Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas has one of the
largest and fastest growing congregations in the country. Son of the late
Pentecostal preacher John Osteen, Lakewood has flourished under Joelís
tutelage and he has become the poster boy for the Apostles of Greed. Like
Robert Schuller, he preaches a positive confession gospel of health and wealth,
with one of his main themes being Discover the Champion in you.
Joel Osteen also believes that every Christian should expect to receive
preferential treatment, even when it comes to breaking the law. In his sermon
entitled Increasing in Favor, Pastor Osteen testifies that he has been pulled over
at least twice for speeding, but when the officer saw that his last name was
Osteen, no ticket was issued. He claims that this is proof that he has the favor of
the Lord. But in reality this too sounds like the kind of preferential treatment
politicians or someone in the Mafia receives. By his own admission, itís the name
of Osteen ñ not Christ ñ that earned him the favor.
ìÖas concerning this sect [the Christians], we know that every
where it is spoken against.î Acts 28:22b
Lakewood Church has grown so large that they need to move. Recently, they
signed a long-term lease to use the Compaq Center in Houston for the sum of
$12 million. This arena was the home for the Houston Rockets professional
basketball team, which regularly held concerts and other events. One of the
staples at sporting events throughout the country is the song We are the
Champions by the rock group Queen. This is also a song you will hear as the
services begin at Lakewood to emphasize Pastor Osteenís mantra of Discover
the Champion in you. Unfortunately for the lead singer of Queen Freddie
Mercury, he was not a champion. He was a homosexual that contracted AIDS
and died in 1991 at the age of 45.
According to the Lakewood Church webpage, the Compaq Center will require
$70 million in renovations. To help bring in the funds to make his dream come
true, Joel Osteen has initiated the sponsor a seat program, where for the mere
price of $2500 you too can be a part of the legacy of Lakewood by sponsoring a
pew.
Big money has always been a part of the showbiz gospel. The misuse of
millions of dollars was one of the things that brought down Jim and Tammy
Bakker in the ë80ís. After the fiasco of PTL, money raising became more
sophisticated and allegedly more upright.
ìHelping churches grow is a business in itself. There is even
a publicly traded company, Kingdom Ventures whose sole
mission is to help faith-based organizations get bigger. In its
latest 10Q, the company did disclose that it's received a
subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission
relating to its stock and transactions.î 17 (emphasis mine)