EXPOSING Joel Osteen & the Prosperity Gospel

he was interviewing Joel aing one day he said a preacher is just an actor what yes he said yes I'm I'm just an actor I'm on the stage in the front of Lights I'm just an actor he told the truth he is he is Joel ostein was thrust into his new role as the lead pastor of Lakewood Church in 1999 as of this video more than 10 million people watch his television series and over 60 million people connect with him through his online platforms he's authored several bestselling books he's buddy buddy with many celebrities and he has his own Serious XM station where people can tune in 24/7 to hear him and his wife Victoria share their daily message of inspiration but there's something about the pastor that just doesn't sit right with some people is he actually qualified to speak the word of God hell no to the no no no hell to the no I mean 12 years ago I was running camera at my dad's church doing the production things like that I I never thought I'd get out in front of people before we jump into this hot stanking mess I'm going to take the shackles off my so I can eat I just want some snacks I just want some snacks and our online concession stand at rrg snacks.com has so many delicious options from beef and bacon jerky to butter toffee peanuts and gummy sour peach rings have y'all put them gummy sour peach rings in your Margarita yet I ain't playing y'all try that oh honey I love me some Sour Peach ring Joel Scott ostein was born to Pastor John and Dodie ostein on March 5th 1963 a damn Pisces I knew it girl I knew it a Pisces Pastor John was a Pentecostal Minister who found at Lakewood Church in an abandoned feed store in 1959 the church's location was in a predominantly black neighborhood in northeast Houston oh hell Lakewood was non-denominational and welcomed people of all Races in what Pastor John referred to as an oasis of love in a troubled World Pastor John was known for his fiery firm and provocative sermons he was commonly referred to as a fire and brimstone preacher a term used to define a pastor who uses vivid descriptions of judgment and eternal damnation to encourage repentance but the theme that Pastor John most closely identified with was it's God's will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty it's God's will for you to pay your bills and not be in debt it's God's will for you to live in health and not in sickness all the days of your [Music] life hallelujah hallelujah those of you who watch our mega church message this series are well aware of the Prosperity Gospel but for those of you who are new here the Prosperity Gospel also known as name it and claim it is a deeply held religious belief that states that God blesses those he favors with material wealth and health Lord I'm still waiting on that million dollars amen and if you notice here this directly contradicts a lot of the teaching within the Bible that Christians will encounter problems difficulties trials sickness in fact Paul actually talks about how Christians should expect persecution this goes in direct contradiction to Joel 's message of prosperity health wealth all that stuff the late Oral Roberts is credited as being the first tell evangelist to preach the Prosperity Gospel he also preached Seed Faith which proclaimed that God would repay every dollar donated to his ministry seven times over with his lying ass that ain't no way in the Bible talking about seven times honey many people believe that the Prosperity Gospel is a false doctrine that contradicts Matthew 5: 5 the scripture reads blessed are the meek on for they shall inherit the earth Hallelujah the church have gotten distracted and the Love of Money have become a big distraction to the church because the church don't want to be different from the world that's right they are not preaching the gospel but either way people gravitate towards the Prosperity Gospel in hopes that they will be blessed in every area of their lives and Lakewood began to expand rapidly until they were conducting services in a building that could accommodate more than 5,000 worshippers Joel told the huff post that his father asked him hundreds of times to step up to the pull pit however Joel always turned him down with his scary self girl he wasn't scared he knew he wasn't called okay he knew and his daddy was trying to protect that Legacy like any other man who owns a business wants to make sure that he passes it down to his son they ain't slick baby I got good eyesight I can see right through that Joel had no desire to follow in his Father's Footsteps he spent his youth playing basketball and tinkering around with the church's TV equipment before ultimately deciding to enroll at Oral Roberts University where he studied radio and televis Communications now he know good and damn well he go to Oral Roberts University and his daddy is a preacher that the word going to get around and he going to end up preaching he should have took his ass to MIT according to Texas monthly website in 1982 Joel returned home from college and told his parents he wanted to drop out of school so he could help his dad launch a television Ministry his parents agreed but with one understanding the program could never be used to ask people for money Joel immediately put his foot in the church's television production and marketing tactics eventually the church's Sunday service which Joel directed and produced was aired on a local Houston TV network and nationally on the Family Channel from there the church made more moves into bigger and bigger facilities as more people flocked to the Sunday services in 1985 22-year-old Joel visited a jewelry store owned by Victoria's parents to buy a new watch battery by that point Joel had never even been on a date but he liked what he saw and asked Victoria to attend a Houston Rockets game with him two years later they became husband and wife as of this video they have two children as it pertains to his marriage Joel sticks to the Billy Graham rule which the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association defines as a mandate to prevent sexual immorality by avoiding any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion this means that Joel chooses to never be alone with a woman other than his wife wife now see that's smart as hell just don't put yourself in that situation while some see it as respectful to his marriage others find it as a sign of weakness a writer for the Washington Post wrote that taking action to avoid temptation is proof that your marriage vows are flimsy or that you can't be trusted to uphold them or that these skezas in the church really want to throw their panties in the pool pit and will take any opportunity to Corner that past and try to take him from his wife but Joel must be doing something right because he hasn't been caught out in these streets like other pastors who have been featured in our mega church messiness series by 1990 Lakewood Church had more than 15,000 members and with its increased popularity came trouble oh L it's going to get messy get your napkins in January 1990 a pipe bomb was mailed to the church Joel's sister opened the package and the bomb detonated thankfully she was able to make a full recovery and Pastor John told the press the devil did his best but his best was not enough we are just going to go on and do the Lord's work like all Prosperity Gospel preachers Pastor John asserted that he would be standing in front of the pull pit strong and healthy for many years to come he also told his congregation that he would continue preaching well un his '90s but while in his mid 70s God said sit your ass down Pastor [Music] John Pastor John developed serious medical issues including high blood pressure and a heart condition that required him to have a pacemaker his high blood pressure also weakened his kidneys and he was required to undergo Dialysis in January 1999 while in the hospital battling complications from dialysis Pastor John told Joel that he needed him to step up and preach for him at the next Sunday morning service at First Joel turned him down just like he had done so many times before but then Joel had a change of heart and decided he would do it for his dad which dad the little dad or the big dad the little father or the father Pastor John listened on the phone while Joel performed his first sermon 5 days later Pastor John had a heart attack and passed away at the age of 77 after coping with the grief of losing his dad Joel told Oprah Winfrey that he felt compelled to step up and lead the church you mean take over the family business call it what it is now call it what it is so yep after just one sermon and without being an ordained minister joah believed he was qualified to Shepherd the congregation now that's what you call a bootleg preacher right there bootleg No Authority no covering no training no education today more than ever many Evangelical churches care less about a pastor's education some even think Seminary is a waste of time and money however if one is committing to a lifetime working in Ministry shouldn't they have some sort of training to prove that they're fit for such an important job uh yeah hell yeah you need a license to do everything else in this country practice medicine sell insurance cut somebody ha open a business I mean it's just people's Eternal Souls no big deal that don't seem strange okay well according to Joel he has more than enough experience he told Texas monthly I grew up in my father's church and I worked with him for 17 years that was an education that ain't enough Pastor initially he tried to become a miniature version of his dad by emulating his late father's fiery style but ultimately it didn't feel right for him he told Oprah I realized I'm not good at being my dad I'm good at encouraging people talking about life talking about life is he a therapist or a damn Pastor which one is it Hollywood is attracted to the cotton candy Merchant Joel alstein that's right they are nothing but motivational speakers that's right and and this here lies one of the many issues that people have with Joel's Ministry some people think he has deviated too far from his father's teachings so far that he has misconstrued the words of the Bible and comes across as more of a self-help Guru in an interview with Reformation 21 Joel stated that there is a scripture to back up everything he says however he's not about to sit down and tell people the exact chapters and verses that coincide with his teachings that's cuz he don't know them hell he said there's a lot better people qualified to say here's a book that's going to explain the scriptures to you I don't think that's my gifting or your calling child or your call it ain't it ain't it ain't that's your damn job Pastor just like me working at McDonald's and saying I ain't going to make no fries so apparently Joel didn't get the memo that it's actually his job to lead his congregation in the right direction and that includes providing a proper understanding of the Bible in order to communicate God's truth but hey what can you expect from someone who has no formal Bible training child don't know the difference between hermeneutics and homiletics honey for many his Doctrine is difficult to discern because he doesn't talk about Doctrine and some have accused him of misunderstanding the gospel he has abandoned themes of judgment fear and guilt in favor of inspirational messages such as God has good things in store for all of us anytime you preach the gospel El you must condemn the sins of the world many times his sermons are filled with funny stories about his wife and children and after rambling on for an hour he'll end the sermon with a Bible verse he told Texas weekly I know Doctrine is good we need doctrine but I think the average person is not looking for Doctrine that's a false prophet y'all that's a false prophet right there Joel encourages his members to shake the shame see he say shake the shame like the Harlem Shake just shake it off huh just shake it off okay there are no crosses at Lakewood Church instead Joel told Vanity Fair that he and his father chose to have a globe or a world map behind them to symbolize Jesus's directive to go forth and preach hope to the world now I think that scripture said go forth and preach the gospel not hope I mean there's hope in the gospel but I think now y'all correct me if I'm wrong Am I Wrong Katie kurick challenged him on this by asking why he didn't give his congregation more of a moral template to abide by Joel answered there's enough pushing people down in life already when they come to my church or our meetings I want them to be lifted up the Bible say if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me that what the Bible say now I'm just saying that what have heard Jesus say one time I know I have my Margaritas but I still know what that Bible say okay and I is Jesus not Joel I know they both start with a j but I think he a little confused Joel has continue to defend his cotton candy sermons y'all so messy not cotton candy sermons and his message appears to be resonating he leads three services per week which Millions watch on TV and listen to on the internet and radio Israel hotton was brought in as a worship leader although he was later placed on indefinite leave after he was accused of fing children outside of his marriage with his nasty ass you can hear more about that scandal in the video Linked In Our description box Pastor John Gray was brought in as an assistant pastor and is still on the payroll despite his life of Scandal which you can hear more about in a previous video that we've linked for you as well he just hire any old body don't he now he might be able to develop a better sense of discernment if he studied their word a little more Lakewood also added a Spanish language Sunday afternoon service got to get them pesos too huh he also hired a team of more than 200 people including his family members to help run the daily operations of the church since he admitted it takes him multiple days to write and practice his sermons well I start on Wednesday so I'll uh I'll take Wednesday and just study and try to figure out what I want to say you know if I want to talk about what whatever it may be then Thursday and Friday I'll write it out I type it out Texas monthly wondered how he finds the time to really connect with his congregates well the answer is that he leaves most of the duties to other people on his team the website wrote he performs no weddings or funerals makes no hospital visits does no pastoral counseling and turns down outside speaking engagements and he know he ain't qualified to counsel nobody now as far as the speaking engagements in the hospital visits now that's just wrong as hell you ain't that damn busy especially if everybody else is doing everything else you can go see about your parishioners now at least damn as of this point nothing can stop the Joel ostein train his congregation and celebrities continue to embrace him his voice was featured on Houston rapper Slim Thug's 2015 album and he considers Kanye West a friend and has invited him to Lakewood a couple of times you better watch out Kanye take over the whole church honey but still the 's actions outside of the church have really raised some eyebrows during a 2005 flight from Texas to Colorado Joel and Victoria were sitting in first class when some Tom Foolery went down according to the New York Times Victoria allegedly got upset when a flight attendant didn't clean up a spill on her armrest fast enough what she ain't going no tissue paper and her Birkin the flight attendant accused Victoria of throwing her against the bathroom door and elbowing her in her left breast as Victoria attempted to enter the cockpit what her crazy ass anybody else would be in jail put that Birkin in jail okay child that's how you know she ain't reading the Bible that wouldn't know a scripture if it hit her upside the head the altercation caused the flight to be delayed and the oines had their asses escorted from the aircraft a witness later testified that Victoria was dismissive to not one but two flight attendants because they were black I bet them black parishioners didn't leave the church though I didn't need another reason not to like they asses but that'll do it that'll do it Victoria was later found innocent the lies but was ordered to pay a $33,000 fine the oines celebrated the results of the case with Joel telling their congregation it's not just a victory for us it's a victory for God's Kingdom God's kingdom said now why am I in it after all that went down Joel revealed in an interview that he and his family no longer fly commercial according to sources the oines purchased an $86 million Airbus a19 jet so they could travel in style and with privacy Klo say can he borrow it like most pastors many are curious about his finances People Magazine asked him about his net worth during a 2007 interview and Joel stated he had no idea stop lying Joel appeared on 60 Minutes in 2008 and the program estimated that his ministry raked in over $73 million per year his brother sister and mother were all ministers in the church which meant they were all reaping the benefits of the church's popularity while Joel elected to stop taking his $200,000 a year salary in 2005 so how was Joel making his money well he and Victoria have written several books which bring in millions of dollars in 2010 all that Prosperity teaching paid off when the couple moved out of their $2.9 million Tanglewood home and into a $10.5 million 177,000 square ft River Oaks Mansion they got money Joel has continued to abide by his parents' rule which was to not ask parishioners for money however he told Oprah's next chapter we don't ask for money and people send in millions of dollars to help us keep the broadcast on air and so it's an interesting thing send the money back then well it's really not that interesting if we dive deeper into it Prosperity mega churches Place enormous theological weight on offerings and tithes a tithe is described as 10% of a parishioner's income that they give to the church many are taught that those who do not tithe are robbing from God although the Prosperity Gospel states that everyone can be prosperous many can't help but notice that the pastors are typically the main ones who benefit from the teachings The Daily Beast reported that the Prosperity Gospel is most powerful among those who have the fewest economic options especially in poor countries where Joel's sermons are televised viewers believe their tithing will result in a luxurious American lifestyle The Daily Beast went on to call the teachings a Ponzi scheme and they wondered how many people had gone bankrupt after giving their last dime to the church but but as for congregants they love to see their pastors flourish because their lavish lifestyles are proof that God really does bless the righteous a New York attorney told the national Inquirer that despite Lakewood being listed as a nonprofit Joel was using the church as a moneymaking machine according to the attorney the church pays Joel to air his sermons and his sermons are used as infomercials to promote his books Joel reached out to the website and denied the allegations by stating Lakewood have been ading to the highest standards of honesty and integrity for decades the Devil is a Lie in an interview with huff post Joel stated that he didn't even like the term Prosperity preacher at all when asked by peers Morgan if he ever felt guilty about his riches Joel said I don't ever feel guilty because it's God's blessings on my life and to apologize for how God has blessed you it's almost an insult to our god the church takes in $80 million a year but all of that gets plowed back into the the church is that right that's correct but on the books which sell by the squillion you keep all the cash well we we give we're big givers I'll promise you that but take us as well sure keep some of it we do would you have any problem when you when you have to pay the light bill you know in 2010 Lakewood was at the center of a Child Protective Services investigation when a church volunteer was accused of grabbing a child safety seat off of the church pew causing the child inside to land face first on the floor War what the hell although the oines claimed they had no control over the actions of the volunteer and they weren't liable for the incident the church settled with the child's family for $115,000 the church was back in the news in August 2017 after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas and Louisiana accompanied by heavy rainfall thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes and more than 100 people lost their lives many assumed that Lakewood Church which is located at at the old 16,000 seat Houston Rockets Stadium would open its doors to evacuees but that wasn't the case if you're ever in our area please stop by and be a part of one of our services I promise you we'll make you feel right at home USA Today reported that rain soaked houstonians who went to the church for shelter were instructed to look elsewhere I know you mothering lying that's cuz them folks Don't Preach the word they can't live it if they don't know it honey while all that was going down Joel went online to send a message to those in distress by saying we are not going to understand everything that happens but you know having a poor on me mentality or look what I lost or why did this happen that's just going to pull you down like we've been talking about all night you just got to turn it over and say God you're still on the throne the hell he talking about open them damn doors Pastor it ain't like they coming to your house but they should have his words turned into to a PR nightmare for the church as he stated the church was inaccessible due to severe flooding but online users pulled up to the facility and posted photos of clear roads leading up to the church with his lying ass gotcha but those who were inside the building clapped back by sharing photos of murky water in the church's parking garage well hell ain't nobody trying to stay in a damn parking garage they trying to be on the inside needless to say people were disappointed one person wrote on Twitter Joel that house belongs to God and was built for people in need you should have been the first to open your doors that man don't read the Bible he don't know that he don't know he don't know that writing all them damn books when you should have been reading the book okay Days Later Joel tweeted that they would open their doors to flood victims hundreds of volunteers showed up to hand out donations and nurses were on hand to help those in need but no one could forget his initial reaction later on he said the city didn't need his church as a shelter and that's why the doors were closed that ain't no city building why you waiting on the city the city has a shelter 4 miles from here we work with the city all the time and when their when their shelter was totally full they started bringing people over here not everyone was upset though his friend Tyler Perry announced on Facebook that he still supported the oines and I know that there's been some controversy about Joel oin and and him not opening the doors of church let me tell you something Joel and Victoria are amazing people there's no way that they would lock people out of the church or not let people in for a shelter there were some safety concerns I spoke to them on the phone and it all made perfect sense to me so before you just run and judge somebody really quick you need to know the whole circumstances I'm sending $250,000 to Lakewood to make sure that they can get all of the uh supplies that people need your ass down tile coming in like Captain sa ho and then came 2020 when the Corona virus pandemic rocked the world the oines came under Fire for accepting a $4.4 million PPP loan for the church the loan was one of the largest for any Houston area business or nonprofit oh they need they asses they need they asses put their ass in line with everybody else who getting in trouble for that damn PPP loan the church defended the loan claiming it had a staff of 368 full and part-time employees who were in need of the assistance since Services were closed from March until October 2020 you don't pay them folk that way honey although a rep for Lakewood stated the PPP loan didn't provide any personal benefit to the oin people weren't buying it especially since many of the ost's family members were on the church's payroll online users were ticked off that a multi-millionaire like Joel couldn't pay his staff's salary instead of getting a handout from the government in October 2021 due to the backlash the church returned all of the $4.4 million it received to the federal government y'all thought y'all was slick that's what y'all thought as of January 2024 the church has paid off $100 million in debt while address addressing his congregation Joel wiped tears from his eyes and thanked church members for all of their donations wonder how much of his money was in them donations how much did you help pay off Joel the church is debt-free but what about the parishioners are they swimming in debt or are they being blessed by Joel's Prosperity teachings Joel's Journey from College Dropout to the leader of one of the biggest mega churches in America is quite perplexing but the real question is why is it that so many people continue to follow and give all of their hard-earned money to a leader who many deem to be incompetent and unqualified to preach the word of God we would love to hear your thoughts down below if you enjoyed this video let us know down below and thank you I want to say thank you thank you for watching a g thank you am he shut your lying ass up

Channel: RRG

Views: 242,655

Keywords: realrealitygossip, real reality gossip, rrg, Joel Osteen, John Osteen, Dodie Osteen, Prosperity Gospel, Victoria Osteen, Tyler Perry, Katie Couric, Piers Morgan, 60 Minutes, Name it and claim it, False Prophet, Lakewood, Lakewood Church, Pastor John Gray, Israel Houghton, False Doctrine, oral roberts, billy graham

Id: S4tpZr9RFdE

Length: 27min 9sec (1629 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 31 2024