Guru Ratings
Joel Osteen
Bad.
Remember my ratings criteria. I’m not judging these gurus on “global” or moral values, but very specific criteria. Many of my favorite books would be rated “bad” by my criteria for self-help (probably, because they are not self-help books). My ratings don’t reflect how well an author met his own goals, but how well they met my criteria for useful, accurate self-help.
It is easy to despise Joel Osteen. Christians dislike him because his teachings are not Biblical. (Then again, no Christian teachings are.) “The smiling preacher” gleefully ignores the real problems of life, objective reality, and especially the unprosperous Jesus of Nazareth.
I dislike him because he gives no useful advice.
Osteen says God wants you to dress well, stand up straight, and get a convenient parking place.
Your Best Life Now (2007)
His book mixes the blandest of pop psychology with the worst of Biblical exegesis.