The pastors of mega churches are a different breed of people.  We’ve covered a number of them here on AHC Podcast, and the scandals discussed, and corresponding scores seem to shed some of the light on the true work of these “men of the pulpit”.  This episode is about perhaps the most famous of the predatory preachers, Joel Osteen.  With tycoon-type wealth and a following in the millions, it does seem that Osteen has brought good to a lot of people.  But have the private jets and suits worth 3 mortgage payments all come to him in good faith?  Is there more to this Tim Allen/Martin Short look-alike than we know?  We’ll dive into this and a whole lot more on this episode of AHC Podcast.

Intro Music Credit:

"Sappheiros - Embrace" is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0)

/ sappheiros 

Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: https://bit.ly/embrace-song

Citations:

Bowler, K. (2018, March 12). I’m a scholar of the “Prosperity Gospel.” it took cancer to show me I was in its grip. Vox. https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/3/12/17109306/prosperity-gospel-good-evil-cancer-fate-theology-theodicy

Bowler, K. (2021, October 27). Here’s why people hate Joel Osteen. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/29/heres-why-people-hate-joel-osteen/

Our ministry. Joel Osteen Ministries. (n.d.). https://www.joelosteen.com/our-ministry

Poisuo, P. (2020, August 18). The troubled history of Joel Osteen. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/237555/the-troubled-history-of-joel-osteen/

Sager, J. (2021, December 7). The shady side of joel osteen. Nicki Swift. https://www.nickiswift.com/83360/shady-side-joel-osteen/

Salas, J. (2023, February 25). Joel Osteen’s net worth and story. Capitalism.com. https://www.capitalism.com/joel-osteens-net-worth/

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023a, May 9). Lakewood Church. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lakewood_Church&oldid=1153939511

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023b, July 18). Prosperity theology. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prosperity_theology&oldid=1166026967

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023c, July 22). John Osteen. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Osteen&oldid=1166519445

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023d, July 23). Joel Osteen. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joel_Osteen&oldid=1166711375