Yeah: Is there anything unsavory about Osteen or his church aside from its being really, really big (and from the antipathy some people around here have toward religion in general)?
There’s never been any suggestion of any unsavory behavior. They’re less controversial than most churches. Mostly feel good stuff. Joel Osteen goes out of his way not to offend people. They even dropped the “Baptist” appellation to make themselves more innocuous.
I guess they’re a bit more commercial than most churches, but that’s just the American way. No prosperity gospel or anything like that.
Personally, I’d say the whole church was kind of tacky, rather than unsavory.
I suppose that’s a fair assessment, but let’s address one point you made…they dropped “Baptist” to make themselves more innocuous. They aren’t controversial, unless you’re like me and a little extra-disgusted at “prosperity gospel” teaching.
So you have a pastor who has watered down his message so as to not be offensive, spouts a philosophy that the more you give to the church the richer God will make you, and has himself a net worth of $40 million. Conclusion: he has built up a watered-down mega-ministry for the purpose of enriching himself.
So hey, maybe he’s not breaking the law, or even lying. No, he doesn’t stoop to the level of the big mega-fraudsters.
But the whole thing is entirely off-putting.
Final line of his post was accurate enough…I do NOT agree that Osteen’s schtick isn’t prosperity gospel.
One note on the theft. The stolen items were cash and checks, not credit card or debit receipts. Your guess is as good as mine what percentage of their weekly receipts constitute CC or debit, but I would not be surprised if members of the congregation could set up an automatic weekly tithe from their accounts. Or that the church had card readers to allow visitors to make their offerings via CC.
In short, 600k is probably well below what Lakewood normally takes in a week.
And think of the super entertainment you get for a measly $15! Fire, brimstone, eternal damnation threats, and maybe some rockin’ gospel!
Not really. As others have noted, Osteen tends to emphasize the positive aspects of religion. He’s more “Let’s all appreciate the wonders of God’s creation” rather than “You’re going to burn in Hell if you don’t change your ways.”
As an example of what I said in my previous post, here are Joel Osteen’s ten most recent tweets:
*There are already enough things pushing people down. Make it your business to lift people up.
If people are criticizing you, trying to make you look bad, it’s because you’re out in front, making a difference.
Make a choice to live each day happy. You’ll be stronger, you’ll have better relationships, and you’ll accomplish more.
Trust is saying, “God I’m not going to let this upset me. I can’t make it work out my way, but I know you’re in control.”
Don’t lose faith. Sometimes what looks like a disappointment is simply meant to get you in position for greatness.
You’ll never change what you tolerate. Be determined you are not going to live life defeated, addicted, angry or insecure.
You may have had negative baggage passed down to you. But you can put an end to it. Turn off the negative genes.
God has all kinds of ways to bring your dreams to pass. Get your hopes up. Expect His favor!
Don’t sit on the sidelines of life. Be the best you can be right where you are.
No matter where you’re headed, what your dreams are or how many obstacles you face, believe that you are closer than you think!*
Shouldn’t those be captions of cat posters?
Since Osteen is a Prosperity Gospel preacher, does this mean God doesn’t love him as much as He did before the theft?
Prosperity Gospel emphasizes a “giving to get” mentality that I don’t think he does. What he does is closer to a Christian version of motivational speaking. It’s “feel good” Christianity. Good things happen to you because you are a Christian and have “God’s favor.”
The difference is small, but I do think it is significant. The former is actual exploitation, as it’s about getting your money. The other is just doctrinally questionable.
Unsavory in that it is snake oil sales. Old man John Osteen started Lakewood Church back in the late 50s or early 60s and grew it up to be a sizable moneymaker. When he kicked the bucket in 1999, Joel stepped up as the head huxter and grew the church by leaps and bounds.
We’ve had to put up with the Osteens for decades here in Houston. They are like toenail fungus - they just won’t go away.
He lives in a $10 million mansion and has a personal net worth of $40 million, which suggests he may not be all that pious. Something about it being tricky for rich men to get into heaven and poking camels with needles, I think.
Googling “Osteen prosperity gospel” turn up LOTS of hits. This is also a good article: The False Promise Of The Prosperity Gospel: Why I Called Out Joel Osteen And Joyce Meyer | HuffPost Religion
That is absolutely insane! I had no clue. Very disturbing.
Again, unreal. When are sane people going to rise up and smash this kinda shit? (Honestly, no offense meant for believers, but really.)
Ok as an atheist who has very little use for any religion, I have to say that Osteen is about as much of a threat as a sappy motivational poster “Teamwork: You don’t have to do it alone!”
Yeah the guy is a millionaire who lives opulently and people continue to donate to him. He’s a motivational speaker who rarely even talks about Christ or Christian values anymore. He does genuinely give pretty good advice, even if it is insipid and uninspired.
But come on. Smash it? Why do people let it happen? Get off it. There are real, dangerous religions in this world and Osteen is actually probably a net positive in the world even if he is a hypocrite and lives opulently.
Basically, he believes in the teaching that he’s rich because he IS pious. God rewards you by making you wealthy. (Yeah, quite convenient, isn’t it?)
nm
Still seems to be a circus - 4 shows each weekend (bolding mine).
dedicated pastafarian here:D