Joel Osteen

Life

Osteen was born on March 5, 1963, in Houston, Texas. His father, John Osteen, was a Southern Baptist minister who, after experiencing baptism in the Holy Spirit, founded Lakewood Church in Houston in 1959. The church was originally called Lakewood Baptist Church. It began as a congregation for Baptists who emphasized the gifts of the Spirit, and today it is a nondenominational charismatic church.

In 1981 Osteen enrolled at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma but left before completing his first year. He then returned to help with the church's television ministry, working behind the camera as a broadcast producer. In 1987 he married Victoria, with whom he has two children. After his father died of a heart attack in January 1999, Osteen became senior pastor of Lakewood Church that same year. Until then he had declined to preach; he reportedly delivered his first sermon the week before his father's death.

Ministry and Accomplishments

After Osteen became senior pastor, Lakewood Church grew into one of the largest churches in the United States. The church uses the former Compaq Center, once the home arena of the NBA's Houston Rockets, as its sanctuary. The building seats approximately 16,000. As of around 2024, weekly attendance was reported at roughly 45,000, and the church's services are broadcast to more than 100 countries. His wife, Victoria Osteen, serves alongside him as co-pastor.

In October 2004 Osteen published his first book, Your Best Life Now, which remained on the New York Times best-seller list for a year. His preaching is characterized less by doctrinal exposition than by life stories that present, in accessible terms, messages of hope, positive thinking, and the blessings God bestows. He has also been nicknamed "the smiling preacher." He is known for not using the cross or other religious symbols in worship, a practice that has drawn controversy within American church circles.

Influence on Korean Churches

In 2005 Your Best Life Now was published in Korean translation by the Korean Christian publisher Duranno under the title Geungjeong-ui Him ("The Power of Positivity: It Happens as You Believe") and became a major best seller in Korea. It was followed by a series of related titles, including Become a Better You as well as practical and devotional companion volumes. The book was read as a self-help work not only by churchgoers but also by readers outside the church. At the same time, the book and Osteen's preaching prompted continuing theological debate in the Korean Christian press.

Assessment

Supporters credit his message with bringing hope and comfort to people who are weary and wounded by life. Critics regard him as a leading proponent of prosperity theology, a movement that teaches that health, wealth, and success are granted according to one's faith.

• Rick Henderson, an American pastor, criticized Osteen for teaching obedience and giving as if they were means of obtaining God's blessings.
• Professor Yoo Eung-ryeol of Chongshin University in Korea argued that Osteen's preaching does not address human sin and uses the Bible as a source of self-improvement slogans.
• A special contribution in the Korean church newspaper Kidok Shinmun criticized his preaching for leaving out Christ and the cross.
• A book review in the Korean Christian news outlet NewsNJoy contended that the Korean edition of Your Best Life Now mishandles the doctrine of God's sovereign election (predestination) and the doctrine of regeneration.
• Others have raised concerns that he has no formal theological training.

In response to such criticism, Osteen has said that the prosperity he speaks of is a broad concept encompassing not only material things but also a right relationship with God and the resulting peace of soul. He has also stated that teaching prosperity is the mission God has given him and that he wishes to focus on proclaiming the goodness of God.