Osteen was born inHouston, and is one of six children ofJohn Osteen and Dolores ("Dodie") Pilgrim. His father, a formerSouthern Baptist pastor, foundedLakewood Church (of which Osteen is the current senior pastor) in the back of an old feed store.[6]
In 1982, Osteen returned toHouston after leaving Oral Roberts University.[8][11] He founded Lakewood's television program, later becoming ordained through his father's church in 1983.[12] Osteen produced his father's televised sermons for 17 years until January 1999, when his father died of a heart attack.[8][11] He would preach his first sermon on January 17, 1999. By October 3, he was the new senior pastor of Lakewood Church.[12]
Osteen memorizes his planned remarks before he delivers them, and listens back to previous ones on tape.[15] His sermons have been criticized as self-serving and revealing a poor command of Scripture.[16][17][18][19] Osteen says he chooses to focus more on the goodness of God and on living an obedient life rather than on sin,[20] and that he tries to teach Biblical principles in a simple way, emphasizing the power of love and a positive attitude.[21] When asked why he does not focus more onsin, thedevil, andhell in detail, Osteen stated in an interview withCBN News:
When I grew up, the devil was a reason why I had a headache or the devil was the reason I got mad today. We always blamed the devil. I think today when I say the enemy, I like to make it broader. Sometimes the enemy can be our own thoughts. We've trained ourselves the wrong way. Or the enemy can be our own lack of discipline. Some people preach about hell like you're already going there, and to me the Gospel means "Good News." I'd rather say God is a God of mercy. So I think the people already know what they're doing wrong, and I certainly believe in hell. But to me, when I see thousands of people before me, it just doesn't come out of me to say, "You guys are terrible, and you're going to hell." I'd rather say that God is a God of mercy. You've got to live an obedient life, but for every mistake you've made, there's mercy there, and I believe we can do better.[11]
Events
Since 2004, Osteen, along with his wife, have hosted Night of Hope events, as well as their annual stadium event called "America's Night of Hope", in the U.S. and around the world.[22][23][24] The event incorporates contemporary Christian music and inspirational messages to reach attendees at the venue and others watching online.[25] Osteen also hosted an event at his Lakewood Church in 2018, in collaboration with rapperKanye West, called Sunday Service. According to media reports, the event was attended by 17,000 as well as joined by many people streaming online.[26] He also held his Easter service duringCOVID-19 withMariah Carey andTyler Perry.[27]
On February 11, 2024, a woman with a history of mental health issues, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, accompanied by her 7-year-old son, entered the church between services and began firing anAR-15 rifle. Two off-duty police officers working security returned fire and killed her. Her son was critically injured with a gunshot to the head by the police officers during the exchange of gunfire. Another man who was present was wounded in the hip, treated at a local hospital and released.[28][29]
Personal life
On April 4, 1987, Osteen marriedVictoria Osteen (née Iloff), who later would become co-pastor of Lakewood Church.[30] They have two children.[31] In 2002, some of his siblings, includingPaul, were also involved in full-time ministry.[12]
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] instead, he relies on income from book sales.[34]
Political and social views
Osteen has generally avoided discussing or preaching about controversial issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and politics.[35][36] Having gone on record saying homosexuality is "not God's best",[37] he has stated he believes the church has a tendency to become overly focused on single issues (such as homosexuality) to the point of neglecting others.[35][38] When asked if he thought God approves of homosexuality, Osteen said homosexuality is a sin according to his interpretation of Scripture, but said gay people are welcome in his church without judgment.[39][40][38][41]
In an interview onFox News in 2008 during theRepublican Party presidential primary race, when discussing whether he thought thatMormons wereChristians, Osteen indicated that he believed that they were. He further revealed that he had not studied the religion.[42] In an interview in 2011, Osteen stated his support forIsrael.[43]
Controversies
Prosperity gospel
Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promotingprosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians.[36][42][44][3] Critics of the prosperity gospel consider its teachings to be contrary to the gospel of Mark:[45]
Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
On October 14, 2007,60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during whichReformed theologianMichael Horton toldCBS News correspondentByron Pitts that Osteen's message isheresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that "it makes religion about us instead of about God."[21]
Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collections.[46] According to theHouston Chronicle, Osteen denied taking any pandemic CARES Act assistance, but U.S. Small Business Administration data revealed his church actually received $4.4 million from the fund.[47] The church paid back this loan in 2021, and also retired their 19-year debt from a 100 million dollar construction loan in December 2023.[48]
Hurricane Harvey response
During the immediate aftermath ofHurricane Harvey in August 2017, Osteen was criticized for not makingLakewood Church, a 606,000-square-foot, 16,000-seat former sports arena, available as an emergency shelter for those displaced by the storm.[49][50][51][52][53][54] On August 27, posts from the church and a Lakewood Church associate pastor's social media accounts stated that the church was "inaccessible due to severe flooding," and associate pastor John Gray posted further, "If WE could get there WE WOULD OPEN THE DOORS."[55][56] Lakewood spokesperson Don Iloff later described floodwaters as one foot from spilling over the facility's floodgate and surging into the building.[57] He also stated that pictures showing Lakewood free of flooding were taken on Monday, after the flood waters had lowered.[58][59]
Osteen disputed the claim that flood waters closed the church, saying "the church has been open from the beginning," and, "[w]e've always been open ... How this notion got started, that we're not a shelter and we're not taking people in is a false narrative."[53][60] This contradicted his earlier statement that the church would open when other refugee centers were full.[53][61] On the evening of August 28, it was announced by Lakewood that it would open at noon the next day as an available shelter to storm victims and emergency personnel, which it did.[53]
On August 15, 2018, less than a year after Harvey struck, the City of Houston and MayorSylvester Turner proclaimed a day in honor of the assistance of Lakewood and Osteen in rebuilding efforts across the Houston area.[62][63]
Other
In 2011, Osteen and Lakewood Church were sued by the bandthe American Dollar for copyright infringement.[64] A judge in 2012 ruled in favor of Osteen.[65]
^R., Geiger, Wayne (October 10, 2023).Joel Osteen : a critical analysis of sermonic methodology. University of Central Missouri.ISBN978-1-109-60661-4.OCLC651017356.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Tenety, Elizabeth (January 28, 2011). "Joel Osteen: 'Homosexuality is a sin'".The Washington Post. p. B2.
^ab"Transcript: Pastor Joel Osteen on 'FNS'".FOXNews.com. December 23, 2007.Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. RetrievedMay 13, 2011.Now, as with most successful people, you have critics who say that what you offer is gospel 'lite,' the prosperity gospel.
Van Biema, David; Chu, Jeff (September 10, 2006)."Does God Want You To Be Rich?".Time. RetrievedMarch 19, 2015.'Does God want us to be rich?' [Osteen] asks. 'When I hear that word rich, I think people say, 'Well, he's preaching that everybody's going to be a millionaire.' I don't think that's it.' Rather, [Osteen] explains, 'I preach that anybody can improve their lives. I think God wants us to be prosperous. I think he wants us to be happy. To me, you need to have money to pay your bills. I think God wants us to send our kids to college. I think he wants us to be a blessing to other people. But I don't think I'd say God wants us to be rich. It's all relative, isn't it?' ...
"Online Extra: Meet the Prosperity Preacher".Bloomberg Businessweek. May 23, 2005.Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. RetrievedMarch 19, 2015.Osteen is also a leading proponent of what is sometimes called the 'prosperity gospel', which teaches that God wants people to prosper in all areas of their lives—including material success.
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