Here is another preacher who says "I don't know!"
[Larry] KING: But don’t you think if people don’t believe as you believe, they’re somehow condemned?
[Joel] OSTEEN: You know, I think that happens in our society. But I try not to do that. I tell people all the time, preached a couple Sundays about it. I’m for everybody. You may not agree with me, but to me it’s not my job to try to straighten everybody out. The Gospel is called the good news. My message is a message of hope, that’s God’s [message] for you. You can live a good life no matter what’s happened to you. And so
I don’t know. I know there is condemnation but I don’t feel that’s my place.
KING: Because we’ve had ministers on who said, your record don’t count. You either believe in Christ or you don’t. If you believe in Christ, you are, you are going to heaven. And if you don’t no matter what you’ve done in your life, you ain’t.
OSTEEN: Yeah,
I don’t know. There’s probably a balance between. I believe you have to know Christ. But I think that if you know Christ, if you’re a believer in God, you’re going to have some good works. I think it’s a cop-out to say I’m a Christian but I don’t ever do anything...
KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?
OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven.
I don’t know...
KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?
OSTEEN: Well,
I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father.
I don’t know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And
I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So
I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.
Pastor of 30,000 to Larry King Live viewers: “I don’t know” On his live television show June 20, [2005] Larry King introduced Joel Osteen as “evangelis
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