What’s so wrong with the ‘feel-good’ Gospel?
Oct 31st, 2008 by Gordon
Lately, I’ve heard folks criticizing what they call the “feel-good gospel” - the message of preachers like Joel Osteen and others who claim that Christians should expect a good life. (I am in no way endorsing Joel or any other Evangelical preachers.)
But, the word ‘gospel’ actually means ‘good news’ - so isn’t good news supposed to make you feel good? Imagine if you just received really good news -
You just had a healthy new baby!
You just won the lottery!
Your terminally ill child has just been completely healed!
Your comatose spouse has just awakened and is asking for you!
Wouldn’t you feel really good? You would be happy, rejoicing, and maybe even jumping up & down.
If the ‘gospel’ is good news, then why shouldn’t we expect to feel good? Isn’t it better news than winning the lottery?
As long as religion portrays man as sinful, it will always see life as a struggle. Religion cannot accept that God intended man’s life to be pleasurable. Religion can’t allow us to feel good about our relationship to God. In fact, religion says that God is the source of suffering - ‘trials & tribulations’ we supposedly need for some mysterious reason.
Michele O’Donnell says, “When man refuses to accept suffering as from the hand of God, he will cease to experience it.“ Her life has proven that to be true. She lives in the truth of the Gospel and her life is good - beyond the sickness and affliction of ‘hard times’ or ‘trials and tribulations.’ She is not the exception - her life is God’s intended Life for everyone.
God is merciful. God is Love-ing, and God always wanted the very best for man from the beginning. God wants us to feel good. How do I know?
1. Because there are TONS of scriptures that tell us of God’s love, mercy and blessing available for those who are able to receive it.
2. It makes sense - it would be cruel for God to create man to live in this beautiful earth, only to suffer and struggle and not be allowed to ‘feel good’ and enjoy the life God has given.
3. Molecular science has found that even one-cell microorganisms have pleasure receptors. Every cell of living matter is designed to ‘feel good’ and to seek that which will connect with it’s pleasure receptors. The reason everyone seeks to have fun and to avoid pain is because we are made that way!
“…endorphins are in yeast and tetrahina, simple one-cell organisms, so pleasure is basic. And we were designed to run on pleasure. And I think we’re addicted to pleasure, and our brain is set up to record pleasure and seek pleasure. And that’s the final endpoint - to find pleasure and avoid pain. And that’s what drives human evolution.” - Candace Pert, Ph.D, National Institutes of Health
4. Studies have proven that feeling good from pleasurable experiences promotes health and harmony at the cellular level. Our bodies don’t function well when we are not happy or feeling good. Negative emotions promote diseases like cancer. No wonder we are such a sick nation. And, worst of all, religion has robbed us of feeling good. Religion labels pleasure-seeking as hedonism, and ungodly. No wonder people would rather go to the lake on Sunday than to church.
5. We feel good when we do good things for others, or receive good from others. We feel bad when we are ugly to others, or others mistreat us, or when we act selfishly. We are created to feel good - to be happy with ourselves and our life.
The Gospel that Jesus preached and demonstrated is a ‘feel good’ message! The Good News.
If you are one of those who criticizes the ‘feel-good’ Gospel, then my prayer is that you will re-examine your concept of God and allow your perceptions and beliefs to embrace the true nature of God and man.
Oh, and allow yourself to have some fun and ‘feel good’ for a change. Your whole being will be healthier for it. As Joel Osteen would say - EXPECT a good life of blessing. God says the same thing to you.
Get yours today!