Anonymous wrote:I think that if you don’t like Joel Osteen, you shouldn’t listen to or watch him. A lot of people do like him and it is the height of arrogance to adjudge them all stupid, misled or ignorant simply because of that. One of the things he repeats in every broadcast is that people should find a local church home for their foundational religious activity and come to/support his ministry only secondarily. According to various articles, his own money comes from books and appearance fees and he donates a not inconsequential amount back to the ministry in sort of a reverse salary arrangement. Information on charitable giving is harder to find but it appears that the ministry does support charitable causes to at least some extent. Giving him the benefit of the doubt it is entirely possible that he and the ministry are doing more than us public, following the biblical admonition to not let one’s right hand know what the left hand is doing with regard to charity.

The prosperity gospel is open to valid criticism that it overemphasizes God’s provision over other aspects of religious observance. At the same time, a person like Mr. Osteen, with his infallibly positive and uplifting message and personal enthusiasm can be a source of badly needed hope to someone at the end of their rope and ready to give up.

I don’t watch him often, but I find it uplifting when I do. His critics appear to be motivated at least as much by envy of his success and popularity as by any legitimate concern for people who like him. Unlike some other popular preachers, he has not (at least so far) been caught up in any personal moral scandal, nor has he been caught using audience information cards and concealed transmitter equipment to appear to be able to prophesy.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, a lot of angry and nasty posts here. Verily, if you watched Osteen or read any of his books, at least you'd be in a gentler mood, i.e., improved as a person. Is he right about every single thing? Only God knows. But I'd rather read his work and practice gratitude and kindness than read people's verbal diarrhea and feel anger.

As the Bible says, judge a tree by its fruit.

He may be kind, but he’s not a Bibically based pastor.

He makes millions off of his followers. He takes their money and makes them feel good.

Can you prove that with Bible verses?

He graduated from Humble High School, a public high school in the city of Humble, Texas, in 1981,[4] and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television communications but did not graduate; he did not receive a degree from a divinity school.[5][6]

The Osteen family attended Easter breakfast hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2010.[16]

Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004, and reached the number 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list.[27]

He released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, in October 2007. It also topped The New York Times Best Seller list[28] and had a first printing of three million copies.[29] Osteen has said that the book focuses more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life.[30]

Osteen lives with his family in a 17,000 square-foot mansion in River Oaks, with an estimated value of $10.5 million.[32] Osteen says that as senior pastor, he draws no salary from the church, which has an annual budget of $70 million,[33] and that he instead relies on income from book sales.[34]

Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promoting prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians.[35][41][43][44][45][46]

On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's message is heresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.[47]

Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collections.[48]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Osteen

And he never donates a dime..... Surprised ..... who would be only idiots

I don’t think Osteen is great, but calling people who listen to him “stupid” (as a prior poster did) or “idiots” (as you do) is cruel and wrong. They are people searching for support and love in the world. People like you have nothing to offer but anger and name calling and bitter derision. I think people like you are worse than Osteen.

The big difference here. I didn't make my millions off of people who are desperate and scared and hurt and dumb. Yeah, big difference. Osteen offers nothing but grifting. When has he ever offered a hand? Have you ever seen him help the community? Mattress Mack, now there is a guy people should support. Osteen preys on the weak then steals from them in the worst possible way. There is nothing redeeming about him at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, a lot of angry and nasty posts here. Verily, if you watched Osteen or read any of his books, at least you'd be in a gentler mood, i.e., improved as a person. Is he right about every single thing? Only God knows. But I'd rather read his work and practice gratitude and kindness than read people's verbal diarrhea and feel anger.

As the Bible says, judge a tree by its fruit.

He may be kind, but he’s not a Bibically based pastor.

He makes millions off of his followers. He takes their money and makes them feel good.

Can you prove that with Bible verses?

He graduated from Humble High School, a public high school in the city of Humble, Texas, in 1981,[4] and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television communications but did not graduate; he did not receive a degree from a divinity school.[5][6]

The Osteen family attended Easter breakfast hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2010.[16]

Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004, and reached the number 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list.[27]

He released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, in October 2007. It also topped The New York Times Best Seller list[28] and had a first printing of three million copies.[29] Osteen has said that the book focuses more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life.[30]

Osteen lives with his family in a 17,000 square-foot mansion in River Oaks, with an estimated value of $10.5 million.[32] Osteen says that as senior pastor, he draws no salary from the church, which has an annual budget of $70 million,[33] and that he instead relies on income from book sales.[34]

Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promoting prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians.[35][41][43][44][45][46]

On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's message is heresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.[47]

Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collections.[48]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Osteen

And he never donates a dime..... Surprised ..... who would be only idiots

I don’t think Osteen is great, but calling people who listen to him “stupid” (as a prior poster did) or “idiots” (as you do) is cruel and wrong. They are people searching for support and love in the world. People like you have nothing to offer but anger and name calling and bitter derision. I think people like you are worse than Osteen.

Anonymous wrote:He’s more like a motivational speaker.

Anonymous wrote:A troll thread, explained by me:

op: Is Joel Osteen bad man? Y tho? I fink he gud!

Everyone: He sucks.

op: Prosperity Gospel? Wat dat? Explain?

Everyone: It sucks.

Catholic hating, religion hating troll: ALL PRIESTS AND PASTORS RAPE KIDS! 750,000 kids per day are raped by priests!! (no link given to any reputable statistics)

op: disappears


(I’ve ignored the troll lol’ing at child sex abuse on the thread. They seriously need professional help.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, a lot of angry and nasty posts here. Verily, if you watched Osteen or read any of his books, at least you'd be in a gentler mood, i.e., improved as a person. Is he right about every single thing? Only God knows. But I'd rather read his work and practice gratitude and kindness than read people's verbal diarrhea and feel anger.

As the Bible says, judge a tree by its fruit.

He may be kind, but he’s not a Bibically based pastor.

He makes millions off of his followers. He takes their money and makes them feel good.

Can you prove that with Bible verses?

He graduated from Humble High School, a public high school in the city of Humble, Texas, in 1981,[4] and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television communications but did not graduate; he did not receive a degree from a divinity school.[5][6]

The Osteen family attended Easter breakfast hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2010.[16]

Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004, and reached the number 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list.[27]

He released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, in October 2007. It also topped The New York Times Best Seller list[28] and had a first printing of three million copies.[29] Osteen has said that the book focuses more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life.[30]

Osteen lives with his family in a 17,000 square-foot mansion in River Oaks, with an estimated value of $10.5 million.[32] Osteen says that as senior pastor, he draws no salary from the church, which has an annual budget of $70 million,[33] and that he instead relies on income from book sales.[34]

Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promoting prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians.[35][41][43][44][45][46]

On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's message is heresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.[47]

Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collections.[48]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Osteen

And he never donates a dime..... Surprised ..... who would be only idiots

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, a lot of angry and nasty posts here. Verily, if you watched Osteen or read any of his books, at least you'd be in a gentler mood, i.e., improved as a person. Is he right about every single thing? Only God knows. But I'd rather read his work and practice gratitude and kindness than read people's verbal diarrhea and feel anger.

As the Bible says, judge a tree by its fruit.

He may be kind, but he’s not a Bibically based pastor.

He makes millions off of his followers. He takes their money and makes them feel good.

Can you prove that with Bible verses?

He graduated from Humble High School, a public high school in the city of Humble, Texas, in 1981,[4] and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television communications but did not graduate; he did not receive a degree from a divinity school.[5][6]

The Osteen family attended Easter breakfast hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2010.[16]

Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004, and reached the number 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list.[27]

He released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, in October 2007. It also topped The New York Times Best Seller list[28] and had a first printing of three million copies.[29] Osteen has said that the book focuses more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life.[30]

Osteen lives with his family in a 17,000 square-foot mansion in River Oaks, with an estimated value of $10.5 million.[32] Osteen says that as senior pastor, he draws no salary from the church, which has an annual budget of $70 million,[33] and that he instead relies on income from book sales.[34]

Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promoting prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians.[35][41][43][44][45][46]

On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's message is heresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.[47]

Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collections.[48]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Osteen

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh, a lot of angry and nasty posts here. Verily, if you watched Osteen or read any of his books, at least you'd be in a gentler mood, i.e., improved as a person. Is he right about every single thing? Only God knows. But I'd rather read his work and practice gratitude and kindness than read people's verbal diarrhea and feel anger.

As the Bible says, judge a tree by its fruit.

He may be kind, but he’s not a Bibically based pastor.

He makes millions off of his followers. He takes their money and makes them feel good.

Can you prove that with Bible verses?

He graduated from Humble High School, a public high school in the city of Humble, Texas, in 1981,[4] and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television communications but did not graduate; he did not receive a degree from a divinity school.[5][6]

The Osteen family attended Easter breakfast hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House in 2010.[16]

Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004, and reached the number 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list.[27]

He released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, in October 2007. It also topped The New York Times Best Seller list[28] and had a first printing of three million copies.[29] Osteen has said that the book focuses more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life.[30]

Osteen lives with his family in a 17,000 square-foot mansion in River Oaks, with an estimated value of $10.5 million.[32] Osteen says that as senior pastor, he draws no salary from the church, which has an annual budget of $70 million,[33] and that he instead relies on income from book sales.[34]

Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promoting prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians.[35][41][43][44][45][46]

On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's message is heresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.[47]

Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collections.[48]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Osteen