Joel Osteen to return $4.4M pandemic loan.
https://nypost.com/2021/10/10/joel-osteens-lakewood-church-to-repay-4-4m-in-ppp-loans/


So a few things about Osteen.

1. Returning a loan isn't really doing much since you were supposed to pay it back in the first place. (that's why it's called a loan.) But the media is reading this as some sort of admission of wrongdoing.

2. Small thinkers like to point out separation of church and state but the PPP loans were for organizations who employ people regardless of their mission. He employee 350 people at his church. (I bet some of them aren't even Christians. Just really good at organizing events.) The loans were granted to support employees, not to set up a national religion.

3. He doesn't take a salary from his church for his religious activities. Folks wonder how he can be worth $50, well, he sold 100 million copies of one of his books and he has 13 other best sellers. He gets paid 100-200k per speaking engagement and can easily do three a day because of his private jet. Why on earth shouldn't he be worth that much? And his jet is nice, I'm sure, but there is a good business purpose for it. If it costs 10k a day to fly and he can eek out 3 instead of 2 speaking engagements over flying coach, then it's paid for itself.

4. During the floods they had that goofy notion that he's supposed to turn his church into a hotel. It holds 16,800 spectators. As if it's stocked with bedding, food, and toiletries for people to sleep there. They just have concrete floors and uncomfortable stadium seats. I believe they tried this with the New Orleans Superdome during Katrina with terrible results. Yeah I wouldn't want to do that to my church either. If he had opened his church up to people the media would be all over about how it isn't a shelter and the terrible conditions. He made the right choice.

5. How on earth can anyone think he's skimming from his church when he has a perfectly lucrative side business and probably views his church as a loss leader to sell his books and speaking engagements? This is different from Jim and Tammy Baker. They actually did take money directly from the plate.

6. And there are lots of motivational speakers who refer to God and religion as a base for what they do. Is he just suffering from McDonald's syndrome where he happens to be the biggest target?

No I'm not a follower. Never read his book, never attended his events. I don't even know what he sounds like. Just tired of media BS and think he hasn't gotten a fair deal.

FJO

He preys on weak people.

Read Jude's letter. It's the 2nd to last book of the Bible. Right before Revelation.

He doesn't bother me at all.

I never listen to him.

Scam artist

Yup. I dated a woman who just went all in for JO. She was a certified slut and he made her feel better about herself. Her self-esteem was 0. JO preys on people like that.

Prosperity gospel and such.

I'm an atheist and he still disgusts me with his false witness, just like all televangelist hucksters.

Con man

Osteen is a motivational speaker and has several best selling self help books.

Creepiest motherfucker on Earth. Like he makes the Taran Tactical guy look like Ryan Gosling.

I wish I had his charisma though. Dupes eating out of the palm of his manicured hand. Lambs to the slaughter.

Joel Osteen is an insufferable cunt.

Joel Osteen is a short Tony Robbins

If he came back tomorrow,
There's something I want to know.
Would Jesus wear a Rolex watch
On his TV show?

If the arm wavers are dumb enough to fork over their cash to him then he must be doing something right.

I remember my elderly Grandma back in the 1980's, gushing over Jim Baker and Tammy Faye....

Google tells you how that ended.

He makes money off of gullible people.

I'm with OP.  I don't watch him or any televangelists, but don't understand the hate.  Our culture is in tatters.  Osteen is the least of our problems, if he's a problem at all.

OP, what on God's earth would make you post this?

This. He preaches something that simply isn't in the Bible. Literally a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Agree. I respect people’s right to be fools.

Anyone that uses God or religion to prey on people is the worst kind of person. I know people say "there are no stupid questions," but they are dead wrong.

Thread is bad and OP should feel bad.

People like him that pervert the gospel for personal gain are likely going to hell. If Jesus was around today, do you think he’d be doing $100k speaking engagements, writing bestsellers, and jetting around the world on a private jet? Obviously not.

I don't hate him. I watch in open mouthed amazement that someone that odd can have thousands, maybe millions of gullible people sending him money.

If anything, it's player hate. His pimp hand is STRONG.

Also he looks like a cartoon.

You serious, Clark?

He probably has lunch with Wayne Lapierre to discuss techniques and strategies

I don’t know a lot about him but if he’s bringing people to Jesus I can’t complain too much.

His reasons for doing it are between him and God.

Is this where you continue to dig a hole when people reply but you keep moving the goal posts?

People hate him because he's made a fortune from his "evangelism" work.  

His home.  

I don't listen to JO nor have I read his books.  Everyone hates a rich Christian.  Even though he may not be one, but who am I to judge.  

He can do his thing and I will do mine.....as in mind my own affairs with God.

He's a false witness.

He's not "bringing people to Jesus," he's bringing them to him. This mindset is a very dangerous one to have.

Like I said, I don’t know much about him, if that’s not what he’s doing then I’d definitely have a problem with it.

I was with you until Number 4.

People wee out in the street with no shelter.

It might have kade little business sense to use his facilities, but it's supposed to be a Church, not a business.

C’mon, what about that doesn’t just embody everything Christ taught?

This is my main concern.
Prosperity gospel is a scam IMHO. But if the followers feel like they’re getting what they want from it, who am I to judge?

He’s selling a product, and if the consumers are satisfied, so be it.

I don't hate him,  I just think he's a phony SOB.

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Their beliefs page say all things that I agree with and are orthodox. His teachings about best life now and all that though is contrary to so many things in the Bible it’s not even funny.

If he wasn't a preacher, he'd be a used car salesman

This is the best post in the thread.

He's on after the leftists on ABC I watch Sunday morning to see what enemy is doing, it's really disgusting so many people buy into it.

If you are a Bible-believing Christian, you know that Osteen is leading people to Hell.

Ready proof: Osteen published a book called Your Best Life Now. If you believe the Bible, you know that there is someone who wants this to be your best life, and it ain't God.

Was that the same guy who was really, really into supervising and mentoring the young teenage girls?

http://www.sheriff-okaloosa.org/wp-content/pdfs/newsreleases/2014/Nov.%2014%20-%20Church%20Chaplain%20Charged%20with%20Lewd%20and%20Lascivious%20Battery.pdf

https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/flyer.jsf?personId=101541

He goes jogging with his dick root out.

Personally don't care if someone makes a living off motivational speaking. I do care he claims religion to get a tax break.

I want to prosper and wish to be blessed with a large collection of class 3 firearms.

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