(Before It's News)
Joel Osteen dodges on gay marriage, not my core message
Joel Osteen dodges a stance on gay marriage, ‘not my core message. Pastor Joel Osteen dodged an opportunity to speak on the issue of gay marriage, not wanting his ministry to be defined by stance on the topic. Marc Lamont Hill of HuffPost Live asked whether gay marriage is “against the rules,” Osteen, pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, said he believes it is, but added a long qualifying statement. “It would be … but I don’t really focus on a lot of those things,” Osteen said. “I try to stay in my lane of what I feel called to do. [The topic] does come up in interviews and things … that’s not my core message.” The article notes that “Osteen explained: …that his core message is helping people let go of their pasts, reach their dreams, have a healthy self-image and raise good children. While homosexuality is part of addressing life issues, the pastor said he doesn’t want to be defined by his views on the issue. “Everybody’s welcome, but my take on it is, you know, it’s easy to make one issue — to become known for that or to let it side track your message,” he said. “If you look at our congregation .. we all have issues, everybody’s on a journey.” While on Piers Morgan, Osteen did denounce homosexuality. “You know, Piers, it really never changes because mine’s based out of the scripture. That’s what I believe that the scripture says — that homosexuality is a sin. I believed it before and I still believe it now…. I’m not mad at anybody, I don’t dislike anybody. Respecting my faith and believing in what the scripture says, that’s the best way I can interpret it.” read http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/joel-osteen-dodges-a-stance-on-gay-marriage-not-my-core-message-65429/
