The Internet Roasts Millionaire Joel Osteen for Posting About the ‘Simple Things’ in Life
The internet roasted Joel Osteen after the millionaire televangelist and megachurch pastor posted on social media urging his followers to enjoy the “simple things” in life, even if they don’t “have a lot of resources.”
While it’s not a bad sentiment to share, it is strange considering he enjoys a life filled with things that are anything but simple. The televangelist boasts a net worth of around $100 million and two mansions in Houston, Texas, one valued at $10.5 million and the other at $2.9 million. The $10.5 million mansion is complete with a pool, pool house, and three elevators inside the home. Osteen claims to have made his fortune through book sales and denies taking a salary from the megachurch Lakewood Church, where he serves as senior pastor.
However, his church also isn’t very concerned about the “simple things,” as it operates on a whopping yearly budget of $70–$90 million. The church receives millions in donations from churchgoers and Osteen’s sermons often center around encouraging donations. Yet, in 2017, the church made headlines for refusing to open its doors to Hurricane Harvey victims. Only after intense backlash did Osteen finally open the church, which has a capacity of 16,000 people, to hurricane victims. Meanwhile, when churches and Osteen take so freely of people’s money without giving back and spend so lavishly, it doesn’t tend to sit well when they turn around and lecture less fortunate people about gratitude and material things.
Recently, Osteen took to social media with a post that didn’t go over very well. In the tweet, he declared, “It’s the simple things in life that bring us the most joy.” He went on to tell those who “may not have a lot of resources” that they’re “blessed” as long as they have family and health. He even took it a step further by saying that just being able to “look at the stars at night” means you’re blessed.
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