Become
a Better You was Joel Osteen’s follow-up to his first book, Your
Best Life Now.
Osteen even presents the book as a continuation of the theme and purpose of its
predecessor.
Each chapter is a
topical sermon on reaching your potential in some
aspect of life. The aspects are personal growth, positive self-image, relationships, habits, faith and passion.
I have previously
criticized Osteen for taking self-help advice and wrapping it up in religion. I see Norman Vincent Peale and Robert H. Schuller in much the same light. A defense all
of these pastors might raise is that they are focusing on practical matters of
living well. A head full of religious knowledge that doesn’t change your life
for the better is doing no good; it’s not the life Christians are called to.
I agree. I also see in Jesus and the apostles teachers who could both delve deep into the scripture and provide very practical
instruction based on it. Religious meditation and working to make the world a
better place—even if little seems to come of it—go hand-in-hand in
Christianity.
In one area Osteen has a
strong foundation: relationships. It is clear from the Bible that God
cares very much about how we relate to and treat each other. Osteen’s use of
scriptures are apropos in these chapters. The sermons hold up when read with a Bible in the other hand; something that is
weaker in the other chapters.
Joel Osteen also wrote
If you’re interested in
this book, you may also be interested in
The Magic Power of Self-Image Psychology by Maxwell Malts
Osteen, Joel. Become a Better You: Seven Keys to Improving
Your Life Every Day. New York: Free Press, 2007.
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