Places I Don't Think I Should Visit

So, I drove by the Trinity Broadcasting Network headquarters.
It is a replica of the White House.
I don't think I even want to know the story behind that architectural choice.
Don't think I'll be visiting there.
It would just make me sad.
Think I'll just focus on Potter's House.
Potter's House made me (mostly) happy.
Writing time . . .

Day 86- Houston Church Visits (FINALLY!)

Wow, it's finally done.  It took me a solid week of writing, and once again, I touched on a bunch of themes that I wish I could explore further, but there will be time for that later-- that's why this is a project going into the fall semester rather than just a summer course.  As with all of the more eventful cities, here's a table of contents with links to each chapter:

Lakewood (7-23-11, 7PM)
Part 1- Prosperity Gospel and "Welcome to Lakewood!"
Part 2- Getting the Lay of the Land and Worship
Part 3- Worship Continues, Things Get Weird
Part 4- Sermon: "God Is a Rewarder"
Part 5- Joel Osteen: Friendly, Well-Intentioned, and Dangerous

Lord of the Streets (7-24-11, 7AM)
(For background information and my first visit to Lord of the Streets for Eucharist last Wednesday, July 20th, check here.  This was actually my second visit to the church.)
Part 1- Arrival and "More than Conquerors" Revisited
Part 2- Sermon, Departure, Fenced In

Ecclesia (7-24-11, 5PM)
Part 1- Background and Arrival
Part 2- Worship
Part 3- Sermon: Trust, Faith, and a Small Miracle

Yep, a crazy 24 hours.  I attended four worship services and four churches (three of which being part of this study) and still have plenty more to talk about.  For now, I'm going to rest up a bit this evening and then head to Potter's House tomorrow for my final official church visit of this summer roadtrip.  When I get to Memphis, I'll be attending a service at Bellevue Baptist Church, but most of my attention once I'm in town will be focused on ordination matters.

Peace and Blessings,
Tom

Lakewood (Part 1)

I have purchased for myself a dark chocolate Kit-Kat, and I am currently consuming said dark chocolate Kit-Kat as I try to get down my thoughts.  Dark chocolate Kit-Kats are the food of happiness.  The food of comfort.  The food of joy.  I need this dark chocolate Kit-Kat right now because I’m trying to figure out how I feel about the service I attended last night.  I also have a room temperature Vanilla Coke (the drink of silent contemplation), and I’m sitting on a bed with the throw pillows of cynicism and ennui.  I have seven pages of notes, and there are a lot of underlined capital letters followed by exclamation points and question marks.  The things that impressed me about Lakewood really impressed me, but the things that unsettled me, well . . .

Lakewood is a must-see on a trip like this.  The largest church in America, millions of people enter its doors or tune in on television every weekend.  Through books and broadcasts, Joel Osteen’s message travels all over the world, and people come from all over to hear him preach and to experience the worship at Lakewood.  Meeting in the renovated and repurposed Compaq Center, we witnessed a phenomenal production of a worship service, and while that would normally be something of an insult coming from me, these folks were really into it, and I do not deny that the Spirit of God was moving in a very powerful way through the music and even through Joel himself.  It was a truly spectacular worship experience, but there was one major stumbling block, and I think it can be best summed up with one of my favorite images that I use often:

I attended with my friends Ben Richards and Sanetta Ponton (both of them Duke Divinity students interning in Houston this summer), and I think Ben put it well in his post on facebook about the experience: “In short, some moments of powerful, meaningful worship and ministry regrettably surrounded by sensationally bad, damaging theology.”

To explain why Joel Osteen’s message is pretty off kilter, I feel like I need to give a little background information, and I already know that this might take a while, but since he’s such a popular guy who is watched by so many million people every week, I need to make sure I explain myself thoroughly.  After all, I don’t just disagree with him; I think his message is legitimately dangerous, so I want to treat it carefully and make sure I leave no stone unturned and no doctrine unexplained.  This is certainly not an attack on Joel Osteen as a person.  He is a truly wonderful man and one of the nicest people I’ve encountered on this journey.  Still, I think he’s doing a lot of unintentional harm to Christians around the world, and because so many people listen to him and take his advice on spiritual matters, it is my responsibility as a future pastor to know how to respond to church members who share Joel’s skewed understanding of the Gospel.  There are Joel Osteen fans in every church in America, so we have to consider his perspective carefully and respond to it appropriately and charitably, because we will be called on to correct this line of thinking at some point, and these are some very treacherous waters to navigate.

The Prosperity Gospel

I’m going to be over-simplifying here just because entire classes are taught on this movement, countless books have been written, and careers exist just to study it.  The basic premise is that God guarantees good health, success, and financial abundance for those He favors, and while I don’t really like throwing around words like “heresy” and “evil,” this is a case where I’m often tempted to do so.  The movement does claim Scriptural roots, often citing verses very much out of their original contexts or extrapolating them beyond recognition:

“For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

The Parable of the Talents, particularly the line, “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” (Matthew 25:29)

“. . . I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b)

“And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

These are just a few examples, but the list goes on and on.  When in doubt, you can always just point to a rich character --David and Solomon being the perennial favorites-- and talk about God “showing them favor” and misconstrue that as a promise from God for financial success to all the faithful.  Another example that has affected us in more recent decades is the hype that surrounded the book, The Prayer of Jabez.  As I’ve written previously, I believe that Bruce Wilkinson wrote the book to be more about success in evangelism than about financial success, but that’s not really how the book was received or marketed.  Of course, Wilkinson did use rather odd language about trying to pray down the blessings that God already has stockpiled for us in Heaven, as if God were some sort of chronic hoarder loath to part with any ounce of good fortune, and our prayers could magically unclench God’s hands.  Frankly, that’s a pretty off-the-wall idea, but you sort of hear it echoed in Joel Osteen and other prosperity preachers: God has blessings set aside for the faithful, so we must be faithful if we want to be blessed.

Of course, pretty much all of Christian scripture and tradition speaks against this movement.  In fact, I wonder how many counter-examples I can think of in five minutes.  Ready set go:

Suffering and poverty are everywhere in the Bible, usually among the people God favors most.  The Torah and historical books show us how, time and again, God has favored the people who lacked authority and influence and riches-- shepherd, slaves, younger siblings, etc.  Basically, God typically roots for underdogs.  The proverbs speak of how reputation and wisdom are the real riches, not money.  The prophets often spoke from positions of total poverty and warned of the downfalls of the rich and the prosperous.  Then there’s Jesus to consider.  Jesus was Himself a practitioner of voluntary poverty and said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus routinely told people to sell all of their possessions and then give the money to the poor.  Jesus also told people that the first would be last and that the poor were blessed.  After Jesus’ ascension, every single one of the Apostles lived in total abject poverty, and many of them had left lives of financial stability to pursue this path (particularly Paul, who left a successful career as a persecutor of Christians and a Roman citizen so that he could be imprisoned and executed).  The epistles routinely preach to beware the love of money and that one cannot serve both riches and God, and the epistles also describe the Apostles as sometimes feeling great woe and anguish (i.e. not material abundance) but celebrating God regardless.  In particular, the book of James tells us to feel encouraged when we face hardship and to give the place of honor in the church to the poor stranger.  Asceticism has long been a part of the Christian tradition, embodied in countless orders of monastics and friars and mendicants for two millennia.  One of the greatest post-biblical examples of God “blessing” a ministry was the stigmata of St. Francis, a man who gave up a career as a merchant to pursue mendicancy for the remainder of his life.  We had an entire Protestant Reformation precisely because reformers thought that the Church had gotten too money-focused.  We had Separatists and Puritans because, after breaking from the Catholics, the Protestants themselves had gotten too money-focused.  We had the Progressive Era and Social Gospel and Walter Rauschenbusch.  We had Papal Encyclicals.  Liberation Theology.  Dorothy Day.  Mother Theresa.  John Perkins.  Jim Wallis.  Shane Claiborne.  Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.  All these people and movements promoting social responsibility and the sharing of financial resources, NOT PROSPERITY GOSPEL!

Lakewood Foyer

There.  How was that?  I’m sure I’m leaving stuff out, but that seems like it should cover it.  The Christian tradition --our Scriptures, our leaders, our history, all of it-- speaks against the prosperity gospel.  It is based on an incredibly selective reading of Scripture, and it is one of the few things in contemporary churches that I’m totally comfortable pointing at and saying, “That’s totally wrong and has no redeeming value.”  Of course, it’s all innocent fun, right?  No one’s really getting hurt by this, right?

Yeah . . . I’ll get to that a little later.

Raising the Bar for Hospitality

After grabbing a quick dinner at Wendy’s (mmm, chili), Ben and I picked up Sanetta and headed down Highway 59 toward Lakewood.  On the way, we talked a bit about the summer so far (Ben and Sanetta’s experiences in LA, the new direction their church was taking, all the strange experiences I had had on the road, the advice of various pastors, the state of things at Duke, my excitement over Erin, plans for after graduation, etc.).  As I was telling them about how impressed I had been with Resurrection and how much I liked the idea of a missional mega, Sanetta said from the backseat, “Don’t do it, Tom.”  “What?  Start a megachurch?  I really don’t plan on it.  I mean, if it happens, that would be cool and all, but I really don’t think it’s that sustainable a model--”  “No, I mean don’t go Methodist.”  Sanetta, like me, is a Baptist, and we first really got to know each other in our class on the Free Church (Baptists, Campbellites, etc.) last fall.  Duke has a bit of a reputation for helping Baptists make the jump to Methodism, but I assured Sanetta that, while I may really like the Wesleyan Quadrilateral and am a big fan of Communion by intinction and am crazy about my Methodist girlfriend, the United Methodist Church isn’t where I expect to serve.  Ben was grinning from the driver’s seat.  Ben is Methodist.  Ben has job security.

We pulled into the Lakewood parking garage and headed toward the ramp that would take us to ground level.  On the way, I shared a few of my more unpleasant church experiences (“And then Driscoll asked us for money from the TV screen!”), and we talked a little bit about my process for each church visit-- everything from conversations with greeters to investigating the bathrooms.  Ben and Sanetta said that they were happy to stay alert and pay attention for little details during the service, and since this was the largest church in the country, I was grateful to have three sets of eyes and ears instead of just one.  There would be a lot to take in.  Plus, as Ben and Sanetta both have different backgrounds than I do (both of them spent time in other fields before divinity school, whereas I came straight from college for fear of leaving the warm, womblike embrace of the ivory tower), they would have different insights into what we experienced there at Lakewood.

We walked in through a fairly grand entranceway, and I instantly remembered that the structure had once housed an NBA arena.  It had high glass doors and columns and stairways and fancy carpeting and beige beige beige as far as the eye could see.  (Incidentally, if I ever were to write a book on the American megachurch, One Million Shades of Beige would be on the short list of possible titles.)  Greeters at the bottom of the escalators handed us slick, full-color bulletins that featured advertisements for upcoming retreats and speakers, various church workshops and programs, and a promo for Joel’s newest book:

Buy one get one free!

“It’s Your Time”

Get Joel’s latest bestselling book to help activate your faith, accomplish your dreams and increase in God’s favor today!  Hardback: $22.97, sale now extended through August!

It was at about this point that we realized we didn’t completely know where we were going, so we just sort of stood there and talked for a bit.  I suppose we could’ve gone to the bookstore, but as these were friends I hadn’t seen in months, I was enjoying getting to stand there and talk with them.  Ben offered to go investigate the bathroom for me but returned shortly and said, “Tom, don’t judge their hospitality based on that one.  It’s closed for repairs.”  We continued to stand there unsure of how exactly to get into the sanctuary until an older woman from the information desk came over to talk to us.  She welcomed us to the church and asked a little about us as she showed us over to an elevator.  Since we were first time visitors, she wanted to make sure we got seats right up front.  (This is actually standard procedure at Lakewood and one of the more faithful embodyings of James 2 that I’ve seen in my journey.)  Our new guide’s name was Dorothy, and as we rode down in the elevator, she recounted for us how she had been a member there since Joel’s father had started the church back in 1959.  “I remember Joel’s very first sermon,” she told us, and then she confided with a smile that it hadn’t been very good, but as we all know, he got a lot better.  She said that she loves Joel’s humility, his willingness to critique himself, his self-effacing sense of humor-- he’s a genuinely charming guy, and not a bit of it is superficial.  Dorothy also said something that really moved me, “I know Joel personally, and he’s the same man in the pulpit as in his own home.”  The respect with which she said it really struck a chord with me.  Joel Osteen may be an international celebrity, but the people who know him well love him dearly.  It reminded me of that Adam Hamilton quote that Scott had shared with me back at Church of the Resurrection: “I want the people who know me the best to respect me the most.”  No matter what gripes I might have with his theology, Joel Osteen has achieved that, so I really deeply respect him.

Dorothy walked us into the sanctuary, and I have to admit that I had somehow expected the room to feel much bigger.  Perhaps it was just because we were entering from the ground floor, but the church didn’t seem any more mammoth than maybe Hill Country or either of the Mars Hills.  I’m sure it was big, but it never felt big.  Perhaps entering from the ground floor created the illusion of smallness, or maybe the fog machine made the three-story-high ceiling appear lower, or maybe the smaller Saturday night turnout (a few thousand-- roughly a third of the room’s capacity) just made the church feel more intimate.  It was hard to say.  Still, the intimidation factor just wasn’t there, and I think all three of us really appreciated that.  “It’s amazing that such a big place could still give off a small church feel,” Sanetta would later comment.  I was just happy to be on the ground floor since I still have a rather cautious relationship with heights.

Dorothy led us over to an usher, an early middle-aged man who was clad in a light-colored blazer and sporting a headset radio (as many of the Lakewood staff did).  He had a nametag, but for the life of me I cannot remember his name.  We told him we were from Duke, and he talked with us for a bit, joking around and laughing with us.  “Hey, how loud do you guys want it tonight?” he said before pretending to press a button on his headset, “Usher to Orchestra, Usher to Orchestra, we need it extra loud tonight. . . . Wait, what’s that? . . .  3/4 of the band phoned in sick, and we only have a triangle and a xylophone?!  Sorry, guys, looks like I can’t help you on the volume front, but let’s see what we can do about seats!”  He marched us cheerily up the aisle to a roped off section of seats only three rows from the stage.  Pulling the rope aside, he asked, “Will this do?”  Dude, talk about welcoming the stranger!  Lakewood has front seats specifically roped off for the first-timers.  They really do go above and beyond to make you feel welcome.

Lakewood (Part 2)

Having been shown to our seats, I took a moment to record a bit about our surroundings.  The very first thing I notice was the giant, golden globe revolving slowly at the rear of the stage, with a sloping choir loft on either side.  Inset panels above the choir lofts each bore the image of fluffy white clouds on a bright blue sky, and there were projector screens just beyond this for song lyrics, videos, and close-ups of people on stage.  There was also a large projector screen directly over our heads for the benefit of those in the back, but I would have had to crane my neck at an absurd angle to see it.  The ceiling was illuminated with intricate patterns of blue and white lights amid the many catwalks and projectors.  A large camera crane rested on the side of the stage, and it would swoop around throughout the service getting long pans of the audience, choir, and Joel himself.  On either side of the stage was an exit, and above these rested . . . oh, no way: more waterfalls?!  Why is it always waterfalls?!  Ben answered my question, “Well, let’s see here: Baptism imagery, the sense of continual renewal associated with running water, new age sensibilities, the fact that they’re just really peaceful-- want me to keep going?”  “No, man, I think I got it.”

We all thought the golden globe was just a little odd, but I explained that most of the more seeker-sensitive megas eschew cross imagery in favor of softer images like globes or waterfalls or even a tongue of fire.  “At least it’s not an American flag,” I found myself thinking as I flashed back to the patriotic service at Saddleback.  In fact, there wasn’t a flag anywhere on stage, perhaps because Joel’s ministry there at Lakewood is so international, with services being broadcast to over a hundred countries every week.  As if on cue, Sanetta brought my attention to the back of the sanctuary, where a mammoth American flag was stretched between two higher tiered sections of seating.  Nevermind.

Just like at so many of the other megas, a series of advertisements was running on the screens prior to the service.  There was another promo for Joel’s newest book, an ad for an upcoming couples retreat, the hours for the Lakewood bookstores, and an announcement that sermon CDs would be available for purchase.  “Hey, look-- a prayer service,” Sanetta pointed out on the screen, “You know, I might actually be kind of curious to see Lakewood’s approach to a prayer service.”  There was a more detailed ad in the bulletin that I wouldn’t discover until later:

Dodie’s Prayer and Healing Service

Tuesday, August 9th 6:30-8:00PM, New Beginnings Room

Ms. Dodie will personally pray for your needs and believe God for emotional

and physical healing in your life.  Come and go.

Parking is available on the West Circle Drive off Timmons.

Ms. Dodie Osteen

Dodie Osteen is Joel’s mother, and since Sanetta had told me that Joel’s father --Lakewood’s charismatic founding pastor who grew the church to 6,000 members-- actually had kind of a fire-and-brimstone reputation, I have no idea where Ms. Dodie stands theologically.  From the looks of it, it seemed that the idea behind the Lakewood prayer service was to have Ms. Dodie serve as something of a prayer service provider.  I’m like 90% sure that I explained this a while back, but as Protestants, we believe in a “priesthood of all believers,” meaning (among other things) that you don’t need any intermediary between you and God and that God hears the prayers of all people.  I have no doubt in my mind that Ms. Dodie is a loving woman, but the ad seemed to suggest that her prayers have special priority, and I really don’t like the message that sends.  Of course, then again, I’ve never exactly been 100% on board with the whole healing prayer thing, so maybe I’m overanalyzing and should give Ms. Dodie the benefit of the doubt.  If nothing else, she raised a very kind and compassionate son, so I’m sure she’s got a good heart.  Still, the prayer thing really didn’t sit right with me.

With about ten minutes to go before the service, the simple slides on the screens transitioned into a video hosted by a young Latina spokeswoman named Serena Gonzalez, who welcomed us to Lakewood and told us about a few of the programs that the church had to offer.  If we were new to Lakewood, we could visit the Discover Lakewood area after any service for more information about the church.  There were a number of Compass Bible Studies available for people looking to go deeper, and if we had kids, we should check out the Kidslife program.  Also, Serena told us about the upcoming retreat for married couples, which an ad in the bulletin explained in greater detail.  The ad featured a smiling couple embracing and the text:

Married Life Romance and Recreation Weekend

October 14-15, San Luis Resort, Galveston, TX

This special get away for married couples includes dinner, worship, communion,

renewal of vows and a lesson on what God says about marriage.  The trip total is $300.

The initial deposit is $150.  All payments must be made to the Bookstore.

Questions?  Email marriedlife@lakewood.cc or call 713-491-5112.

For more information, visit Lakewood.cc/marriedlife

I looked around and realized that the room was still only about 1/3 full, but it was a very diverse crowd.  Even though the room was predominantly white, there were quite a few black and Latino worshipers there as well, and people looked to be from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.  As far as formal and casual, the folks at Lakewood ran the full range from suits to t-shirts and jeans.  The video came to a close, and the lights went down as I struggled to see the lines in my notebook.  The service was beginning.

Worship

The choir seemed a little sparse, possibly because the Saturday evening service is still a relatively new addition to Lakewood’s roster.  Still the nine singers on the main stage (three groups of three singers-- aren’t my minor number-based compulsions fun?) were about to put on one heck of a show.  The service started with a recorded soloist singing how, “You make beautiful things,” but I soon realized that the voice I had mistaken for a recording was actually live.  The soloist walked out on stage, and the lights came up around her, revealing the choir, all of whom were clad in purples and blues.  Behind the soloist, the orchestra pit rose up from underneath the stage, and several flashes of light heralded the start of the next song as a young and enthusiastic black male singer came forward to lead us in singing:

Hallelujah What a Mighty God,

What an awesome God, O Lord You are,

Hallelujah what a great God you are,

Lord You are marvelous, You are glorious,

Wonderful to me, O what a great God You are,

And we will praise You, forevermore,

Hope for the nations,

Father of every generation,

People everywhere, stand and declare

He’s a mighty God, a mighty God,

This may have been the best bass player I’ve witnessed in a church setting.  In fact, it seemed like the band never missed a single note all night.  They were polished and rehearsed, but they still communicated with one another and smiled just the right amount so that it didn’t feel at all artificial-- not like the too-smiley worship leaders I’ve complained about in the past.  Of course, it helped that the singers were really into it too.  In addition to the nine on stage, there were probably about thirty or so in each of the tiered sections on the sides of the stage, and I was just a little surprised to find that they were really racially integrated, possibly even with a slight black majority.  I have to admit that Lakewood pulls an odd switch-up; while churches like Saddleback try to showcase their limited diversity (and even exaggerate it a bit in the process), Lakewood has the diversity, but you’d never guess it from their bulletins and promotional literature.  There were three main soloists who traded off leading songs: a black man, a black woman, and a white woman, all of them somewhat ageless, but I would guess somewhere around 30.  Each of them had a phenomenal voice.

During this opening number, Joel and Victoria Osteen both came up on stage and stood to one side clapping and singing along with the music.  I could swear that Joel looked right at us and smiled, but in a room that large, it’s hard to tell.  Plus, the guy does smile a lot.  Ben had joked beforehand, “Hey Tom, I’ll give you $20 if you can talk to him and find a way to make him frown.”  The challenge was accepted but never completed.

The musicians continued to play as Joel stepped forward and welcomed us to Lakewood, telling us that, “God’s got amazing things in your future!”  Uh oh, shields up.  Sensors to maximum.  Detecting prosperity gospel.  Readying missiles.  Joel said pointblank that he often gets criticized for getting people’s hopes up, but he assured us that you can’t really have faith if you don’t start with hope, and that includes expecting great things from God.  We need to come into this service prepared to be like a sponge that is going to soak up God’s goodness, so welcome to Lakewood, make yourselves at home, and remember that “When the praises go up, the blessings come down!”  I felt a simultaneous cringe on either side of me.  Victoria stepped up next and expanded on what Joel had said, saying that we get strength from God, but we still wait for more and more of that strength and come into worship tonight with an attitude of expectation.  It was a pretty impressive preaching cadence that she gave.  She’s got some serious rhetorical skill.  The singers led us into the next song, and even though it was another fluffy cookie-cutter Hillsong number, the sheer talent and stage presence of the musicians at Lakewood made it engaging:

If not for Your Goodness
If not for Your Grace
I don't know where I would be today
If not for Your Kindness
I never could say, I'm still standing
If not for Your Mercy
If not for Your Love
I most likely would have given up
If not for Your Favor
I never could say, I'm still standing
But by the Grace of God

To You I lift my offering
And set my heart on higher things
Cause if it had not been for You
Standing on my side
Where would I be

On Christ, The Solid Rock I'll Stand
All other ground is sinking sand
On Christ, The Solid Rock I'll Stand
But by the Grace of God

I'm still standing, I'm still standing
I'm still standing
But by the Grace
But by the Grace of God

The performers were practically jumping up and down with excitement on stage, and this enthusiasm was echoed by the people in the congregation, as hands and entire bodies moved upward toward the blue-illuminated ceiling and the heavens beyond it.  While the bassist had caught my attention during the last song, this time it was the guitarist’s flawlessly executed solo that impressed me most . . . well, that and I noticed that every singer was wearing heels that looked to be a minimum of three inches high.  I have never understood why women do that to themselves, and in the past, I have been known to pick up and carry walking-impaired ex-girlfriends who got a little too ambitious with their heel height for a night on the town.  Still, these singers were moving around and dancing in high heels without missing a beat.  Impressive.  As wowed as I was by the male lead singer’s voice and enthusiasm, I was reminded of a quote Allison used to use: “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels.”  These singers were embodying that spirit.  Returning my gaze to the band, I took a moment to observe the instrument setup: a full horn section, multiple electric and acoustic guitars, drums, percussion, a full grand piano-- wow, they had spared no expense.  Even though some of the band members looked to be fairly young (including a drummer and guitarist who could have easily passed for teenagers), I suspected that the majority of the band and singers had professional experience of some kind.  They never missed a note.  There was no way that these people weren’t pros.

As the band transitioned into the next song, we got a major lightshow, with the whole stage going momentarily black amid flashes of light in blue and purple and white and magenta.  The screen behind the globe flashed with all sorts of spiraling graphics as the band continued to play.  Wow.  I looked around while all of this was going on and saw that the room was still filling up, and the second tier of seating in the church was nearly half-full-- still not a capacity crowd, but quite a large gathering nonetheless.  As the soloists sang, it occurred to me that the Lakewood musicians really only had one setting: full-force enthusiasm.  Unlike the smiley contemporary worship leaders at some of the other megas I’ve visited, these performers were showing a full range of emotion, but every emotion seemed somehow amplified.  Being in that space with that spiritual presence, it was as if they couldn’t hold back even if they tried.  The soloists sang at the tops of their lungs.  The choir rocked back and forth, clapping and singing along.  The musicians played and played and played, never holding back even for a second.  I haven’t actually worshiped enough with Sanetta to be able to speak for her, but Ben and I are normally pretty stoic during services like this, and even the two of us were raising our hands and getting into it.

Invading all my weakness
You wrapped me up in grace
The worst of me succeeded by the best of You

My heart is overtaken
My soul is overwhelmed
The worst of me succeeded by the best of You

My dreams have found their purpose
My future in Your hands
This life would have no meaning if it weren't for You

Lord make my life transparent
Your life in mine displayed
And let every earthly glory
Go back to You

So I lay me down
For Kingdom come
Steal all that is within me
Cause all I want in this world Is more of You

And the less of me it is You
Increasing as I fade away
Your light for all the world to see
God It is You who breaks the chains
It is You who lights the way
And everything I am cries out for You

The song had been another Hillsong number, but once again, Lakewood brought new depth to it.  Rather than simply imitating everyone’s favorite international praise music factory, Lakewood made the song all their own, giving it that unique Lakewood punch.  Ben and Sanetta and I definitely weren’t 100% on board with some of the theology being preached, but wow!  What a worship experience!  People clapped after the song, and an effected electric guitar brought us into the next tune, an old Newsboys song (The Newsboys being a British Christian rock band from back in the day when I was in my Christian rock phase-- I think they’re still around, but it’s a different lineup now since so many of the original members retired or left for other projects).  As the band vamped into the song, video played on the screens of various Lakewood mission trips (usually featuring smiling African children), and many of these clips showcased Joel and Victoria themselves interacting with people in the countries where Lakewood is sending aid.  Not to pass judgment too quickly, but given how much the subject of “poverty pornography” has been on my heart lately, these clips made me squirm a bit, and it would get worse later in the service.  Ben and Sanetta would later comment on how uncomfortable Victoria Osteen looked in many of the pictures, and it was a bit of a chilling realization when the suggestion came up: “And those were the best pictures.”  At least she’s making an effort though.  I was also really impressed with Joel for getting out there himself and meeting people, but I’m starting to feel more and more dubious about the presence of cameras in the mission field, even when they’re used to raise awareness.  The choir began to sing:

It's the song of the redeemed rising from the African plain.
It's the song of the forgiven drowning out the Amazon rain,
the song of Asian believers filled with God's holy fire.
It's every tribe, every tongue, every nation, a love song born of a grateful choir.
It's all God's children singing, "Glory, glory, hallelujah, He reigns. He reigns."
It's all God's children singing, "Glory, glory, hallelujah, He reigns. He reigns."

Let it rise above the four winds, caught up in the heavenly sound.
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals to the faithful gathered underground.
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation, some were meant to persist.
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples, none rings truer than this.
All God's children singing, "Glory, glory, hallelujah, He reigns. He reigns, He reigns."
All God's children singing, "Glory, glory, hallelujah, He reigns. He reigns, He reigns."

And all the powers of darkness tremble at what they've just heard.
'Cause all the powers of darkness can't drown out a single word
when all God's children sing out, "Glory, glory, hallelujah, He reigns. He reigns, He reigns."

Lakewood (Part 3)

In prayer, one of the worship leaders spoke on how we were there to worship God and to see God high and lifted up.  Behind her on the screen, traditional images of stained glass windows and crosses and even a crucified Christ appeared.  I’ve been combing the internet looking for the lyrics of the song we sang, but I’ve been totally unable to find it.  The guitar had taken an 80s power ballad sort of turn, and the backlighting had shifted from blue to magenta as the soloist took center stage and sang under a spotlight.  “I trust in You. . . . I hide underneath Your wings. . . . I cry out, Lord, I long to see Your face, mighty Rock of Ages. . . . Take me away to the secret place. . . .”  From here, she transitioned into the next song, and I’ve actually found youtube videos of this same soloist performing this same number, but the videos come off a bit cheesy and tawdry and don’t really do her singing justice, so I’ve elected not to post them here.  If you’re curious, you can search for “Lakewood In Your Presence” and find the video, but again, the videos are a bit hokey by comparison to seeing it live.

At Your feet the highest place of worship

We humbly bow yet boldly enter in

Tears will flow for joy is overwhelming

Only in Your presence only

Undeserv'd yet welcomed at Your table

In this house yet all alone with You

I am free yet held within Your chamber

Only in Your presence only

In Your presence in Your presence

Oh most high our hearts cry to You

In Your presence

We cry Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy

Only in Your presence

Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy

Worthy, Worthy, Worthy, Worthy,

Mighty, Mighty, Mighty, Mighty.

There was another prayer expressing thanks for God’s presence there in the sanctuary, before we transitioned into the next song:

Worthy is the,
Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery

The soloist stopped at one point and seemed to be overcome with the emotion of the song.  There was a grand pause in the music before the request came for all of us to lift our hands as we continued to sing.  It was a remarkable experience, especially since I’m not really the type to lift my hands in worship.  Every hand was raised in that room as we finished the song, and Joel returned to the stage to lead us in prayer.  I recorded as much of the prayer as I could:  “What You have blessed, nothing can curse. . . . No good thing would You withhold. . . . You are bigger than anything we’re facing.  Amen.”  From here, Joel turned his attention toward us directly and brought words of pardon and reassurance: “There is no mistake that can’t be made up by God, but so many people hang onto their sins.  God’s forgiven them, but they can’t forgive themselves.”  Joel assured us that God brings forgiveness and wants what is best for us.  “God wants the best of our lives for the rest of our lives.”  He then referred us to the command in Hebrews to hold fast to the profession of faith, saying that we needed to magnify God, not our own problems.  Up to this point, I was pretty much in total agreement with all that Joel was saying, but then he added a somewhat iffy coda: God arranges everything in our favor.  I guess I was still in agreement with that, but I think I have a different definition of favor (more on that later).  Joel extended the offer for anyone to come up and pray during the next song.  He and several volunteers would be at the front as we sang.

Create in me a clean heart, a clean heart
for I have turned my face from You
Save us from our ways oh God, oh God
for we have turned away from You
Lord have mercy

We will run to you, we will run to you
Turning from our sin we return to You
Father heal your world, make all things new
make all things new

Your love and mercy build and shape us
Break down and recreate us now
Lord have mercy

Oh, bring us back to You . . .

From where we were sitting, we could see Joel’s face as he embraced one of the men who had come up for prayer.  Joel had his eyes clenched tight and was whispering into the man’s ear what looked to be words of great comfort; it seemed like they both might be on the verge of tears.  Victoria was praying with another worshiper just a few feet away, and a slew of other volunteers had come up to assist in getting through the long line of people seeking prayer.  The line closest to our seats must have had forty or more people in it, as it stretched all the way back to the next block of seating.  At one point, an usher had to tell a group toward the back that they would not get to them in time, so they would need to go to another team of prayer volunteers waiting near the sanctuary exits.  After the time of prayer drew to a close, the singers returned to the stage and led us in a fast-paced, celebratory chorus that featured a lot of triumphant raising of fists and bouncing in place with excitement.  Joel in particular was smiling big and clapping along with the music.

What does it mean to be saved?
Isn't it more than just a prayer to pray?
More than just a way to heaven?
What does it mean to be His?
To be formed in his likeness?
Know that we have a purpose.

To be salt and light in the world,
in the world.
To be salt and light in the world.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, say so, say so!

Oh that the church would arise.
So that we would see with Jesus' eyes.
We could show the world heaven.
Show what it means to be His.
To be formed in his likeness.
Show them they have a purpose.

I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed

It was impossible not to be swept away in this song.  Even though people had been talking here and there, the time of prayer had been an intense buildup for everyone present, and this song was a massive release of all that pent-up energy.  As we sang, a few strange words appeared on the screen: “Tokens A29, C552, K43.”  Sanetta and Ben were both strangers to this sort of thing, so after the service, I relayed the information I had picked up on my visit to Mars Hill-- that these were numbers given to parents with children in the nursery so that they could be alerted if there was any sort of problem.  Sure, there had been a few theologically questionable comments, but up until this point, Lakewood was a great worship experience for all of us.  All three of us were feeling a very spiritual and enthusiastic vibe, and I was blown away by the musicians’ ability to worship and perform without either action ever detracting from the other.  It was amazing to behold and amazing to be a part of it.  Still, this is where things started to get kind of weird.

Things Get Kind of Weird

Following the song, Victoria returned to the stage amid quiet piano music to give a short devotional, encouraging us to “release ourselves to the Father.”  She explained that we often struggle with trying to be good enough, and she provided an example from her own life.  Not too long ago, she and Joel and their kids had been running through the airport with carry-on bags in hand in a desperate attempt to make it to their connecting flight, and airports tend to stress Victoria out even when there’s not a plane to be reached within the next few minutes.  They arrived at the gate just in time, only to find out that the flight had been delayed anyway, so they had nothing to do but sit down and breathe a sigh of relief.  In that moment, a passage of Scripture floated into Victoria’s mind, the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28: “Come unto me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.”  We all need to take a break and exhale from time to time, and Christ came to give us a refreshed life.  After all, God knew that we would face struggles in this life, but Jesus says to come with our burdens, and then He doesn’t judge us for the loads we carry.  We try so hard to be perfect, but we define perfection on our own terms and try to make it happen in our own timeframe, and God doesn’t work like that.  God is beyond time.  There’s no clock in Heaven.  God works with us no matter how long it takes, so we need to let ourselves be at peace as God works on us.  After all, “a mind at peace brings peace to the whole body.”  God has all the time in the world, so we should use this time of worship to take a breather and let God do the work.  (Okay, yeah, still pretty much on board with all this.  Pretty good stuff.)

Dr. Paul Osteen (right)

Victoria then introduced Dr. Paul Osteen, Joel’s brother who had just returned from a 10-day medical mission trip to Africa (specifically Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria close to the Ugandan border).  Paul explained that there was almost no medical care in this area and rejoiced that they were able to provide basic care to so many people.  Okay, so far so good.  He was also proud that they had evangelized to so many, and, as he said this, an image appeared on the screen behind Paul that made my blood boil.  I have scoured the internet looking for this image so that I wouldn’t have to describe it, but it looks like I’m stuck.  The photo featured a white missionary (possibly Paul himself, but I can’t recall) next to a very traditional-looking “native” who was smiling and holding up a small book.  Alright, already kind of offensive because of the whole “poverty pornography” angle, but it gets so much worse.  Check out what Lakewood hands out on mission trips:

Ben and Sanetta and I were all three stunned.  No Bibles or individual gospels?  Just Joel Osteen booklets?  Wow, that just doesn’t sit right with me.  Paul went on to explain that Lakewood tithes had paid for the trip and for the supplies, and since they were about to pass the buckets for the offering, a slide appeared on screen telling us how to write checks to the church (which needed to include a special member number for filing purposes-- after all, a big church means a lot of filing).  Paul reminded us that, according to the words of Malachi and Deuteronomy, tithes belong to God, and if we obey that commandment, we can expect a blessing in return.  God already has a blessing set aside for us; we simply need to activate it and put it in motion with our dedication.  As the plastic buckets bearing the Lakewood logo were passed, the black female soloist began singing with a voice that reverberated all over the worship space.  Ben cited the song as the highlight of the evening for him, but I was distracted at this point.

I was still reeling from the fact that they hand out Joel Osteen books instead of Bibles on mission trips.  I mean, according to 2002 census data, Uganda is like 84% Christian, so it’s not like Bibles are banned over there or something.  It’s not like the church had to bring Joel Osteen books because more obvious Christian texts would’ve been seized by a draconian government.  Now that would’ve made me sympathetic, but not this.  You can’t even really argue that Joel’s books are cheaper to produce than Bibles because there are plenty of charitable organizations out there that certainly would’ve supplied Bibles for a trip like this at a price that Lakewood could’ve easily afforded.  Giving out Joel Osteen books instead of the Bible is just . . . is just . . . well, I’m still finding the exact words for just how bizarre it is.  I just don’t even know how to respond.  To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of Christian missions is how other cultures are permitted to interpret the Bible for themselves and then bring such fascinating new theological concepts to the table as a result-- liberation theology, Ubuntu, etc.  As Christians, we’re supposed to spread the message of Christ around the world, and then other nations embrace and embody that message in different ways.  That’s one of the many beautiful implications of being a universal body with a diverse array of parts.  On the other hand, I’m scared that Lakewood might just be spreading Joel around the world, and that’s just inappropriate.  I like Joel Osteen, but he’s no substitute for Jesus, and even though I’m actually a little ambivalent on coupling medical missions and evangelism in the first place, I really wish that the people of Mfangano Island had gotten access to a Bible that they could read and interpret for themselves rather than a book of Joel’s Scripture-based musings.  Other things would get under my skin in that service, but the image of a Mfangano Islander holding up a Joel Osteen book is permanently seared in my brain and will continue to bother me.  Props to Paul Osteen for the medical side of things, but that’s some pretty shady evangelism.

I snapped back to reality.  Ben was right; the soloist did have a beautiful voice, and the choir were now singing along enthusiastically behind her:

I know that you don't feel your best
Hold on, Be strong,
God's not forgotten you

Broken dreams got you feeling blue
Hold on, be strong
God's looking out for you

Just remember at the end of the day
The favor of God can open the way
God's favor, is more precious than life
(God's favor, more precious, than life, to me)

I know that you don't feel up to the fight
Hold on, be strong
The battle is not up to you

Oh I hear you say, it just ain't no way
Hold on, be strong
God's got the final say

Just remember in the midst of your down
The favor of God can turn things around
God's favor more precious than life
(God's favor, more precious, than life, to me)

So what if doors are closed
God's favor can bring high places down
I know that you've been faithful
And when God gets ready to bless you
There is nothing no man can do
God's favor, more precious than life

The camera crane provided a few wide, sweeping angles as the soloist sang the last lines, and there was a little bit of transition music as the performers left the stage and a stagehand brought out Joel’s pulpit, an elegant wooden structure with sloping legs and the Lakewood crest right in the middle.  Joel would seldom stand behind it and walked around on either side of it for most of the sermon (giving his message that much more of a personal and folksy vibe-- he was always talking with us, not at us), but the pulpit was a good resting place for notes, water, and other essentials.