Jim Bublitz, a self-proclaimed “refugee” from the seeker-sensitive / Purpose-Driven movement has posted an interesting comparison of Joel Osteen with personal success infomercial star Anthony Robbins. This all started over at reformation21 when Rick Phillips made the comparison following an early morning run-in with an Anthony Robbins infomercial.

Osteen has been growing in popularity and it’s not hard to figure out why. He’s preaching a blend of humanism and new-age teaching peppered with the occassional Christian keyword. In much the same way as many contemporary Christian songs have made their way onto the Christian airwaves, Osteen has included just enough of the right “keywords” to slip in and be considered a “Christian” message. There really is no Biblical basis for this teaching, which likens itself to Imagine 21, a business success philosophy promoted by The Pacific Institute’s Lou Tice and preached within the walls of a number of Fortune 500 companies. This isn’t Godly; it’s human.

Here are a few of my favorite Osteen quotes from his book Your Best Life Now:

Fear is a force just like faith is a force. If you give into fear and start to dwell on that junk and start to act on it, that fear can actually bring things to pass just like faith can bring things to pass.

and again…

It’s the same way with us. We have to conceive it on the inside before we’re ever going to receive it on the outside. If you don’t think you can have something good, then you never will. The barrier is in your mind.