And there is much to be said for the Osteen's positive Gospel; most of us need help in living a fulfilling Christian life, and we all can use hope. The Broad Church Movement in which many of the founders of the Church of the Incarnation were involved had an important optimistic side, seen in its most famous American member, Bishop Phillips Brooks.
But the negatives, too, are obvious: the so-called Prosperity Gospel can lead to selfishness and greed, as witnessed by the announcement of an investigation of six other evangelists who are also in this camp. These preachers apparently have helped themselves to a few too many of the offerings collected by their non-profit churches.
The issue, however, goes much deeper than the fate of popular clergy. These are the two sides of all religion: sacrifice for others v. abundant life for oneself. Sometimes these aspects are present together, as when a doctor receives joy from working long hours to help poor people. But often, religion seems to go in one direction or another, towards personal satisfaction or towards painful duty.
Myself, I'm hoping to do my duty and still find abundant life. Or as Joel Osteen entitled his first book, Your Best Life Now. --J. Douglas Ousley
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Our neighbor The Morgan Libray has an amazing exhibit of Letters, Paintings and Drawings of Van Gogh. The Letters are to Emile Bernard a friend of Van Gogh's and also of Toulouse-Latrec's and himself a painter. The art of letter writing has almost become a lost art. Yesterday I read Van Gogh's Letter Number VIII written the "Last Week of June 1888" - it begins, " It's fine that you're reading the bible." The letter goes on into a long discussion on religious painters like Delacroix, Rembrandt, Millet, Botticelli, van Eyck and Velasquez. He writes of Christ, " He lived a serene life, and was the greatest artist of all, disdianing marble, clay or colour, working with living flesh." I knew the Van Gogh could piant. Yesterday I learned that he could write. Don't miss this wonderful exhibition which closes in Mid January 2008.
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