point that you eventually sit back and accept it.” Answer me this, Joel: during Jesus’s three year ministry his target audience was the poor, outcasts, and sinners. In any of the gospels, does he say, “your sins are forgiven. Now take this new car and be on your way.”? No. Jesus’s ministry targeted the poor, and he handed out no checks, made no efforts to “increase” people, quite to the contrary, as exhibited in Luke 18:22 when he tells the rich man to sell all he has and give the money to the poor. In short, if God’s plan is to increase his children in the manner which Joel describes, Jesus was a horrible example.
Joel moves on. He refers to Deuteronomy 28:63 in the Osteen Prooftext Version, without giving chapter or verse so we just have to take his word for it. Those of us with the proper research tools are able to discern that the words Joel has in quotes do not accurately reflect the content of the verse. Joel writes: “The Bible says, ‘God takes pleasure in prospering his children.’ As his children prosper spiritually physically, and materially, their increase brings God’s pleasure (emphasis added).” I can find no verse that proves God derives pleasure from our acquiring stuff, but I can find one in particular that proves the contrary. It is Deuteronomy 28:63, the very same verse that Joel just quoted to support the above point. Joel has cited only half of the verse; the entire verse in the NIV reads, “Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.” This is downright hilarious; the same verse that Joel takes out of context to support his point means the very opposite when taken it context. This verse is God talking to the nation of Israel, promising to them what will happen if they disobey their covenant with him.
Joel follows up by posing the question: “What would you think if I introduced our two children to you and they had holes in their clothes, uncombed hair, no shoes, and dirt under their fingernails?” Joel answers his own question by saying that this would mean that he was a poor father. I would agree, in Joel’s case. If the man who pastors what is perhaps the biggest church in the world, has written multiple books, and has his own TV broadcast can’t bother to properly clothe and provide hygiene for his children, then he is a bad father. However, if a man who has patchy clothes, uncombed hair, no shoes, and dirty fingernails sports children with “holes in their clothes, uncombed hair, no shoes, and dirt under their fingernails,” that might be a different story. Joel claims that the outward appearance of one’s children is a direct reflection of one’s capability as a father.
Using the above as a parallel, Joel claims that
Granted, no one is pleased when someone is depressed. However, poverty and depression are not things that always go hand in hand. Monks take vows of poverty in order to get rid of a myriad of distractions and focus more on God. Paul has a poignant observation on the topic in Philippians 4:11-13:
To Joel, the lack of material goods is inherently evil, because it displeases God and is without exception associated with despair, depression, and discouragement. I am by no means saying that living with limited means is easy or fun, but it is certainly not evil or wrong.
Joel bemoans the tragedy of those who go through life as a “child of the King in God’s eyes, yet as a lowly pauper in our own eyes.” As a response, one can be dirt poor, a “lowly pauper,” and still operate under the realization that one is a child of God. The late Mother Theresa was a nun who spent the better part of her life working with the poor in Calcutta, India. She lived around and amongst those she helped and did not lead a life of luxury. There is an account of a journalist speaking with her, saying, “I wouldn’t do what you do for a million dollars,” to which Mother Theresa replied, “Neither would I” (The Arlington Catholic Herald). In short, poverty and a positive outlook on life are not mutually exclusive.
As an example of children of kings settling for mediocrity, Joel used the story of Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul, the son of Jonathan, David’s close friend. Joel confesses that he doesn’t understand why Jonathan didn’t pick a more practical name, like Bob. Bob is diminutive of Robert, a Germanic name derived from the words “hrod ‘fame’ and beraht ‘bright’” (Wikipedia). Mephibosheth, on the other hand, is of course Hebrew and means “exterminator of the shameful one” (Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible). Since the Germanic tribes and the nation of Israel had no contact with each other at the time David was becoming king of Israel, Jonathan was limited in that regard.
In all seriousness, the story of Mephibosheth is as follows: in a single battle, both King Saul and his son Jonathan were killed. Upon hearing this, his nurse takes him and flees to the city of Lo-debar, dropping and crippling him in her haste; this is in 2 Samuel 4:4. He was five years old at the time. According to Joel, Lo-debar was one of the “most poverty-stricken, desolate cities in that entire region,” and Mephibosheth lived there for nearly his entire life. The Bible is not specific as to the time Mephibosheth spent in Lo-debar, which Joel misspells through the entirety of his book, nor is there any evidence of Lo-debar being one of the “most poverty-stricken, desolate cities in that entire region.” All we know is that he fled to Lo-debar when he was five and was invited back to King David’s court five chapters later.
Joel bemoans the piteousness of a king’s grandson living in such unfit conditions. He points out that Jonathan and David had a covenant, basically what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours, literally. In the spirit thereof, Joel infers that Mephibosheth could have waltzed up to the palace gates and shouted “‘King David, I’m Jonathan’s son. I’m living in poverty down in Lodebar (sic) and I know that I’m made for more than that. I’m here to claim what belongs to me through my father’s covenant relationship with you.’” In the spirit of realism, assuming Lo-debar was indeed a center for poverty, one reason that Mephibosheth didn’t do what Joel suggests is because David killed most of his family. In his ascension to the throne, David had to eliminate all contenders, and that meant every male related to Saul. David had Ish-Bosheth, Mephibosheth’s uncle, assassinated, in 2 Samuel 4. David’s general, Joab, kills Abner, who used to be Saul’s general before he died, as he was trying to defect, 2 Samuel 3:22. Later, David hands over two of Mephibosheth’s aunts and five of his cousins to be slain by the Gibeonites in recompense for Saul’s attempt to annihilate them, so you can see why Mephibosheth would be a little hesitant. Besides, how do we know that Mephibosheth knew about his father’s covenant relationship with David? He was five years old when Jonathan was killed. In either case, marching up to David, who wielded virtually unbridled power as king, and saying, “I’m here to claim what’s owed me; by the way, I’m a legitimate heir to the throne you’re sitting on,” has too great a chance of not going over well to attempt.
As Joel says, Mephibosheth was eventually brought back to Jerusalem, as told in 2 Samuel 9. David, in 2 Samuel 9:1, one day asks if there is “‘anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’” He is informed about Mephibosheth, and asks for Mephibosheth to be brought to the palace. No doubt Mephibosheth was worried that he would be next, but David tells him not to be afraid, because he will “‘surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’” In response to receiving this tremendous honor, Mephibosheth asks, “‘What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” Joel views this as the root of the problem. He says that because Mephibosheth viewed himself as a dead dog, his “image of himself kept him from receiving the privileges that rightfully belonged to him.”
Several things in these few paragraphs stand out: one, that last sentence is a contradiction. Privileges are by definition things that we may gain if we meet certain conditions, but may be taken away if we abuse them. It is impossible to have a right to a privilege. Two, Mephibosheth is talking to the king. His self-deprecating statements serve not as a reflection of a poor self-image, but as a method of elevating the ruling figure of Israel, and making the generous act of David’s seem all that more charitable (The New Interpreter’s Bible). Let’s remember, this is an authority figure not bound by the laws he makes, and not subject to any particular authority. You want to do anything you can to get on his good side, and if that includes a little bowing and scraping, so be it. Also, Joel continually emphasizes his point by referring to Mephibosheth as the “grandson of the king.” This is untrue; his grandfather, King Saul, is dead and consequentially no longer king. One cannot be a “grandson of the king” if that king is no longer king, and a different line has taken the throne.
But here Joel goes against his own take on positive attitude = stuff. In order to receive the generosity that David bestowed upon him, Mephibosheth would first have to shed his “dead dog” mentality. However, it is after David tells him of what he intends to do that Mephibosheth refers to himself as a dead dog. This does not operate in cohesion with Joel’s “conceive it to receive it” formula. Joel continues, saying that it does please God if we “live in our own personal Lodebar (sic).” He says that living in “poverty, with low self-esteem,” and with a “dead dog mentality” is contrary to what God has planned for us. Joel asks us to draw an illustration from our own lives, asking us what we would do if one of our children were to, instead of sitting at the dinner table, crawl around on the floor and wait for scraps to fall. Of course, no good natured parent would stand for this. However, there is one key difference between the analogy and that which is being analogized. In most cases at least, the average parent has not sacrificed his or her life and submitted to the most excruciatingly painful form of execution ever devised by man to save his or her children after they disobeyed him and by consequence were fated to damnation. In your average household, parents and children sit at the same table because all parties in said household are human beings and equal, albeit with different levels of seniority. In the era that this story took place, the only people that ate with the king were his sons. To march up in front of the king, as before mentioned the most powerful man in the kingdom (and included in that power was the ability to kill you where you stood,) and demand to be treated like one of his own sons would be pretentious beyond all belief.
To conclude Chapter 10, Joel tells us that we must “put down the cheese and crackers and step into the banquet hall.” He says that we don’t have to live our lives full of condemnation and guilt; all we must do is see ourselves as the royalty God made you to be.”” However, Jesus tells us in Matthew 20:26-27: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” This is hardly the idea of entitlement that Joel writes about. We are not entitled to anything at all; that attitude of humility that the Bible teaches is totally absent here.
Rebuttal
Joel starts off this chapter by saying that how we see ourselves will make or break us. This is true, to a certain extent. Joel says that God plants “seeds” inside of us that we need to tap into in order to make something of ourselves; he says that we need to believe “beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have what it takes.” If we go about doubtless that we possess that necessary requirements to succeed in life, we fool ourselves in the following ways: According to Socrates, the unexamined life is not worth living. If we blindly believe we can do anything, we lack the capability to step back and examine our lives and improve them. Also, there is the distinct possibility that we may be wrong and do not in fact have what it takes. A healthy amount of doubt can allow us to examine our situation and make any necessary changes. Thirdly, just because we believe it “beyond a shadow of a doubt” doesn’t mean it will happen or even that it’s possible.
Joel says that God didn’t “make you to be average.” This is like when he said God wants you to succeed in life; it’s circular reasoning. If God has created everyone to be above average, above average would become average, because everyone can’t be above average. Conversely, God could have created some people to be below average to even things out. I don’t think that’s what Joel’s getting at, because he follows it up with “God created you to excel, and He’s given you ability, insight, talent, and His supernatural power to do so. You have everything you need right now to fulfill your God-given destiny.” So I can stop reading this book? If you’ve ever seen any kind of reality T.V. show then you know that God has most certainly not vested everyone with his supernatural power and insight.
Joel quotes the following scripture to support his point: “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” The catch is that this is another one of Joel’s made up verses; this verse occurs nowhere in the Bible. Joel points out to us that this verse that he fabricated is in the past tense, so it must mean that God has already given us everything we need to succeed, and that we only have to act on it. While this assertion is not entirely untrue, I think enough is said of the point he is trying to make here when he has to make up a Bible verse to try to prove it.
Joel then goes back to his version of the story of Abraham we went over in the previous chapter. Joel refers to the call of Abraham in Genesis 12, where he claims God is speaking in past tense, under the rationale that “God planned to give Abraham a son, but as far as he was concerned, it was already a done deal. Nevertheless, Abraham had a responsibility to trust God and believe.” Unfortunately for Joel, the NIV, ASV, NASB, and the KJV all render Genesis 12:2 in present tense. I’ll take four time tested, authoritative translations of the Bible over the Osteen Prooftext Version any day.
Joel says that similar things are said throughout the Bible about us, although he makes that claim without citing any references. That’s just as well, I’m hard pressed to think of a section of scripture that tells me that I’m going to live to ninety-nine and be childless, then God is going to tell me via christophany that about a year from then I’ll have a baby. In order for any of that to happen, Joel says we must believe, act, and see ourselves as blessed.
Joel uses Romans 8:37 to emphasize his “present tense” point. He says that “we are more that conquerors ‘right now.’” As pleasant as this notion is, it is not what Paul meant when he was writing his letter. Paul was telling the Romans that they were more than conquerors over things like trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword, in Romans 8:35. Not that they would never experience such things, but that those things would have no effect on them. Joel tells us that we are more than conquerors “right now. If you will start acting like it, talking like it, seeing yourself as more than a conqueror, you will live a prosperous and victorious life.” Where does the Bible say that? Joel goes on to say that “the price has already been paid for you to have joy, peace, and happiness. That’s part of the package God has made available to you.” Does that package include a decent health care plan, dental, and a 401(k)? The only thing for which God has already paid the price is salvation and eternal life in heaven. Nothing else is guaranteed. Nothing else, that is, but what 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Not that anything else, by comparison, is really at all relevant.
As support, Joel goes on to tell a story set in a time before the conventional use of airplanes about a man who embarks on a transatlantic voyage. This man had saved for years for this ticket, and had just enough money to purchase it. He also buys a suitcase and fills it with cheese and crackers, this being the extent of his financial capability. For each meal during the three week voyage he sits in a corner and has crackers and cheese. He smells the food being served and hears the other passengers talking about how delicious the means are. Near the end of the trip, someone approaches him and asks him why he sits in the corner eating crackers and cheese; why doesn’t he come into the dining room? The man says that he could only afford the trip, that he is too poor to purchase extravagant meals. Much to the poor man’s surprise and embarrassment, the other passenger tells the poor man that the meals were already included in the price of the ticket.
I’ve heard this story before, with some minor alterations, in various other contexts, and you may have as well. As poignant as this story is, there are a few flaws in it: according to the story, the man was dirt poor and had to save up for quite some time in order to afford a one way transatlantic ticket. Once he buys that ticket, he can suddenly afford three weeks worth of cheese and crackers and a suitcase big enough to put then in? Furthermore, wouldn’t all the money he spent on a suitcase and cheese and crackers be enough to buy some amount of food on board the ship, or at least what the man believed some amount of food would cost if the means were not included? Besides, what person possessing normal capacity for reasoning would think that a company would put him in a position where he has no means of earning income, no access to alternative sources of food, and tell him that for three weeks he will have to buy his own meals or starve to death?
Joel says that this story is analogous to the way that some people go about life “missing God’s blessings because they don’t realize that the good things in life have already been paid for. They may be on their way to heaven, but they don’t know what has been included in the price of their ticket.” Once again, the only thing included in the “price of our ticket” is salvation, eternal life in heaven, the privilege of having a personal relationship with God, and persecution. No stock option, no company car, nothing. Please don’t hear me say that what God offers us isn’t enough; far from it. What God offers us has a value surpassing anything on earth, a point Joel fails to take into consideration.
Joel uses as an example a story about his father. He describes to us the conditions of destitution which were all his father knew. Joel tells us that every so often they would put up a guest speaker in their home for a week, and this would take a significant toll on the household’s budget. One day his father is offered recompense after housing a guest speaker, he is offered recompense in the form of “a thousand dollars, tantamount to ten thousand dollars today!” The relative worth of the U.S. Dollar has never reached such a sharp contrast. According to the Consumer Price Index, one thousand U.S. dollars in 1959, the year Joel Osteen’s father founded Lakewood Church, would be worth seven thousand, one hundred ten dollars in 2007, when Your Best Life Now was written. That was four years before Joel Osteen was born, and it only goes down from there.
Joel’s father politely refuses the check, and instead puts it in the church offering. Later, Osteen the senior “admitted that deep down inside, he really preferred to keep the money. He knew that he and Mother needed that money, but he had a false sense of humility. He couldn’t receive the blessing. He thought he was doing God a favor by staying poor.” It is futile and foolish to think that we can do God a favor by doing anything, but staying poor is not a bad thing; it keeps you mindful of and thankful for the things you do have. Proverbs 22:1 tells us that “a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Joel tells us that his father later said, “‘With every step I took as I walked to the front of the church to put that check in the offering, something inside was saying, Don’t do it. Receive God’s blessings. Receive God’s goodness.’” Joel’s father ignores this little voice, and places the check in the offering. Later, he admits that as he “‘did, I felt sick to my stomach.’”
Joel’s take on the matter is that
God was trying to increase my dad. He was trying to prosper him, but because of Daddy’s deeply embedded poverty mentality, he couldn’t receive it. What was Daddy doing? He was eating more cheese and crackers. God was trying to get him to step up to the banquet table, but because of Daddy’s limited mindset, he couldn’t see himself having an extra thousand dollars.
To begin, I know of no man of limited means who would not experience pangs of trepidation when refusing an offer of that magnitude. Just because the voice in “Daddy’s” head was telling him to keep the money doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Inner conflict is a key characteristic of the human condition, and that’s just what Joel’s father was experiencing. Another thing, and this has become a motif throughout Joel’s book, is that in this story God’s efforts to accomplish a task are foiled by a human’s mindset. Do you really think that if God wanted to do something, the negative attitude of a country preacher could stop him? The way that Joel keeps referring to his father as “Daddy” borders on nauseating. Perhaps he needs a reminder that we’re not his siblings, but complete strangers who have met neither him nor his father. To repeatedly refer to his father using such a personal and even juvenile term in such a widely published book is unprofessional and unbecoming of someone in Joel's position.
In the next paragraph, Joel exhorts those of us who are poor, and offers these words of consolation: “God has good things ahead for you. But let me caution you; don’t allow that poverty image to become ingrained inside you. Don’t grow accustomed to living with less, doing less, and being less to the point that you eventually sit back and accept it.” Answer me this, Joel: during Jesus’s three year ministry his target audience was the poor, outcasts, and sinners. In any of the gospels, does he say, “your sins are forgiven. Now take this new car and be on your way.”? No. Jesus’s ministry targeted the poor, and he handed out no checks, made no efforts to “increase” people, quite to the contrary, as exhibited in Luke 18:22 when he tells the rich man to sell all he has and give the money to the poor. In short, if God’s plan is to increase his children in the manner which Joel describes, Jesus was a horrible example.
Joel moves on. He refers to Deuteronomy 28:63 in the Osteen Prooftext Version, without giving chapter or verse so we just have to take his word for it. Those of us with the proper research tools are able to discern that the words Joel has in quotes do not accurately reflect the content of the verse. Joel writes: “The Bible says, ‘God takes pleasure in prospering his children.’ As his children prosper spiritually physically, and materially, their increase brings God’s pleasure (emphasis added).” I can find no verse that proves God derives pleasure from our acquiring stuff, but I can find one in particular that proves the contrary. It is Deuteronomy 28:63, the very same verse that Joel just quoted to support the above point. Joel has cited only half of the verse; the entire verse in the NIV reads, “Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.” This is downright hilarious; the same verse that Joel takes out of context to support his point means the very opposite when taken it context. This verse is God talking to the nation of Israel, promising to them what will happen if they disobey their covenant with him.
Joel follows up by posing the question: “What would you think if I introduced our two children to you and they had holes in their clothes, uncombed hair, no shoes, and dirt under their fingernails?” Joel answers his own question by saying that this would mean that he was a poor father. I would agree, in Joel’s case. If the man who pastors what is perhaps the biggest church in the world, has written multiple books, and has his own TV broadcast can’t bother to properly clothe and provide hygiene for his children, then he is a bad father. However, if a man who has patchy clothes, uncombed hair, no shoes, and dirty fingernails sports children with “holes in their clothes, uncombed hair, no shoes, and dirt under their fingernails,” that might be a different story. Joel claims that the outward appearance of one’s children is a direct reflection of one’s capability as a father.
Using the above as a parallel, Joel claims that
When we go through life with a poverty mentality, it is not glorifying to God. It does not honor His great name. God is not pleased when we drag through life, defeated, depressed, perpetually discouraged by our circumstances. No, God is pleased when we develop a prosperous mind-set.
Granted, no one is pleased when someone is depressed. However, poverty and depression are not things that always go hand in hand. Monks take vows of poverty in order to get rid of a myriad of distractions and focus more on God. Paul has a poignant observation on the topic in Philippians 4:11-13:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
To Joel, the lack of material goods is inherently evil, because it displeases God and is without exception associated with despair, depression, and discouragement. I am by no means saying that living with limited means is easy or fun, but it is certainly not evil or wrong.
Joel bemoans the tragedy of those who go through life as a “child of the King in God’s eyes, yet as a lowly pauper in our own eyes.” As a response, one can be dirt poor, a “lowly pauper,” and still operate under the realization that one is a child of God. The late Mother Theresa was a nun who spent the better part of her life working with the poor in Calcutta, India. She lived around and amongst those she helped and did not lead a life of luxury. There is an account of a journalist speaking with her, saying, “I wouldn’t do what you do for a million dollars,” to which Mother Theresa replied, “Neither would I” (The Arlington Catholic Herald). In short, poverty and a positive outlook on life are not mutually exclusive.
As an example of children of kings settling for mediocrity, Joel used the story of Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul, the son of Jonathan, David’s close friend. Joel confesses that he doesn’t understand why Jonathan didn’t pick a more practical name, like Bob. Bob is diminutive of Robert, a Germanic name derived from the words “hrod ‘fame’ and beraht ‘bright’” (Wikipedia). Mephibosheth, on the other hand, is of course Hebrew and means “exterminator of the shameful one” (Eerdman’s Dictionary of the Bible). Since the Germanic tribes and the nation of Israel had no contact with each other at the time David was becoming king of Israel, Jonathan was limited in that regard.
In all seriousness, the story of Mephibosheth is as follows: in a single battle, both King Saul and his son Jonathan were killed. Upon hearing this, his nurse takes him and flees to the city of Lo-debar, dropping and crippling him in her haste; this is in 2 Samuel 4:4. He was five years old at the time. According to Joel, Lo-debar was one of the “most poverty-stricken, desolate cities in that entire region,” and Mephibosheth lived there for nearly his entire life. The Bible is not specific as to the time Mephibosheth spent in Lo-debar, which Joel misspells through the entirety of his book, nor is there any evidence of Lo-debar being one of the “most poverty-stricken, desolate cities in that entire region.” All we know is that he fled to Lo-debar when he was five and was invited back to King David’s court five chapters later.
Joel bemoans the piteousness of a king’s grandson living in such unfit conditions. He points out that Jonathan and David had a covenant, basically what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours, literally. In the spirit thereof, Joel infers that Mephibosheth could have waltzed up to the palace gates and shouted “‘King David, I’m Jonathan’s son. I’m living in poverty down in Lodebar (sic) and I know that I’m made for more than that. I’m here to claim what belongs to me through my father’s covenant relationship with you.’” In the spirit of realism, assuming Lo-debar was indeed a center for poverty, one reason that Mephibosheth didn’t do what Joel suggests is because David killed most of his family. In his ascension to the throne, David had to eliminate all contenders, and that meant every male related to Saul. David had Ish-Bosheth, Mephibosheth’s uncle, assassinated, in 2 Samuel 4. David’s general, Joab, kills Abner, who used to be Saul’s general before he died, as he was trying to defect, 2 Samuel 3:22. Later, David hands over two of Mephibosheth’s aunts and five of his cousins to be slain by the Gibeonites in recompense for Saul’s attempt to annihilate them, so you can see why Mephibosheth would be a little hesitant. Besides, how do we know that Mephibosheth knew about his father’s covenant relationship with David? He was five years old when Jonathan was killed. In either case, marching up to David, who wielded virtually unbridled power as king, and saying, “I’m here to claim what’s owed me; by the way, I’m a legitimate heir to the throne you’re sitting on,” has too great a chance of not going over well to attempt.
As Joel says, Mephibosheth was eventually brought back to Jerusalem, as told in 2 Samuel 9. David, in 2 Samuel 9:1, one day asks if there is “‘anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’” He is informed about Mephibosheth, and asks for Mephibosheth to be brought to the palace. No doubt Mephibosheth was worried that he would be next, but David tells him not to be afraid, because he will “‘surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’” In response to receiving this tremendous honor, Mephibosheth asks, “‘What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?” Joel views this as the root of the problem. He says that because Mephibosheth viewed himself as a dead dog, his “image of himself kept him from receiving the privileges that rightfully belonged to him.”
Several things in these few paragraphs stand out: one, that last sentence is a contradiction. Privileges are by definition things that we may gain if we meet certain conditions, but may be taken away if we abuse them. It is impossible to have a right to a privilege. Two, Mephibosheth is talking to the king. His self-deprecating statements serve not as a reflection of a poor self-image, but as a method of elevating the ruling figure of Israel, and making the generous act of David’s seem all that more charitable (The New Interpreter’s Bible). Let’s remember, this is an authority figure not bound by the laws he makes, and not subject to any particular authority. You want to do anything you can to get on his good side, and if that includes a little bowing and scraping, so be it. Also, Joel continually emphasizes his point by referring to Mephibosheth as the “grandson of the king.” This is untrue; his grandfather, King Saul, is dead and consequentially no longer king. One cannot be a “grandson of the king” if that king is no longer king, and a different line has taken the throne.
But here Joel goes against his own take on positive attitude = stuff. In order to receive the generosity that David bestowed upon him, Mephibosheth would first have to shed his “dead dog” mentality. However, it is after David tells him of what he intends to do that Mephibosheth refers to himself as a dead dog. This does not operate in cohesion with Joel’s “conceive it to receive it” formula. Joel continues, saying that it does please God if we “live in our own personal Lodebar (sic).” He says that living in “poverty, with low self-esteem,” and with a “dead dog mentality” is contrary to what God has planned for us. Joel asks us to draw an illustration from our own lives, asking us what we would do if one of our children were to, instead of sitting at the dinner table, crawl around on the floor and wait for scraps to fall. Of course, no good natured parent would stand for this. However, there is one key difference between the analogy and that which is being analogized. In most cases at least, the average parent has not sacrificed his or her life and submitted to the most excruciatingly painful form of execution ever devised by man to save his or her children after they disobeyed him and by consequence were fated to damnation. In your average household, parents and children sit at the same table because all parties in said household are human beings and equal, albeit with different levels of seniority. In the era that this story took place, the only people that ate with the king were his sons. To march up in front of the king, as before mentioned the most powerful man in the kingdom (and included in that power was the ability to kill you where you stood,) and demand to be treated like one of his own sons would be pretentious beyond all belief.
To conclude Chapter 10, Joel tells us that we must “put down the cheese and crackers and step into the banquet hall.” He says that we don’t have to live our lives full of condemnation and guilt; all we must do is see ourselves as the royalty God made you to be.”” However, Jesus tells us in Matthew 20:26-27: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” This is hardly the idea of entitlement that Joel writes about. We are not entitled to anything at all; that attitude of humility that the Bible teaches is totally absent here.
Friday, March 26, 2010
A rebuttal of Ch. 9 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 9: Become What You Believe
Rebuttal
In Chapter Nine, Joel tells us that “we don’t always get what we deserve in life, but we usually get no more than we expect.” This, to a certain extent, is true. I should point out, though, that “no more” means up to a certain amount, not “equal to or less than.” Joel fails to see this; his view is that we “receive what we believe.” If this sounds familiar it’s because Joel said pretty much the same thing in Chapter One. This time, Joel adds that the inverse is true, as well.
To drive his point home he uses the story of Nick. Nick was a big, though man who had worked for the railroad company for a long time. He was a model employee, but had one flaw. He had an “attitude that was chronically negative.” He was Eeyore; your model pessimist, basically. One day all the workers get to go home early, and Nick somehow locks himself in a railroad car that is marked as refrigerated. His escape attempts are in vain, so he dies. Here’s the twist: the refrigerating mechanism on the railroad car was turned off, and had been for some time. Nick froze to death in room that was sixty-one degrees above zero. Joel says that because Nick fully expected to die, because he “saw himself as doomed with no way out,” Nick “lost the battle in his mind.” Another odd aspect of the story is that an autopsy “revealed that every physical sign indicated that he had frozen to death.” To support this odd bit of storytelling, Joel makes reference to a book called Empires of the Mind.
This book, for the record, is not in the Bible. The author of Empires of the Mind, Denis Waitley, uses the above event much to the same ends. In his bibliography he attributes this “true story” to a reenactment by American Media Incorporated, a company that has since gone out of business. I could film a reenactment of the time I singlehandedly delivered four small children from the jaws of a voracious jackalope while simultaneously saving the world from a global nuclear conflagration. The veracity of that “reenactment” might come under question, and rightfully so. I find it preposterous to believe that a person could quite literally think himself to death. The idea that a person could believe with such sincerity that death via exposure was impending that one’s own body manifests signs of prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures all by itself lacks the support of any empirical evidence, not to mention logic.
Next, Joel tells us to “believe for good things.” That very sentence, “But you can believe for good things,” implies that all we need do is believe, and viola: good things. Joel says that when tough times come around, “don’t expect to stay there. Expect to come out of that trouble. Expect God to supernaturally turn it around… don’t make plans for failure.” This is getting old. At the time of this writing, the American economy has taken a turn for the worse with no clear sign of recovery in the near future. If everyone in public office sat down, twiddled their thumbs, and expected God to turn things around, where would that take us? As for not making plans for failure, there is no merit in planning to lose a race but it is equally foolish not to have a good contingency plan. Next, Joel writes that if you “get into agreement with God” then your “faith can cause God to show up and work supernaturally in your life.” Really, Joel? Don’t you think an all-powerful God could show up whenever he wanted; not like some genie that just pops out when certain conditions are met?
In the following paragraph, Joel uses Matthew 9:27-30 to support the concept that if we believe it, we will receive it, and no one can believe for us. How is it, then that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11:43? Lazarus had been dead for four days; God only knows what he was believing in at that point in time. Matthew 9:27-30 is the story of Jesus healing two blind men. Joel says that “When Jesus heard their cries, He stopped in His tracks. He walked over to them and posed a most intriguing question.” This, while not technically contrary to what the verse is communicating, is not what took place. According to Matthew 9, verse 27, Jesus is leaving a ruler’s house in Capernaum and two blind men follow him. Verse 28 says “When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you believe I am able to do this?’” As you can see, we do not have Jesus stopping in his tracks and approaching the two blind men, it is quite the opposite. This is a minute and perhaps insignificant detail, but it is a point in which Joel distorts scripture for his own ends, and therefore it must be pointed out and refuted.
Next, Joel tells us that no one can have faith for us. This is true; no one can accept Jesus into your heart for you. But there is the ever present however: Joel says that “your own faith will bring you a miracle much faster than anybody else’s.” So if we have faith we will unequivocally bear witness to a miracle, just sooner if we rely on our own faith rather than the faith of others? The Judeo-Christian worldview holds that if one has faith one will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have assurance of salvation. We may define this as a miracle, but I don’t think this is the miracle that Joel is referring to. There is no cut and dry formula that faith = miracle.
Joel continues to draw from the story of Jesus healing the blind men. He gives us Matthew 9:29 in The Message, which reads, in part, “Become what you believe.” The Message, as Joel tells us, is a paraphrase, which means it has been translated from the original language and reworded to make it more compelling to read. One always has to use a great deal of care when using periphrastic translations because what you read has been slightly changed based on one person’s judgment. Also, the wording that is displayed in a periphrastic translation may or may not correspond with the wording of the same passage in the original language. This verse’s NIV component reads, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” As you can see, the two different translations can mean two very different things. Before we get too excited, though, there are three Greek words that are used for the verb “to become,” and none of them are used here. Like I mentioned above, the text has been reworded to make it more compelling to read at the expense of accuracy.
What Joel tries to infer from The Message’s version of Matthew 9:29 is exactly that; that we will become what we believe. So, if we believe we can surpass our peers, live in the lap of luxury, and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we can make it so. Not only is he taking scripture out of context, but he’s taking scripture that isn't actually scripture out of context. As I just explained above, one must be very careful with versions of the Bible like The Message, the wording of which should not be taken so seriously without consulting at least two other translations of the Bible.
According to Joel, God doesn’t want “you to drag through life, barely making it. He doesn’t want you to have to scrimp and scrape, trying to come up with enough money to pay for food, shelter…” He also says that “God wants you to have a good life, a life full of love, joy, peace, and fulfillment. This doesn’t mean it will always be easy, but it does mean it will always be good.” Where does it say that, Joel? Where? Paul says something to that effect in Philippians 4:11-13, but his definitions of easy and good don’t really match Joel’s definitions of easy and good.
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
In fact, the Bible says that life will be predominantly uneasy and not so good:
Acts 9:16 “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
2 Corinthians 11:23-29
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”
1 Thessalonians 3:4 “In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.”
Again, Joel uses Romans 8:28 to support his argument. Just to refresh our memory, it reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Once again, I’m going to point out that the definition of good that Joel has been working with these past nine chapters does not necessarily fit the definition of good used in this verse. “Good” here most likely means building of character through adversity or hardship, as the Greek word used to that effect, agathos, signifies a more conceptual rather than a material good (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Joel again says that we can “believe for” things, as opposed to believing in them; believing for something would simply imply that I think, therefore it is. Such an assertion would have Descartes spinning in his grave.
Joel tells us that God wants to “bless you with abundance, so you can turn around and be a blessing to other people.” Joel attempts to use Genesis 12:2 to bolster his claim. What Joel has in quotes reads, “I’m going to bless you so you can be a blessing.” Joel follows that up by saying that “God is saying that same thing to you.” Where does it say that? The first half of Genesis 12 is about God calling Abraham and telling him that he will make him into a great nation. Nowhere does the Bible say that Genesis 12:2 applies to each individual human being, or even to each individual Christian. Besides, what Joel quotes as Genesis 12:2 deviates significantly from any legitimate translation of the Bible. For example, the NIV reads, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” According to Joel's interpretation of the text, God wants every human being to become a great nation.
Joel addresses those of us who have had rocky pasts and are on the point of giving up hope. He tells us that we must have hope, that the idea that if we don’t get our hopes up then we’ll never be disappointed is one that will lead to stagnation and defeat. In this, he is absolutely right. In fact, Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” But Joel has more to say: “God wants the latter part of your life to be better than the first part of your life.” Again, we run into trouble with definition of terms. I’m sure that Jesus’s disciples would say that their lives improved since they met Jesus, but were their lives more comfortable, more predictable, more stable, or more prosperous? I think it’s safe to answer no. Ergo, we can say that living for God will improve our lives, but not necessarily in the way Joel defines it; the assertion that God wants the “latter part of your life to be better than the first” can safely said to be false.
In the following paragraph Joel says that “the Bible says this about God: ‘Be confident of this: He that began a good work within you will continue to perform until it’s perfectly complete.’” Joel is “quoting” Philippians 1:6. If we look at a real translation of the Bible, we can see that verse six is the last part of a three verse sentence, one of the run-on sentences that Paul is known for. In Joel’s version, God is the subject of the verse, whereas in every other translation of the Bible Paul is referring to himself. In Joel’s version the verb “to be” is imperative, whereas in other versions it is present progressive.
Next, Joel says that “no weapon formed against you is going to prosper.” We’ve heard this before, a couple chapters back. He expounds on this by saying that it doesn’t mean your life will be opposition free, it simply means that all of the weapons that may and will be formed against you “cannot ultimately hurt you.” This is hilarious. The weapon formed against Paul for the express purpose of cutting off his head certainly hurt him in an ultimate sense. Joel supports his assertion with Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” This is true, but what Joel fails to take into consideration is when that deliverance will take place. In many cases, said deliverance will only occur in death.
In the next paragraph, Joel says that “the Bible says when you’ve done all you know how to do, just keep standing strong. You’ve got to show your enemy you are more determined than he is.” In other words, keep on keeping on, put on your game face, something to the effect of you can do it. Joel uses Ephesians 6:13 as his support here. Ephesians 6:10-20 is the renowned Armor of God passage. The message of this particular section of scripture is not that we can do it if we keep trying, but that we should gear up and get ready, because the enemy could attack at any second.
Following this, Joel brings us back to Philippians 1:6, in The Message. We’ve already gone over The Message and periphrastic translations in this chapter, so I’m just going to say that Joel is once again taking a verse without regard to its context and giving it his own meaning, only this time he’s taking advantage of a translation of the Bible not intended for hermeneutics. Joel tells us that we’ve “got to believe good things are coming our way. You must believe that God is at work in your life, that he is restoring you to your rightful place.” Some of this is true and some of this is not. God is at work in our lives; he cares about his creation and wants it to flourish, as in Psalm 104. However, God making efforts to restore humankind to their rightful place is downright fictitious. According to Romans 6:23, everyone’s rightful place is burning in the depths of Hell. God has already gone to great lengths to remove mankind from his “rightful place.”
Joel quotes Hebrews 11:1 in the NKJV, which reads, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” He quotes the same verse in Chapter Two, only he omits the second half of it. Here he uses the verse to support the assertion that
You may not be able to perceive anything positive happening in your life with your natural eyes today. In fact, everything may be falling apart- your health, your business, your children. You may have all kinds of problems, and in the natural order, it doesn’t look as though anything is turning around. But don’t be discouraged. Look into that invisible world, into the supernatural world, and through your eyes of faith, see that situation turning around.
In Chapter Two, however, he uses this same verse to say that we should expect good things to start happening to us; that we should live with an attitude of “confident expectancy.” Granted two people might read the same verse and come away with two different interpretations of it, that is part of the science and art of hermeneutics. But this is one man using the same verse, half of it to mean one thing and, six chapters later, the entirety of it to mean something completely different but no more accurate. How does one “look into the invisible world,” Joel? I wonder if he proofreads his own work and realizes how silly he sounds. He suggests using one’s “eyes of faith,” but such vague, subjective terms could really mean anything from simply having blind faith to picturing it in one’s head to envisioning it with a wild and vivid imagination. Given all the information we’ve received so far, the latter is probably your best bet.
Joel denies the maxim “you need to see it to believe it,” saying that it is the exact opposite that is true. Joel tells us that “once you see it by faith, it can come into existence in the physical world.” Let’s stop for a moment. If nothing can come into existence but by being visualized by someone’s eyes of faith, how are babies conceived? At the moment of conception I’m sure the future parents are too busy doing other things to visualize a baby through their eyes of faith. Joel claims that what he is saying is the opposite of “you need to see it to believe it,” but the two are essentially the same. In both philosophies one needs to see the object in question, either with their physical eyes or their “eyes of faith,” and step two involves the object manifesting itself either as a result of being seen with someone’s spiritual eyes or being believed in. Furthermore, we run into trouble with the law of conservation of matter: matter cannot be created nor can it be destroyed, only changed. If, as Joel says, our belief causes something to “come into existence in the physical world,” this violates the law of conservation of matter in that something is coming from nothing.
Joel tells the story of Abraham and Sarah being told they would have a child. He reminds usof how Sarah laughed and how after waiting for several years they got impatient and enlisted the help of Hagar, Sarah’s maid. Joel says that “nearly twenty years after God spoke the promise, little Isaac was born.” Joel is certain that this is an example of the above philosophy: “Sarah had to conceive it in her heart before she was able to conceive it in her physical body. She had to believe she could become pregnant before she actually became with child.”
There are, as usual, several things wrong with this story. Yes, God told Abraham and Sarah they would have a child when they were both very old, and Sarah laughed. Yes, Abraham had a kid with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. What actually happens in Genesis 15-19 is as follows: God tells Abraham, then called Abram, that he will make him into a great nation, and that he will indeed have an heir. This is the scene where God makes what was the equivalent of a legally binding contract with Abraham. Next, Sarah, then called Sarai, suggests that God intended Hagar to be the vehicle through which aforementioned great nation was to be created and tells Abraham to go have a child with her. He obliges and Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. When Abraham was ninety-nine, the LORD appeared to him and made the covenant of circumcision and repeats his promise to make Abraham into a great nation. Abraham is visited later by the same who now tells him that in one year he will have a son. It is here that Sarah laughs. So it did not take twenty years, but one year. Not because Sarah couldn’t “conceive it in her heart,” but because God said in Genesis 19:10, “I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son.” It’s kind of hard to misinterpret that one, right? But who cares about silly things like chronology or what actually happened in the story, let’s just rearrange the pieces to make it mean whatever we want.
Joel says that we are all like Sarah, that we “can’t conceive it.” He says that “we’re not in agreement with God, so we’re missing out on his blessings.” Joel then quotes half of John 10:10 in his own special version: “I want you to live life to the full, till it overflows.” In the NIV it reads, “The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Where Joel gets “want” from the Greek verb erchomai is beyond me. Of the 632 times it is used, 195, the vast majority, are translated as “come” and nowhere is it translated as “want” (NIV Exhaustive Concordance). According to the New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words, erchomai is defined as “to go or come.” As for the first half of the verse, the bit about thieves and destroying, serves as a negative image to contrast with the positive image of Jesus as the gate in verse seven, thus ruining Joel’s flawed interpretation of the verse (The New Interpreter’s Bible).
Next, Joel says that the “tragedy is, if we don’t change our believing, we could go through our entire lifetimes missing out on the great things God has in store for us. Friend, please stop limiting God with your narrow-minded thinking.” The real tragedy here is that it’s Joel, not anyone else, who’s limiting God. If Joel thinks that God cannot work in his life unless he has a certain attitude it will not affect God’s ability to do so, but it may affect his ability to recognize God’s blessings, should they bit him on the face.
Near the end of the chapter Joel cites Isaiah 55:8, also in his own special version: “God’s ways are not our ways. They are higher and better that our ways.” If we look at a real version of the Bible, it reads, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.” It is in the next verse, verse nine, that God says, “‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” This is just more proof, if more were needed, that Joel has no regard for the text or proper interpretation of it. I fail to see why he misrepresented the passage, all that he gained by doing so, it would seem, is a little more space in which to type. The idea that God’s ways are not our ways and that God’s ways of thinking are far superior to any mortal is almost universally accepted; no one is arguing with that. What Joel goes on to say, however, warrants some discussion. He writes that “God can do what human beings cannot or will not do. He is not limited by the laws of nature. And if you’ll let that seed take root so it can grow, put your trust and confidence in the Lord, God will surely bring it to pass. If you can see the invisible, God can do the impossible.” All of this can be boiled down to one false hope: because God give us something, he will. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as you have no doubt experienced in your own life.
This chapter is typical of Joel, every false statement laced with something true. Joel places far too much weight on the power of the human mind as well as limiting the capabilities of an all-powerful creator. In other words, just another chapter in Your Best Life Now.
Rebuttal
In Chapter Nine, Joel tells us that “we don’t always get what we deserve in life, but we usually get no more than we expect.” This, to a certain extent, is true. I should point out, though, that “no more” means up to a certain amount, not “equal to or less than.” Joel fails to see this; his view is that we “receive what we believe.” If this sounds familiar it’s because Joel said pretty much the same thing in Chapter One. This time, Joel adds that the inverse is true, as well.
To drive his point home he uses the story of Nick. Nick was a big, though man who had worked for the railroad company for a long time. He was a model employee, but had one flaw. He had an “attitude that was chronically negative.” He was Eeyore; your model pessimist, basically. One day all the workers get to go home early, and Nick somehow locks himself in a railroad car that is marked as refrigerated. His escape attempts are in vain, so he dies. Here’s the twist: the refrigerating mechanism on the railroad car was turned off, and had been for some time. Nick froze to death in room that was sixty-one degrees above zero. Joel says that because Nick fully expected to die, because he “saw himself as doomed with no way out,” Nick “lost the battle in his mind.” Another odd aspect of the story is that an autopsy “revealed that every physical sign indicated that he had frozen to death.” To support this odd bit of storytelling, Joel makes reference to a book called Empires of the Mind.
This book, for the record, is not in the Bible. The author of Empires of the Mind, Denis Waitley, uses the above event much to the same ends. In his bibliography he attributes this “true story” to a reenactment by American Media Incorporated, a company that has since gone out of business. I could film a reenactment of the time I singlehandedly delivered four small children from the jaws of a voracious jackalope while simultaneously saving the world from a global nuclear conflagration. The veracity of that “reenactment” might come under question, and rightfully so. I find it preposterous to believe that a person could quite literally think himself to death. The idea that a person could believe with such sincerity that death via exposure was impending that one’s own body manifests signs of prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures all by itself lacks the support of any empirical evidence, not to mention logic.
Next, Joel tells us to “believe for good things.” That very sentence, “But you can believe for good things,” implies that all we need do is believe, and viola: good things. Joel says that when tough times come around, “don’t expect to stay there. Expect to come out of that trouble. Expect God to supernaturally turn it around… don’t make plans for failure.” This is getting old. At the time of this writing, the American economy has taken a turn for the worse with no clear sign of recovery in the near future. If everyone in public office sat down, twiddled their thumbs, and expected God to turn things around, where would that take us? As for not making plans for failure, there is no merit in planning to lose a race but it is equally foolish not to have a good contingency plan. Next, Joel writes that if you “get into agreement with God” then your “faith can cause God to show up and work supernaturally in your life.” Really, Joel? Don’t you think an all-powerful God could show up whenever he wanted; not like some genie that just pops out when certain conditions are met?
In the following paragraph, Joel uses Matthew 9:27-30 to support the concept that if we believe it, we will receive it, and no one can believe for us. How is it, then that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11:43? Lazarus had been dead for four days; God only knows what he was believing in at that point in time. Matthew 9:27-30 is the story of Jesus healing two blind men. Joel says that “When Jesus heard their cries, He stopped in His tracks. He walked over to them and posed a most intriguing question.” This, while not technically contrary to what the verse is communicating, is not what took place. According to Matthew 9, verse 27, Jesus is leaving a ruler’s house in Capernaum and two blind men follow him. Verse 28 says “When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, ‘Do you believe I am able to do this?’” As you can see, we do not have Jesus stopping in his tracks and approaching the two blind men, it is quite the opposite. This is a minute and perhaps insignificant detail, but it is a point in which Joel distorts scripture for his own ends, and therefore it must be pointed out and refuted.
Next, Joel tells us that no one can have faith for us. This is true; no one can accept Jesus into your heart for you. But there is the ever present however: Joel says that “your own faith will bring you a miracle much faster than anybody else’s.” So if we have faith we will unequivocally bear witness to a miracle, just sooner if we rely on our own faith rather than the faith of others? The Judeo-Christian worldview holds that if one has faith one will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have assurance of salvation. We may define this as a miracle, but I don’t think this is the miracle that Joel is referring to. There is no cut and dry formula that faith = miracle.
Joel continues to draw from the story of Jesus healing the blind men. He gives us Matthew 9:29 in The Message, which reads, in part, “Become what you believe.” The Message, as Joel tells us, is a paraphrase, which means it has been translated from the original language and reworded to make it more compelling to read. One always has to use a great deal of care when using periphrastic translations because what you read has been slightly changed based on one person’s judgment. Also, the wording that is displayed in a periphrastic translation may or may not correspond with the wording of the same passage in the original language. This verse’s NIV component reads, “According to your faith will it be done to you.” As you can see, the two different translations can mean two very different things. Before we get too excited, though, there are three Greek words that are used for the verb “to become,” and none of them are used here. Like I mentioned above, the text has been reworded to make it more compelling to read at the expense of accuracy.
What Joel tries to infer from The Message’s version of Matthew 9:29 is exactly that; that we will become what we believe. So, if we believe we can surpass our peers, live in the lap of luxury, and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we can make it so. Not only is he taking scripture out of context, but he’s taking scripture that isn't actually scripture out of context. As I just explained above, one must be very careful with versions of the Bible like The Message, the wording of which should not be taken so seriously without consulting at least two other translations of the Bible.
According to Joel, God doesn’t want “you to drag through life, barely making it. He doesn’t want you to have to scrimp and scrape, trying to come up with enough money to pay for food, shelter…” He also says that “God wants you to have a good life, a life full of love, joy, peace, and fulfillment. This doesn’t mean it will always be easy, but it does mean it will always be good.” Where does it say that, Joel? Where? Paul says something to that effect in Philippians 4:11-13, but his definitions of easy and good don’t really match Joel’s definitions of easy and good.
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
In fact, the Bible says that life will be predominantly uneasy and not so good:
Acts 9:16 “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
2 Corinthians 11:23-29
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.”
1 Thessalonians 3:4 “In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.”
Again, Joel uses Romans 8:28 to support his argument. Just to refresh our memory, it reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Once again, I’m going to point out that the definition of good that Joel has been working with these past nine chapters does not necessarily fit the definition of good used in this verse. “Good” here most likely means building of character through adversity or hardship, as the Greek word used to that effect, agathos, signifies a more conceptual rather than a material good (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Joel again says that we can “believe for” things, as opposed to believing in them; believing for something would simply imply that I think, therefore it is. Such an assertion would have Descartes spinning in his grave.
Joel tells us that God wants to “bless you with abundance, so you can turn around and be a blessing to other people.” Joel attempts to use Genesis 12:2 to bolster his claim. What Joel has in quotes reads, “I’m going to bless you so you can be a blessing.” Joel follows that up by saying that “God is saying that same thing to you.” Where does it say that? The first half of Genesis 12 is about God calling Abraham and telling him that he will make him into a great nation. Nowhere does the Bible say that Genesis 12:2 applies to each individual human being, or even to each individual Christian. Besides, what Joel quotes as Genesis 12:2 deviates significantly from any legitimate translation of the Bible. For example, the NIV reads, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” According to Joel's interpretation of the text, God wants every human being to become a great nation.
Joel addresses those of us who have had rocky pasts and are on the point of giving up hope. He tells us that we must have hope, that the idea that if we don’t get our hopes up then we’ll never be disappointed is one that will lead to stagnation and defeat. In this, he is absolutely right. In fact, Proverbs 13:12 says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” But Joel has more to say: “God wants the latter part of your life to be better than the first part of your life.” Again, we run into trouble with definition of terms. I’m sure that Jesus’s disciples would say that their lives improved since they met Jesus, but were their lives more comfortable, more predictable, more stable, or more prosperous? I think it’s safe to answer no. Ergo, we can say that living for God will improve our lives, but not necessarily in the way Joel defines it; the assertion that God wants the “latter part of your life to be better than the first” can safely said to be false.
In the following paragraph Joel says that “the Bible says this about God: ‘Be confident of this: He that began a good work within you will continue to perform until it’s perfectly complete.’” Joel is “quoting” Philippians 1:6. If we look at a real translation of the Bible, we can see that verse six is the last part of a three verse sentence, one of the run-on sentences that Paul is known for. In Joel’s version, God is the subject of the verse, whereas in every other translation of the Bible Paul is referring to himself. In Joel’s version the verb “to be” is imperative, whereas in other versions it is present progressive.
Next, Joel says that “no weapon formed against you is going to prosper.” We’ve heard this before, a couple chapters back. He expounds on this by saying that it doesn’t mean your life will be opposition free, it simply means that all of the weapons that may and will be formed against you “cannot ultimately hurt you.” This is hilarious. The weapon formed against Paul for the express purpose of cutting off his head certainly hurt him in an ultimate sense. Joel supports his assertion with Psalm 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” This is true, but what Joel fails to take into consideration is when that deliverance will take place. In many cases, said deliverance will only occur in death.
In the next paragraph, Joel says that “the Bible says when you’ve done all you know how to do, just keep standing strong. You’ve got to show your enemy you are more determined than he is.” In other words, keep on keeping on, put on your game face, something to the effect of you can do it. Joel uses Ephesians 6:13 as his support here. Ephesians 6:10-20 is the renowned Armor of God passage. The message of this particular section of scripture is not that we can do it if we keep trying, but that we should gear up and get ready, because the enemy could attack at any second.
Following this, Joel brings us back to Philippians 1:6, in The Message. We’ve already gone over The Message and periphrastic translations in this chapter, so I’m just going to say that Joel is once again taking a verse without regard to its context and giving it his own meaning, only this time he’s taking advantage of a translation of the Bible not intended for hermeneutics. Joel tells us that we’ve “got to believe good things are coming our way. You must believe that God is at work in your life, that he is restoring you to your rightful place.” Some of this is true and some of this is not. God is at work in our lives; he cares about his creation and wants it to flourish, as in Psalm 104. However, God making efforts to restore humankind to their rightful place is downright fictitious. According to Romans 6:23, everyone’s rightful place is burning in the depths of Hell. God has already gone to great lengths to remove mankind from his “rightful place.”
Joel quotes Hebrews 11:1 in the NKJV, which reads, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” He quotes the same verse in Chapter Two, only he omits the second half of it. Here he uses the verse to support the assertion that
You may not be able to perceive anything positive happening in your life with your natural eyes today. In fact, everything may be falling apart- your health, your business, your children. You may have all kinds of problems, and in the natural order, it doesn’t look as though anything is turning around. But don’t be discouraged. Look into that invisible world, into the supernatural world, and through your eyes of faith, see that situation turning around.
In Chapter Two, however, he uses this same verse to say that we should expect good things to start happening to us; that we should live with an attitude of “confident expectancy.” Granted two people might read the same verse and come away with two different interpretations of it, that is part of the science and art of hermeneutics. But this is one man using the same verse, half of it to mean one thing and, six chapters later, the entirety of it to mean something completely different but no more accurate. How does one “look into the invisible world,” Joel? I wonder if he proofreads his own work and realizes how silly he sounds. He suggests using one’s “eyes of faith,” but such vague, subjective terms could really mean anything from simply having blind faith to picturing it in one’s head to envisioning it with a wild and vivid imagination. Given all the information we’ve received so far, the latter is probably your best bet.
Joel denies the maxim “you need to see it to believe it,” saying that it is the exact opposite that is true. Joel tells us that “once you see it by faith, it can come into existence in the physical world.” Let’s stop for a moment. If nothing can come into existence but by being visualized by someone’s eyes of faith, how are babies conceived? At the moment of conception I’m sure the future parents are too busy doing other things to visualize a baby through their eyes of faith. Joel claims that what he is saying is the opposite of “you need to see it to believe it,” but the two are essentially the same. In both philosophies one needs to see the object in question, either with their physical eyes or their “eyes of faith,” and step two involves the object manifesting itself either as a result of being seen with someone’s spiritual eyes or being believed in. Furthermore, we run into trouble with the law of conservation of matter: matter cannot be created nor can it be destroyed, only changed. If, as Joel says, our belief causes something to “come into existence in the physical world,” this violates the law of conservation of matter in that something is coming from nothing.
Joel tells the story of Abraham and Sarah being told they would have a child. He reminds usof how Sarah laughed and how after waiting for several years they got impatient and enlisted the help of Hagar, Sarah’s maid. Joel says that “nearly twenty years after God spoke the promise, little Isaac was born.” Joel is certain that this is an example of the above philosophy: “Sarah had to conceive it in her heart before she was able to conceive it in her physical body. She had to believe she could become pregnant before she actually became with child.”
There are, as usual, several things wrong with this story. Yes, God told Abraham and Sarah they would have a child when they were both very old, and Sarah laughed. Yes, Abraham had a kid with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. What actually happens in Genesis 15-19 is as follows: God tells Abraham, then called Abram, that he will make him into a great nation, and that he will indeed have an heir. This is the scene where God makes what was the equivalent of a legally binding contract with Abraham. Next, Sarah, then called Sarai, suggests that God intended Hagar to be the vehicle through which aforementioned great nation was to be created and tells Abraham to go have a child with her. He obliges and Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. When Abraham was ninety-nine, the LORD appeared to him and made the covenant of circumcision and repeats his promise to make Abraham into a great nation. Abraham is visited later by the same who now tells him that in one year he will have a son. It is here that Sarah laughs. So it did not take twenty years, but one year. Not because Sarah couldn’t “conceive it in her heart,” but because God said in Genesis 19:10, “I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son.” It’s kind of hard to misinterpret that one, right? But who cares about silly things like chronology or what actually happened in the story, let’s just rearrange the pieces to make it mean whatever we want.
Joel says that we are all like Sarah, that we “can’t conceive it.” He says that “we’re not in agreement with God, so we’re missing out on his blessings.” Joel then quotes half of John 10:10 in his own special version: “I want you to live life to the full, till it overflows.” In the NIV it reads, “The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Where Joel gets “want” from the Greek verb erchomai is beyond me. Of the 632 times it is used, 195, the vast majority, are translated as “come” and nowhere is it translated as “want” (NIV Exhaustive Concordance). According to the New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words, erchomai is defined as “to go or come.” As for the first half of the verse, the bit about thieves and destroying, serves as a negative image to contrast with the positive image of Jesus as the gate in verse seven, thus ruining Joel’s flawed interpretation of the verse (The New Interpreter’s Bible).
Next, Joel says that the “tragedy is, if we don’t change our believing, we could go through our entire lifetimes missing out on the great things God has in store for us. Friend, please stop limiting God with your narrow-minded thinking.” The real tragedy here is that it’s Joel, not anyone else, who’s limiting God. If Joel thinks that God cannot work in his life unless he has a certain attitude it will not affect God’s ability to do so, but it may affect his ability to recognize God’s blessings, should they bit him on the face.
Near the end of the chapter Joel cites Isaiah 55:8, also in his own special version: “God’s ways are not our ways. They are higher and better that our ways.” If we look at a real version of the Bible, it reads, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.” It is in the next verse, verse nine, that God says, “‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” This is just more proof, if more were needed, that Joel has no regard for the text or proper interpretation of it. I fail to see why he misrepresented the passage, all that he gained by doing so, it would seem, is a little more space in which to type. The idea that God’s ways are not our ways and that God’s ways of thinking are far superior to any mortal is almost universally accepted; no one is arguing with that. What Joel goes on to say, however, warrants some discussion. He writes that “God can do what human beings cannot or will not do. He is not limited by the laws of nature. And if you’ll let that seed take root so it can grow, put your trust and confidence in the Lord, God will surely bring it to pass. If you can see the invisible, God can do the impossible.” All of this can be boiled down to one false hope: because God give us something, he will. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as you have no doubt experienced in your own life.
This chapter is typical of Joel, every false statement laced with something true. Joel places far too much weight on the power of the human mind as well as limiting the capabilities of an all-powerful creator. In other words, just another chapter in Your Best Life Now.
Monday, March 15, 2010
A rebuttal of Ch. 8 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 8: Understanding Your Value
Rebuttal
In the first paragraphs of Chapter 8, Joel tells us that we must derive our self worth from the fact that we are God’s children. I’m not going to contradict him on this point. He says that if we want to have a healthy view of how valuable we really are, we must move past our imperfections and know that God loves us despite our faults. Again, no argument here. Joel runs into trouble, however, when he tries to use scripture to support his claim. He uses a fairly well known verse, Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Joel says the use of the word workmanship connotes an unfinished product; a “work in progress.” The Greek word used for workmanship here is poiēma. The Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines poiēma as denoting “that which is made,” not that which is being made. The same word is used in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (poiēma), so that men are without excuse.” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.) Here Paul is telling the Roman church about general revelation, or God’s will revealed to the entire human race, in this instance, through creation itself. When poiēma is used here, the noun does not have a kind of present progressive connotation; creation stopped on the sixth day. Likewise, the same word used in Ephesians 2:10 does not have the meaning of a “work in progress,” but simply something that has been made. Even the English word workmanship does not have the meaning that Joel claims it does. According to Wiktionary, workmanship is defined as “1) the skill of an artisan or craftsman. 2) The quality of something made by an artisan or craftsman.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “1) something effected, made, or produced. 2) The art or skill of a workman; also: the quality imparted to a thing in the process of making.” So, Joel is mistaken when he says that “the word workmanship implies that you are not yet a finished product; you are a ‘work in progress.’” Not that I am arguing against the idea that we as humans should continually work to improve ourselves, but the verse Joel is using to support his assertion here is poorly chosen.
Joel says that the key to future success is not to be “discouraged about your past or present while you are being ‘completed.’” He claims that the Bible says that we “go from glory to glory as we are being transformed into God’s image.” Here he cites 2 Corinthians 3:18, which goes, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Joel does not expound on the meaning of this verse at all; he leaves the definition of glory and the meaning of the verse in the context of what he is trying to say all up to the reader. I think he’s trying to say that things are going to get better, that you have things in you life to look forward to. While this is a comforting statement, it is not what the verse means. The NIV’s “ever-increasing glory” and “being transformed into God’s image” both refer to what happens after one dies and goes to heaven. This does not fit Joel’s message, which would necessitate that glory manifesting itself in the earthly realm.
To finish up the paragraph, Joel tells us that “God is moving you onward toward greater things. The path of righteousness gets brighter and brighter.” Stop right there, Joel. We’ve used this verse before, but it’s so applicable that it bears repeating: 1 Timothy 3:12 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (Emphasis added.) However, Joel does use Proverbs 4:16 as evidence. “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter ‘till the full light of day.” If, however, we take into account the very next verse, the passage takes on a whole new meaning. “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” So we can see that the righteous are not walking on the sunny side of the street per se, but their way of life allows them to see clearly to learn from their mistakes, unlike the wicked, who “do not know what makes them stumble.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible.) To bolster my point, I’ll add the following sections of scripture:
Philippians 1:29 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,”
1 Peter 3:17 “It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Joel continues to tell us that God loves us, warts and all. He tells us to remember that “according to God’s Word, your future is getting brighter; you are on your way to a new level of glory.” Here he is absolutely right; after we die and go to heaven, we will certainly be surrounded by the glory of God (Romans 8:17). I doubt this is what Joel actually means, though. Like I said above, this entire book hinges on what happens on this side of eternity. Joel comforts us by telling us that even though disobeying God can and does have consequences, we cannot do anything to make God love us less, just like we can’t do anything to make him love us more. This is absolutely true. Joel tells us that no matter how difficult the times are that we go through, we are still no less valuable. This is also true. The rest of the chapter goes on to that effect.
A lot of what Joel says in this chapter is accurate; his main problem is when he uses scripture to support his points. Let’s hope this is one of many steps in the right direction.
Rebuttal
In the first paragraphs of Chapter 8, Joel tells us that we must derive our self worth from the fact that we are God’s children. I’m not going to contradict him on this point. He says that if we want to have a healthy view of how valuable we really are, we must move past our imperfections and know that God loves us despite our faults. Again, no argument here. Joel runs into trouble, however, when he tries to use scripture to support his claim. He uses a fairly well known verse, Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Joel says the use of the word workmanship connotes an unfinished product; a “work in progress.” The Greek word used for workmanship here is poiēma. The Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words defines poiēma as denoting “that which is made,” not that which is being made. The same word is used in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (poiēma), so that men are without excuse.” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.) Here Paul is telling the Roman church about general revelation, or God’s will revealed to the entire human race, in this instance, through creation itself. When poiēma is used here, the noun does not have a kind of present progressive connotation; creation stopped on the sixth day. Likewise, the same word used in Ephesians 2:10 does not have the meaning of a “work in progress,” but simply something that has been made. Even the English word workmanship does not have the meaning that Joel claims it does. According to Wiktionary, workmanship is defined as “1) the skill of an artisan or craftsman. 2) The quality of something made by an artisan or craftsman.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “1) something effected, made, or produced. 2) The art or skill of a workman; also: the quality imparted to a thing in the process of making.” So, Joel is mistaken when he says that “the word workmanship implies that you are not yet a finished product; you are a ‘work in progress.’” Not that I am arguing against the idea that we as humans should continually work to improve ourselves, but the verse Joel is using to support his assertion here is poorly chosen.
Joel says that the key to future success is not to be “discouraged about your past or present while you are being ‘completed.’” He claims that the Bible says that we “go from glory to glory as we are being transformed into God’s image.” Here he cites 2 Corinthians 3:18, which goes, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Joel does not expound on the meaning of this verse at all; he leaves the definition of glory and the meaning of the verse in the context of what he is trying to say all up to the reader. I think he’s trying to say that things are going to get better, that you have things in you life to look forward to. While this is a comforting statement, it is not what the verse means. The NIV’s “ever-increasing glory” and “being transformed into God’s image” both refer to what happens after one dies and goes to heaven. This does not fit Joel’s message, which would necessitate that glory manifesting itself in the earthly realm.
To finish up the paragraph, Joel tells us that “God is moving you onward toward greater things. The path of righteousness gets brighter and brighter.” Stop right there, Joel. We’ve used this verse before, but it’s so applicable that it bears repeating: 1 Timothy 3:12 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (Emphasis added.) However, Joel does use Proverbs 4:16 as evidence. “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter ‘till the full light of day.” If, however, we take into account the very next verse, the passage takes on a whole new meaning. “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” So we can see that the righteous are not walking on the sunny side of the street per se, but their way of life allows them to see clearly to learn from their mistakes, unlike the wicked, who “do not know what makes them stumble.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible.) To bolster my point, I’ll add the following sections of scripture:
Philippians 1:29 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,”
1 Peter 3:17 “It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Joel continues to tell us that God loves us, warts and all. He tells us to remember that “according to God’s Word, your future is getting brighter; you are on your way to a new level of glory.” Here he is absolutely right; after we die and go to heaven, we will certainly be surrounded by the glory of God (Romans 8:17). I doubt this is what Joel actually means, though. Like I said above, this entire book hinges on what happens on this side of eternity. Joel comforts us by telling us that even though disobeying God can and does have consequences, we cannot do anything to make God love us less, just like we can’t do anything to make him love us more. This is absolutely true. Joel tells us that no matter how difficult the times are that we go through, we are still no less valuable. This is also true. The rest of the chapter goes on to that effect.
A lot of what Joel says in this chapter is accurate; his main problem is when he uses scripture to support his points. Let’s hope this is one of many steps in the right direction.
Monday, March 8, 2010
A rebuttal of Ch. 7 of Your Best Life Now
Chapter 7: Who Do You Think You Are?
Rebuttal
Joel begins the second section and the seventh chapter of his book by describing a woman who was at a societal disadvantage and somehow rose to be the CEO of her company. Joel attributes this to the woman having a positive self image and not letting people’s taunts and derisive remarks drag her down. While there is a certain amount of truth to this, one cannot climb the corporate ladder or “receive one promotion after another” based solely on the fact that one “goes through life with a smile.” Joel goes on to say what and how important self esteem and self image are, and I do not contest this point, it is the weight he puts on it that I object to. For instance,
Joel begins the second section and the seventh chapter of his book by describing a woman who was at a societal disadvantage and somehow rose to be the CEO of her company. Joel attributes this to the woman having a positive self image and not letting people’s taunts and derisive remarks drag her down. While there is a certain amount of truth to this, one cannot climb the corporate ladder or “receive one promotion after another” based solely on the fact that one “goes through life with a smile.” Joel goes on to say what and how important self esteem and self image are, and I do not contest this point, it is the weight he puts on it that I object to. For instance,
Unquestionably, a healthy self-image is one of the key factors in the success and happiness of any individual. The reason your self-concept is so important is: You will probably speak, act, as the person you think you are. Psychologists have proved that you will most consistently perform in a manner that is in harmony with the image you have of yourself.
While this may or may not be true, one always has to be on the lookout whenever the words “[authoritative source] says” appear in Joel’s writings. As has been demonstrated in past editions of these works, Joel is often ambiguous at best when citing sources. In this quote, Joel does not give the names of the psychologists or the name or date of a study or survey or similar data. Adding the fact that Joel has no education or background in psychology himself, we have no way of knowing where Joel obtained this information, no way to check it for ourselves, and no way to verify its veracity. For just that reason, I have made every effort to cite the sources that I use throughout these works.
It seems as if there is an unwritten rule that every self-help book must include at least one chapter on self esteem, and this is no exception. Joel tells us that we really won’t get anywhere in life unless we put our chin up and realize that we are unique, just like everyone else. He says that the people who have high self-esteem “know that they have been created in God’s image and that He has crowned them with tremendous honor.” To support this assertion, he uses Genesis 1:26-27 and Psalm 8:4-5. Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” All right, we’re made in the image of God. No argument here. Psalm 8:4-5 reads: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” Here we run into trouble. Joel used Psalm 8:5 just two chapters ago to try to prove that God has crowned us with favor, because the “glory and honor” in the original language could also be translated as favor. Which is it, Joel? You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. I’ll say again what I said in Chapter 5: that section of Psalm 8 is a messianic prophecy, quoted as such in Hebrews 2:6. This particular passage refers to Jesus’s incarnation.
Joel writes next: “God wants us to have healthy, positive self-images, to see ourselves as priceless treasures. He wants us to feel good about ourselves... He created us in his continually shaping us, conforming us to His character, helping us to become even more like the person He is.” Let’s take a look at this. If one of God’s purposes is to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, that makes God subservient to me. According to this, his job is to please me, not vice versa. The entirety of Psalm 69 is David crying out to the Lord for deliverance from his enemies, describing how he “endure[s] scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.” In Jesus’s Olivet Discourse, he says that “blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things about you because of me.” In Jeremiah 20:7 the prophet is proclaiming the doom Israel will suffer if they don’t shape up. “… I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak out, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insults and reproach all day long.” Two things of note that we should discuss here: at the end of Psalm 69, the one mentioned above, after David pleads to the Lord for deliverance he calls down God’s wrath upon his enemies and recognizes that the Lord is just. The same literary motif occurs later in Jeremiah 20, where Jeremiah likens God to a mighty warrior (not to Santa Claus) who ensures that his “persecutors will stumble and not prevail.”
Granted, I’m not saying that it’s God’s desire for all of us to develop an inferiority complex, but the assertion that making us feel good is on God’s top five things to do is a falsehood. As for the part about God “continually shaping us” and “conforming us to His character,” Joel makes this sound like a one-sided relationship, wherein we don’t need to “be holy, because I am Holy,” as Leviticus 11:44 tells us, but we can just sit back and let God do the work. For the next few paragraphs Joel writes about how God sees us as capable and “competent to do the job.” All of this is true. However, getting rid of a negative self-image, “stepping out in faith,” and “seeing yourself as God sees you” will not get you a new house, a raise, “a new leadership position,” or anything else but a good self image.
Pointing out that God tends to use ordinary people, people who don’t always feel “capable in their own strength,” for extraordinary things, Joel says that “God’s word states that He always causes us to triumph. He expects us to live victoriously.” To support this assertion, Joel uses 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Although he cites both verses, he only uses the last sentence in verse 10, “When we are weak, He is strong.” This isn’t what the verse says in any other translation of the Bible; Joel is using his special translation here. The NIV, TEV, and the NCV all have “when I am weak, then I am strong.” (Emphasis added). This is a bit poignant, as I have used 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 as proof for my own arguments. This verse is about Paul explaining his thorn, which some to believe to be poor eyesight and others believe to be epilepsy, and how God’s grace is enough for us, and that in it is when we are weak that the “power of Christ rests on [us], and only thus [are we] strong.” (The Concordia Self-Study Commentary). There is no factual or scriptural basis for the assertion that God wants us to “live victoriously.” Without a doubt, there have been and are Christians who have lived very prosperous and victorious lives, and there are many people who are not Christians who have lived very prosperous and victorious lives. There are many more Christians who have led poor and impoverished lives, and many more people who are not Christians who have led poor and impoverished lives. According to Job 9:22, God “destroys both the blameless and the wicked.” David, who we have already established as a man after God’s own heart, almost lost his throne to Absalom, one of his sons, when he betrayed him and almost started a civil war. The story of Absalom spans 2 Samuel Chapters 13-18, and it was one of the low points in David’s life. Absalom rebels against his father, David, drives him into hiding, and tries to kill him. Absalom is ultimately killed, and tragically so. Point is, following God does not always equal fields of flowers and fluffy bunnies.
Next, Joel draws on the story of Moses sending scouts into Canaan. The consensus is that the Promised Land is indeed one of abundant resources, including single clusters of grapes so big that it required two men to carry them, hanging on a pole between them. However, ten out of the twelve spies view the taking of the Promised Land as highly implausible, and say as much. They base their position on the fact that the inhabitants of Canaan were at that time exceptionally big. According to Numbers 13:33, the scouts “seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Joel uses this to say that by “grasshoppers in our own eyes,” they actually meant that “the mental image they had of themselves was as small, weak, defeated grasshoppers, ready to be squashed, helpless before the giants opposing them.” Do you really think any person would view an answer to the effect of, “My self-image is poor; I have issues” to a question of “What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kinds of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?” This has non sequiter written all over it. Besides, the answer incites the entire nation of Israel to near rebellion; do you really think ten people’s low self esteem could do that?
Joel says that God had already guaranteed the Hebrew people victory in Canaan; it was their poor self-images that prevented them from entering. Didn’t we hear this before? In Chapter 4, Joel uses the exile in the desert as an example, to prompt us out of our own “poor, defeated mentality.” Then, as now, the reason the ancient Israelites wandered around in the desert, waiting for an entire generation to die off, was not because of their limited thinking but because of the fact that, days after being delivered from 400 years of slavery in Egypt, they decided that the God who got them out wasn’t good enough for them anymore. This comprises most of Exodus 32. Would Moses have to plead with God not to wipe out every last Israelite for having a negative self image? What Joel says next is pretty shocking:
The image God wants you to have of yourself has been distorted; the mirrors in which you have seen yourself- reflected in the words, actions, or opinions of your parents, your peers, or people who have hurt you- have become grossly cracked, delivering a contorted and distorted image of yourself. When you accept that warped image, you open yourself to depression, poverty, or worse. If you are not careful, before long you will begin thinking that the image you see in those cracked mirrors is a true reflection of the way life is supposed to be. You won’t expect anything better. You won’t expect God’s blessings and victories. You will drift through life haphazardly, accepting whatever comes along, spinning your wheels until you die.
That’s kind of extreme, don’t you think? Unless we shape up and have good self esteem we’re just doomed to be poor and depressed forever? It’s interesting how Joel uses poverty and depression as the absolute worst things that could happen to a person. Not total separation from God, not hearing those words, “Away from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23), but having inadequate material assets or struggling to view oneself in a positive light. I don’t know about you, but in my mind the latter pale in importance when compared to the former. Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say.
Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
1 Samuel 2:7 “The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and exalts.”
Mark 10:25 “‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’”
Throughout scripture God is portrayed as someone to go to when you’re in trouble, hurting, or need help. The book of Psalms is full of examples.
Psalm 30:8-10 “To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: ‘What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be Merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.’”
Psalm 31:11-15
Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends- those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as if I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and those who pursue me.
Psalm 126:6 “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”
I’m not trying to minimize people’s problems, the reality of chemical depression, or the effectiveness of modern medicine. I’m saying that God is perfectly able to get us out of any problem on his own.
In the next paragraph, Joel says that God gives good things to his children. Not untrue. But, referring to the previous paragraph, Joel says that we can’t let ourselves “accept that as the way life is supposed to be.” Where is it written, in the Bible or elsewhere, that life is supposed to be fair and that people are supposed to be successful? Joel say that we should “reprogram your mind with God’s word,” something rather laughable considering nothing that he has said so far has been based on God’s word. He says that if we improve our self-image and visualize ourselves “winning, coming out on top.” Only one person can win. If two people do exactly as Joel says, who comes out on top? Joel also says that we should visualize our “marriage as restored” and our “business as flourishing.” He says we must “see it through your eyes of faith, and then it will begin to happen.” Once again, the fact that I think it will or want it to happen doesn’t mean it will. I can sit here and visualize through my eyes of faith the economy improving, but that has no bearing on whether or not it will.
The way Joel claims to know exactly what God wants, how he thinks, and what he does, with no legitimate scriptural support is extremely ostentatious. He does his usual song and dance of twisting facts and scripture to meet his own ends, and tells us that if we close our eyes, use the magic pixie dust, and think happy thoughts, we can fly; just take the second start to the right and straight on ‘till morning.
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