I personally think all those mega churches are BS.I don't know enough about Swaggart to say he was a swindler.
I was once drug (dragged?) to a Pentecostal church. What a joke. Speaking in tongues and whatnot.
WTF does that have to do with religion?
I personally think all those mega churches are BS.I don't know enough about Swaggart to say he was a swindler.
Joel Osteen’s net worth: The megachurch leader's wealth & income
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The Pentecostals scare me, lolI personally think all those mega churches are BS.
I was once drug (dragged?) to a Pentecostal church. What a joke. Speaking in tongues and whatnot.
WTF does that have to do with religion?
I bet those guys that run mega churches do pretty well even without the media.
I think we have two in Anchorage.
Swaggert liked to speak in tongues.The Pentecostals scare me, lol
Agreed.The Reformation began as a revolt against churches squeezing bucks out of the fearful and gullible. Even that never stopped the practice.
PT Barnum was correct.
It’s all about show.I personally think all those mega churches are BS.
I was once drug (dragged?) to a Pentecostal church. What a joke. Speaking in tongues and whatnot.
WTF does that have to do with religion?
Question for Cypress. The thread is about Joel's Prosperity !Joel Osteen’s net worth: The megachurch leader's wealth & income
Head preacher at America’s largest church and modern face of the controversial “prosperity gospel” movement, Joel Osteen has made a fortune from his religious self-help books.
In the Bible, a passage in Proverbs 11.28 reads, “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf,” while another in Mark 6.24 reads, “You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Osteen is the head preacher at Lakewood megachurch in Texas, America’s largest Christian church.
Osteen has drawn widespread criticism from Christians and non-Christians alike, both for his visibly lavish lifestyle and for preaching the controversial prosperity gospel, which teaches that faithful Christians are more likely to be rewarded with material wealth.
Overall, the Bible tends not to equate wealth with righteousness, but that hasn’t stopped charismatic prosperity gospel preachers like Joel Osteen from crafting their own unique brand of financially focused Christian wisdom—and banking some serious wealth in the process.
Most sources estimate Osteen’s wealth to be north of $100 million as of mid-2025.
I remember him being reluctant to provide shelter to those in need. Reprehensible.
I don't know.I don't know enough about Swaggart to say he was a swindler. I never heard anything really derogatory about him except for the prostitutes.
Now, there is no question that people like Joel Osteen, Jim Baker, Benny Hinn are swindlers and con men.
How much is that dude worth?Joel Osteen’s net worth: The megachurch leader's wealth & income
Head preacher at America’s largest church and modern face of the controversial “prosperity gospel” movement, Joel Osteen has made a fortune from his religious self-help books.
In the Bible, a passage in Proverbs 11.28 reads, “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf,” while another in Mark 6.24 reads, “You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Osteen is the head preacher at Lakewood megachurch in Texas, America’s largest Christian church.
Osteen has drawn widespread criticism from Christians and non-Christians alike, both for his visibly lavish lifestyle and for preaching the controversial prosperity gospel, which teaches that faithful Christians are more likely to be rewarded with material wealth.
Overall, the Bible tends not to equate wealth with righteousness, but that hasn’t stopped charismatic prosperity gospel preachers like Joel Osteen from crafting their own unique brand of financially focused Christian wisdom—and banking some serious wealth in the process.
Most sources estimate Osteen’s wealth to be north of $100 million as of mid-2025.
I would let zero loved ones send money to that joker.I don't know.
I kind of like Joel osteen's vague positivity and squinty nerd demeanor.
I would never send him money.I would let zero loved ones send money to that joker.
Oh, all the olders liked Billy Graham, too.
He mixed some truth in with the bullshit. Kind of a bushit/truth swirl. 50/50.
I own more than 2 Billy Graham books. Some might be 50 years or so old or older.
I do like the 1958 World Book Encyclopedias.
What is in someones' hands and in print on paper cannot be changed with the stroke of a keyboard.
It's like that Burgess Meredith Twilight Zone.
I would never send him money.
he seems harmless though.
Prosperity preachers are devils.
That one's really bad, the tall one with the Just For Men. Copeland, that's his name.Yes. He isn't holding a gun to anybody's head making anybody buy his books, they do so voluntarily. Like I said, he's just another 'Positive thinking' speaker. He also gives away the majority of his money, or he would be a lot wealthier. His house is actually pretty modest considering he has over 45 best sellers and the big publishers compete for his business with an average $12-$15 million dollar advances on every one of them. He doesn't need to be a crook. At an average of $12 million per book in advances, not counting royalties, that's around $540 million. His current net worth is only around $100 million, so he isn't exactly living as high as he could be. He also paid off the church's $40 million in construction bonds out of his own pocket. A con man crook wouldn't do that.
It was Billy Graham who started the tradition among pastors to stop getting paid by their ministries once they could live off their book sales and speaking fees and the like.