Why Billy is not Joel, but he still can't start the fire

I like Bill Hybels. I really do. He gets a lot of bad press for being seeker-friendly but frank admission here, I am Bill Hybels friendly, ever since I got his book "Too busy to pray" (Highly recommended). In Australia, on the sometimes questionable so-called Christian cable channel with such whack jobs as T.D Jakes, Joyce Meyer and assorted tele-con-vangelists with bouffant hair - he's a paragon of biblical solidity. Well, almost anyway..

He's no Joel Osteen. I rue the day I got that book for my dad and then spent countless wasted hours debating why it was rubbish. Why the Holy Spirit never led me to buy a J.I Packer, John Stott or John Piper book for him, I'll never know

Joel "See how my teeth shine" Osteen is a horrible waste of sermon space. His stuff isn't bad...if you like your God nothing like the God of the Bible. Yes, I know, he quotes lots of scripture but so does Hallmark cards in their pseudo-religious section. And nothing on Jesus coming to save. Apart from that, it's the gospel according to Oprah and Dr Phil..with a slightly Paulo Coelho kind of 'god'

But Bill, he tries to tell people about Jesus...but in a nice way. Yes, a gentle way. Through drama, great songs and stage sets: it's a wonder he hasn't won a Tony award now. His approach is to coax you gently into the Kingdom of God, with a few folksy jokes, a slap on the back and do pick up a decaf Latte on the way in please

Unfortunately, much as I prefer him over the perfectly coiffured one with the teeth, he still falls short of a standard which I believe must be upheld. It is this:

The Gospel must be preached unreservedly

Therefore, no soft selling, cajolling, playful nudges and unclear messages. No relegating Christ and his work on the cross to some footnote while the pastor cracks jokes downloaded from the internet and goes on about the singles 12 step recovery mininstry for weeks on end.

When you preach this, or another kind of similar message, Paul says:

"..the offence of the cross has been removed" (Galatians 5:11: ESV)

The cross offends because you are offensive to God. Therefore, it needs the unimaginable work of the son of God becoming man to die on the cross as an atonement to propitiate God's wrath and at the same time, exact his loving grace and mercy to you, a reprobrate sinner deserving of nothing but hell

If that above passage sounds foreign to you, then you have been listening to a different gospel. Or a false on

Put it this way, on the pulpit, you sometimes only have one chance to say something. What are you going to say? You can tell the congregation that they are decent people, maybe even pat them on the back and give them a pep talk like a football coach

But woe to you should one of them leave the church without understanding the gospel.

"Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:16: ESV)


If he or she dies that night without knowing God - part of that responsibility lies on your seeker friendly head. Think about it