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.
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