Multi-millionaire megachurch pastor Joel Osteen has been a controversial figure for a really, really long time. And for good reason. Osteen preaches what many believers refer to as the “prosperity gospel,” which says that God wants all of His people to be healthy and wealthy, completely twisting the message away from eternal salvation and Jesus death on the cross to appease the wrath of God. Early last year, Osteen was the subject of a controversy on the internet after posting something rather tasteless on Twitter.
He’s been shredded numerous times for his hypocrisy as he makes a fortune off the gospel, earning millions of dollars in revenue, while owning two palatial estates in Texas that are worth, respectively, $10.5 million and $2.9 million. The bigger of the two homes has a pool, pool house, and three, yes three, elevators.
Osteen declared in a tweet that It’s the simple things in life that bring us the most joy.‘ He also said that ‘and that those who ‘may not have a lot of resources‘ are ‘blessed‘ as long as they have their health. If you’re able to ‘look at the stars at night‘, you’re blessed. The internet was quick to pounce on his hypocrisy. Many commenters drew attention to his massive wealth.
One user wisecracked, “If you can look up at those stars from the balcony of your mansion, you’re Joel Osteen.” Another then asked, “‘How anyone could send a dime to this morally bankrupt conman is beyond comprehension.” Others went on to provide quotes of Osteen’s own words saying things like ‘“You may not have a lot of resources..” multiple mansions, a yacht, and sports cars were all purchased off the backs of the suckers he’s referring to.”
Others responded by drawing attention to how Osteen’s church made headlines a few years ago refusing to open its doors to victims during Hurricane Harvey. Eventually, after being mercilessly mocked, the preacher recanted and opened the facility that had a capacity of 16,000 people. One commenter said that they “Saw Joel Osteen trending and thought he had locked his church doors during a hurricane again.”
Another user, who clearly has a doctorate in the art of sarcasm, noted that “Joel Osteen, worth $100 million, living in multiple mansions, and owning multiple yachts wants you to know that money won’t bring you joy.” The same individual added, “But he still wants you to send him all of the money you can.“
While we can’t confirm that Osteen has bought himself a yacht or two, he’s made some rather suspicious comments that might lead one to think he has.
“If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven as healthy and wealthy as I am, name and claim yourself a yacht today! You need to buy your own because there’s only room enough for me in there. If you can’t afford it, don’t worry too much. Just focus on what you do have!” the pastor once said.
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“Osteen has been in the public eye since he took over the Lakewood Church in 1999 when his father, the founder, passed away. The church found itself in hot water when it was revealed that it had received $4.4 million in PPP loans,” The Christian Tribune reported.
The gospel is not about being healthy and wealthy. It’s about the glory of God. It’s about saving miserable wretches — that’s every human alive by the way — from the wrath of God we deserve for committing cosmic treason by violating the law of the Lord. Christian living is a sacrifice. It is costly. There’s no guarantee of riches and fame. People like Osteen who are saying otherwise will have a lot to answer after they shrug off this mortal coil.