Joel Osteen
Joel Osteen is an American Prosperity Gospel preacher.
Osteen and his wife Victoria lead the Lakewood Church of Houston, Texas. Lakewood was founded in 1959 by Joel's father and mother, John and Dolores (Dodie) Osteen, in an abandoned feed store in northeast Houston. The elder Osteen was a former Southern Baptist who became a Charismatic. He had also been defrocked by the Southern Baptists as he was previously married and divorced before meeting Dodie, because divorce is discouraged within the Southern Baptist Convention. Rare at the time for a church in the American South, Lakewood opposed segregation and openly integrated the church's services.
The church is situated in the former Compaq Center, previously the home of the NBA's Houston Rockets. It aims to help people around the world, "experience the 'perfect peace' that comes from faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to the Holy Spirit".[1]
Criticism
Many Christians consider Osteen a supporter of the controversial Prosperity Gospel[2] and that he focuses on "Christianity-lite" sermons.[3] He has responded to these allegations by claiming that by focusing on broader issues, the sermons are understandable to the average person.[4]
