For many Americans, Joel Osteen is the public face of evangelical Christianity. For many evangelical Christians, Osteen is not an evangelical Christian.
Despite what follows, I have never taken much of an interest in such debates. Arguing over whether or not someone is an “evangelical” is rarely fruitful or uplifting. In fact, when I watch Joel Osteen (and I recently watched a Lakewood Church service via the internet with a group of students), the first question that occurs to me is whether or not he dyes his hair. My guess is, yes he does. Or perhaps he affirms his hair’s continued darkness each day. Surely if you think your hair will turn gray or fall out, it will. I tend to think such matters are predestined.
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