I'm not real familiar with either but have heard Joel on TV a few times.
What is disturbing is the lack of understanding about how the Body works. It isn't about what our flesh likes. If you are going by what your flesh likes to hear by style, then you aren't getting all you can from God's ministers who are there to equip the saints.
Joel doesn't preach. That's ok, he's not anointed to. Not everyone in the Body, even ministers, need to preach. The anointing to preach is different to the anointing to teach. When someone is anointed to teach, they expound on the Scripture in a manner to explain things to the audience. When someone preaches, they are proclaiming faith in the Word to get in your spirit, as faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But how can they hear unless someone preach - and how can someone preach unless he is sent?
Even within teaching and preaching, which are too different functions to equip the saints, (or preaching evangelistic messages are for the lost), there are many different styles that different anointed men of God can have.
Thank God for all the different styles, because as immature as many believers are today, if they don't hear it like they want it to come across their soft ears, they won't listen. God is merciful to give the different styles so such people can have someone to listen to that will tell them the truth of the Word of God and they'll receive it.
If you don't receive truth coming out of someone's mouth over style, I tell you truly, you have a lot of spiritual growth to go through. That is not a put down - we all start as babes. And we all have to grow up. If we don't like hearing that, well...pride. Repent.
I don't like Joel's style necessarily, and I don't like the patty cake around messages that never confront, as the flesh does need to be confronted and we do need to take up our crosses and die to self a little more daily. But, I haven't heard lies come out of his mouth either. Therefore, I'm not going to disregard the truth of the Word that he speaks, because he talks softly and doesn't ever preach. Many I know including myself do both - depending on the anointing that comes on us at the time. Sometimes I preach, sometimes I teach, and at different times doing those, my delivery may be different.
The key is letting the Spirit move us, rather than doing what we like and are comfortable with in the flesh. I personal like any speaking, loud and preachy, or soft and teaching, that is anointed to aid my life in Messiah. The only speaking from ministers I don't like is that which is dry and has no Holy Ghost anointing on it. That is just a waste of time.
Comparing ministers isn't a good idea either. It becomes "I follow Apollos," and "Oh yeah, well I follow Paul! nah!" things, which Paul rebukes in the Scripture. We aren't to be following men other than as they follow Messiah. We have one Shepherd, one chief Apostle, one High Priest of our faith.
One thing I won't do is get my tongue on his anointed ministers, something God hates. I'm not going to speak against any of the gifts in the Body. I don't have to like all styles, but I sure better guard my tongue when I get to speaking against others. I'm not even to speak against my enemies. I'm to love them, bless them, and pray FOR them.
One of the great sins in the Body is that of the tongue.
