{"id":13796,"date":"2025-09-19T13:35:50","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=13796"},"modified":"2025-09-19T13:35:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:35:50","slug":"john-rich-declares-joel-osteen-will-never-preach-on-end-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2025\/09\/john-rich-declares-joel-osteen-will-never-preach-on-end-times.html","title":{"rendered":"John Rich Declares Joel Osteen will ‘never’ Preach on End Times"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Gage Skidmore \/ commons.wikimedia.org | Right: Justin Brackett \/ commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Country singer John Rich isn\u2019t one to keep his opinions to himself and he recently shared some harsh thoughts against popular pastor Joel Osteen. Rich was appearing on the \u201cShawn Ryan Show<\/a>\u201d where he discussed a bevy of topics, including P Diddy, his own start in country music and how the genre has moved more towards pop, and spiritual warfare. As the show wound down, Rich and Ryan then began a discussion on end times theology, also known as eschatology.<\/p>\n

Rich stressed how pastors owe it to their congregations to discuss end times, particularly the growing persecution that Christ followers will face in the end days. \u201cThe reason [preachers] stopped preaching that is because it\u2019s very uncomfortable for Christians to have to think about that. You mean I\u2019m going to have to go through that if I\u2019m still here based on what that says? Yeah, that\u2019s what it says. And then I\u2019ve heard some Christians say and even some preachers that have attacked me online have said, \u2018God wouldn\u2019t put make us go through something like that. God wouldn\u2019t do that to us,\u2019\u201d said Rich, noting the destruction and death that end times prophecy speaks about. He praised the Underground Church for its willingness to preach in nations where to follow Christ can mean death. \u201cThey are willing to worship God and be a Christian when it means they could die for doing it. And we don\u2019t have that problem in the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rich said it was \u201cignorant\u201d for preachers to ignore persecution in the end days. He then turned his attention specifically toward Osteen, comparing him to Billy Graham. \u201cJoel Osteen is never going to preach that,\u201d he said. \u201cJoel Osteen is never going to say anything that\u2019s going to make anybody uncomfortable ever on any level ever. He\u2019s never gonna say anything that would prick the heart or conscience of his congregation and then offer an altar call like Billy Graham did when he speaks the truth about what Jesus said,\u201d said Rich.<\/p>\n

Osteen has often faced criticism for his \u201cprosperity Gospel\u201d focus, as well as sanitized sermons. His books, Your Best Life Now<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Become a Better You <\/em>have earned him millions of dollars and thousands of avid fans drawn to his feel-good, claim God\u2019s blessings preaching. The popular Christian resource, Got Questions, also has some harsh words for Osteen. \u201cMore often than not, Osteen sounds like an inspirational life-coach, instead of a herald of the gospel. He often preaches about how people can improve their lives, be prosperous, and experience happiness. Noticeably absent in Osteen\u2019s optimistic message is any mention of sin or repentance. The atonement of Christ provides us with healing and the abundant life, according to Osteen, but apparently receiving forgiveness from a holy God is not necessary,\u201d the site noted<\/a>. It also accused Osteen of avoiding certain topics, such as addressing sin and the need for repentance. \u201cOsteen\u2019s message is sweet, attractive, and pretty. It comes with the million-dollar smile, a heaping helping of the feel-goods, and all of the motivation of the best self-help gurus. That message is also hollow, weak, and devoid of any real value,\u201d said Got Questions. \u201cThe most important parts of the gospel are left out, supposedly to broaden his ministry\u2019s appeal. Anyone depending on that message, without recognizing what\u2019s missing, is going to find himself spiritually hungry, frustrated, and in dire straits when a real disaster strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Country singer John Rich isn\u2019t one to keep his opinions to himself and he recently shared some harsh thoughts against popular pastor Joel Osteen. Rich was appearing on the \u201cShawn Ryan Show\u201d where he discussed a bevy of topics, including P Diddy, his own start in country music and how the genre has moved more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":13799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn Rich Declares Joel Osteen will 'never' Preach on End Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Country star John Rich blasts Joel Osteen, calling his sermons hollow and urging pastors to preach end times truth and real Gospel repentance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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