September 1, 2014
Osteen (Your Best Life Now) has his cultural and theological critics even as millions of followers enjoy his television broadcasts and buy his books. The pastor of the 45,000-member Lakewood Community Church in Houston acts as cheerleader and encourager, as pastors ought to do. The newest iteration of his simple belief system offers eight maxims to help a person understand and imitate the qualities of a successful individual: commit to excellence, serve others, etc. Osteen's eight undeniable winner qualities include the quintessentially American injunction to "think positive," and the book reads as much as business advice or self-help as it does pastoral counsel. It's clearly intended to speak beyond a small Christian audience; references to biblical sources and stories are general and lack detail. The question thoughtful people of faith ought to consider in thinking about Osteen's fast-food theology is, why are people eating it up? The question for booksellers is how many copies to stock. Agents: Shannon Marven and Jan Miller Rich, Dupree Miller & Associates.