Joel Osteen asks his congregation to no longer eat unclean meats.

[Sojourner]

I kid you not, Clean meats are recommended and preached about at Lakewood and Joel Osteen recommends that people turn away from eating unclean meats. 

[Sojourner]

I kid you not, Clean meats are recommended and preached about at Lakewood and Joel Osteen recommends that people turn away from eating unclean meats. 

[Gail]

Yes, I had seen that a while back on TV (when we still had TV). Gotta give credit where credit's due!

[Tom Wetmore]

I was watching a religious program on TV in a hotel once  and the speaker was making a strong case for following the clean vs. unclean foods laws of Leviticus, etc.  I didn't recognize him as one our own and waited until the credits and the program was affiliated with some denomination I wasn't familiar with.  

[Gerr]

Joel Osteen has just come up a few notches in my esteem proiile.  I have listened to him a few times in the past and all I heard was feel good positive thinking sermons. 

[Stan]

This was in 2008..  

[Ted Oplinger]

It's a start...but the kicker subject for these preachers always seems to be the Sabbath vs. Sunday issue. When he comes down on the side of the Sabbath, that is when my eyebrows will raise. It is said that the great Billy Graham knew of the Sabbath truth, but would not preach it because it would mean he would lose his vast congregations of listeners. While that may be more urban legend than truth, I do know of several local preachers in my area who have voiced the statement - they fear going against the grain more than than preaching the truth.

 

Joel Osteen won't lose many in his congregation preaching something that has health benefits (leaving off unclean meats). It is mainly private, and does not have many significant cultural impacts. It might get him chided for "going Old Covenant", but the fact that a good many people leave off the pork and shrimp for medical reasons alone means his audience won't drastically shrink.

 

Preaching the Sabbath, though, has far greater impacts - both privately and culturally, as it means disrupting weekly schedules founded upon having Saturday as the main off-work day and marketing/chore day...then maintaining that difference while everyone else continues the cycle. I hear him speak of that, truthfully and with conviction, without fear of losing any of his audience, and he might just get my attention.

 

Blessings,

[phkrause]

Excellent points Ted. If I recall correctly, there was a Black minister, not sure of the denomination, that was convicted of the Sabbath message and preached on that one Sunday, and told his whole congregation that he would be worshiping on Sabbaths from than on!!