Christian Web News - Chris Rosebrough, captain of internet based Pirate Christian Radio and host of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program announced on Monday that Joel Osteen is the winner of the "Worst Easter Sermon Award" for 2009.
"Every Christmas Christians whine and complain about secular and atheistic efforts designed to take Christ out of Christmas yet more and more Christian pastors have committed an even worse offense and have removed Jesus Christ and His victorious resurrection from the grave from their Easter sermons," said Chris Rosebrough. "Far too many pastors have played the role of Judas and have betrayed Jesus. Rather than being paid 30 pieces of silver, these pastors have sold Jesus out for the fame and adulation that accompany having a 'growing, relevant 'man-centered' church'."
Said Rosebrough, "These Churches have stopped preaching the offense of Christ Crucified for Sins and His resurrection for our justification and have traded the Biblical Gospel for empty feel-good platitudes, and self-help mythologies that scratch itching ears."
Rosebrough decided that it was time to raise awareness of this serious and growing problem within Christianity and to call these pastors to repentance by holding a contest on his radio program whereby his listeners would decide which sermon was the Worst Easter Sermon of 2009.
In preparation for this contest, Rosebrough screened nearly 100 sermons from churches across America and picked the 5 worst ones to be contestants for this new 'award'.
The sermons Rosebrough picked for this year's contest included:
A sermon that explored the "deep" spiritual lessons of the movie Slumdog Millionaire
A sermon entitled "Beer Babes & Baseball"
A sermon entitled "Livin' Venti" that encouraged people to live life to the fullest.
A sermon entitled "You Have Come Back Power"
And a sermon entitled "Easter in the Octagon"
This year's first ever Worst Easter Sermon Award went to Joel Osteen's sermon "You Have Come Back Power".
Commenting on Osteen's sermon Rosebrough stated, "Jesus didn't die and rise again on the cross so that you can have 'come back power over life's set backs'. Osteen completely missed the point of Jesus' life, death and resurrection and as a result he missed the entire point of Christianity."
I think it is time we read our Bibles about speaking against men and women of the Almighty.. Wow casting of the stones when we live all in glass houses. we all do only the Father does not and only he should Judge. Thank you Brother and Sister Osteen for the Work you do for the father and the message that you share praise the name of the Lord.
Christian Web News - Jesus has a way of getting right to the point, doesn't He? There was certainly no mincing of words, He came right out and said, "why are you fearful?" and then went on to say, "O you of little faith." You don't have to read between the lines to see what He was saying, they had little faith.
Christian Web News - Galatians 3:13-14. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree''), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
