Joel Osteen preaching the Gospel in Seattle. Preacher gets $336 per seat in the Key Arena. No free section for poor people. You have to be affluent (maybe even white) to hear Joel's Gospel.

Preachers rise up and are replaced with other preachers. The one common thread is that they take millions of dollars from the audience. http://current.com/http://bit.ly/w0Bf0M

We were clear. I am sorry. I forgot that we were dealing with corporate God crooks. How ya doin warrior?

"...and what falls on the ground, He wants me to keep!" That is priceless! I LMAO! Thanks!

I will say this... from time to time I would stumble on Joel's sermons and would find them inspiring for as long as I could take it. But since I found out that he is anti gay and he charges money for his sermons, I can not accept that he is "america's preacher". I will tell you right now, he is NOT my preacher. Thanks for the info Zampano!

Ughh. I went to that website of the seven mountains and it made me ill. I think that Christians need to to stop trying to change the government to "christian values". what the heck are those anyway? I felt icky and left the site quickly.

Alright. I will try again. But not immediately. I need some time to have a little break from this madness. I will look at it though.

I like your Mom.

This event is for the saved...not the unsaved. Thus, you are right... they should pay for it. But I would hate to be the money-changer who turned away the poor and penniless. Home churches will usually fund such outreaches. That is why a true evangelist will remove all hindrances to getting the unsaved population to the big event. Selling the gospel seems like a bad idea to me.

Joel said that homosexuality is not God's best plan. My friends are born the way they are. So now I have to tell them that they are NOT in God's best plan? Joel Osteen doesn't know the Bible.

Well I'm not going to sit here and debate if homosexuality is a learned behavior propagated by a relentless media campaign or it is indeed genetic as you claim.

The way I see it is that the truth about homosexuality is probably somewhere in the middle of those points and I am entiled to my opinon, just as both you and Olsteen are.

All I saying is to just attack Joel Olsteen on valid points such as being a blatant hypocrite.

You risk losing credibility to serious readers when you try and make him out to be a racist homophobe with no evidence, which I've shown that he appears to be neither.

In your other posts, you seem to be in agreement that Osteen is another mega fraudulent money grubbing preacher. You say that your uncle is in that camp. So why are you nit-picking at little details in this story? We seem to be in agreement generally. Yet, you have these criticisms that I am failing to understand. Do we agree or not?

It's because I am a stickler for details and I cannot help it. Sorry...

The facts just don't support Olsteen being a homophobe when he is going around praising Houston's gay mayor. It's just slightly dishonest to portray him this way, or porhaps you didn't know that he was a supporter of Annise Parker.

That would be an example of hypocrisy. If you say that gays are not God's best plan, then, you show up at a media covered celebrity blitz, praising the token gay mayor, then that makes him a hypocritical media whore.

I polled my gay friends and ALL of them feel that they are exactly in God's Plan as God's best; not as God's "lessor" work.

So, Osteen can speak out of both sides of his mouth, but, to the gay person, he is not gay friendly. FYI, do you or have you ever attended Joel's church?

http://blog.chron.com/believeitornot/2011/01/houston-glbt-community-elton-john-d...

No I don't go to Lakewood, I'm simply stating the facts. He's not a homophobe; he welcomes the gay community to his church ($$$) and he even admited to such in an interview.

Your post protrays him to be another Fred Phelps or something which is pretty funny if you know anything about Joel Olsteen. He's a fraud sure, but he's nowhere near being Fred Phelps, or even a Pat Robertson. Olsteen is as liberal as they come, which is why I find it ironic that the anti-racist, reationary left attacks him so viciously. You'd think that they would accept Olsteen as an ally, but it's apparent that these reactionaries simply despise Christians more than they welcome tolerance from Christians.

You and your gay friends will be happy to know that if you seriously wanted to go to Lakewood and see Olsteen in person, you would be more than welcome and you won't even have to pay.

Well, thanks for sharing your ideas here. Give my best to Joel and Victoria. They may not be homopobes to you, but telling that to those who are "not God's best plan" is not a good idea. Shout out to the brothers at Lakewood. Do you have access to free tickets that you could send? That would be awesome.

One last thought for you Maasanova. You are DEFENDING the right of preachers to SELL the free gospel of Jesus Christ. So, please take that tidbit back with you when you give your report to the Osteen's on your internet findings.

One last thought for you Maasanova. You are DEFENDING the right of preachers to SELL the free gospel of Jesus Christ. So, please take that tidbit back with you when you give your report to the Osteen's on your internet findings.

maasanova is not being straight forward. Something afoot there.

Please make a distinction between homophobe(fear of Homosexuals) and Anti-Gay (against Homosexuals). Because Most preachers don't like to come off as hateful they will present themselves with the statement "love the sinner, hate the sin" which on the surface says we love you but we hate what you do as if it is a choice. Because it isn't a choice what they are really saying is in order for us to love you, you either have to have sex the way we want you to or else not have sex at all. Please apply that standard to your sex life looking at it in reverse and determine just how easy that would be.

Maybe I just don't get it. I don't understand why homosexuals would need to feel loved from Christians, and especially be loved by Christian pastors.

Homosexuals in general, especially homosexuals in the media are certainly showing no love towards Christians. In fact, many homosexuals are downright hostile towards Christians, even when Christians like Joel Olsteen offerrs an olive branch more or less and appears to show some support for the lesbian mayor of Houston.

most of us don't need to be loved by Christians. I don't get why of all the things that the Christian God dictates as sin, Homosexuality is on the forefront. Where are the statements about Fornicators, or alduterers, thieves, Liars etc. I'll tell you why, because most if not all Chirstians including Preachers have, and still do commit those so called sins, however, if a big spectacle was made about these and others most churches would lose the majority of their membership and the money that comes along with it. Homosexuals do not need heterosexuals acceptance but we will not tolerate the demeaning attitude that Christians have regarding us. As for Offering an Olive Branch, when Joel Olsteen gets up on tv in front of his million member church and admonishes his fellow preachers regarding their views about homosexuality, then I will accept an Olive branch offered, until then he has taken no risk or stand regarding the issue in our favor.

Yes, he is allowed to charge whatever he wants. I am simply reminded of the story in which Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. He told them not to worry about money or food. To freely preach the gospel.

Ya know, dinm76, I too say things from time to time that I am sure God will get me for. So, I bought me some "LIGHTNING INSURANCE" and now I am good to go!

AMEN and amen. I couldn't have said it better. Thank you.

That *is* creepy and scary.

True true true. Churches are so far gone from the spirit of the gospel. It is no wonder Jesus is referred to as the magical man, the invisible man in the sky, the man who gives you cars and money.

Milieu, that is the same scripture that came to my mind. How do the mega preachers rationalize past this detail?

best part of the whole book , in my opinion .

The seven mountains showed business as the second layer beneath God. Money is next to godliness in their book.

i tried to read the interview. I couldn't get past the "private plane" before I quit reading. I tried! Sorry..

They simply don't see themselves as money changers. It must be the beam in their eye that he spoke of. The scripture I remember is that "freely you have received and freely you shall give", in reference to spreading Christ's teachings. However, like Massanova points out, when you have a traveling show with bands and stadiums and all that goes with it to move the enterage around, it costs LOTS of money. So is he to just go door to door bugging people like Mormons and Johovahs Witnesses? No, because Jesus specificaly told his disciples that was forbidden to them also. Perhaps the correct path is simply to walk the walk and actualy practice the golden rule like he instructed his followers to do and if anyone is curious as to WHY you act that way, then tell them. Naaaah, how can you rake money in hand over fist doing THAT? Silly me. Quick someone with tech savy que up Niel Diamonds song about "brothers' traveling salvation show"

That attitude is basically my view on religion and God as well. Be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you. I am not against big tent revivals. I am wary of preachers that charge money to hear the "word" of God. Thanks Freehit. You hit it on the head. And your advice was free. Hmmm. I will call you FreeHit from now on! lol

"Love of money is the root of all Evil"

They are Evil.

QED

Is there a "This way to Egress" sign inside?

Barnum would have loved it.

I am sure Osteen would put a sign up for those with no money "This way out" sinners!

He doesn't have a cute face at all - he has a weak chin and is quite ugly. He does have a good set of very expensive artificial teeth, though.

Got that right!

I have seen this guy on TV...like a deer caught in headlights, I was momentarily mesmerized...his message is even scarier than his face.

I know...I thought he had an odd mouth too

The teeth more than likely are optically coated to reflect, rather than absorb, most of the light that falls on them.

That comment is so subtle, you almost miss the humor! hahhaaha! love it!

I know its wrong to judge people based on their looks but my god honey, a to the men. Man is just plain fugly. Really, that's just what happens when you hate on the gays. there is no one there to demand that you get some invisilines, and do something with that god awful hair.

That's the British side of my upbringing expressing itself. My grandfather used to weave subtle satire into casual conversation and if you did not pay attention, you did not notice. It is a skill I sought to emulate, although I could not pull it off as well as he could. I do remember one thing he used to say that is etched on my brain. "The world is a mind numbingly stupid place."

I have often said that if I were evil, I would form a christian church and RAKE IN THE MONEY.