How do people in Houston feel about Joel Osteen? (Roma: 2015, FIOS)

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

As head of the church, he deserves the most credit and financial reward.

False,
The Pastor is just another worker at church and should concentrate on being the spiritual leader, which is a HUGE responsability
Somebody else should be working on the church's finances, which is also a HUGE responsability

Church is not a business or kingdom where the highest person gets the most money and gets to run everything as if he was a king.

The Bible clearly talks about that
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Spoiler

Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

As head of the church, he deserves the most credit and financial reward. His Dad started the church (and is no longer around), and he's been with the church probably longer than anyone else there. Plus, his position requires him to be out in front of millions each week. He deserves credit and reward more than anyone else there. The congregation has no problem with it, and they aren't going to worry what people say. They know who Paster Osteen is, and aren't interested in a bunch of b.s.

So, what is this alleged scripture that says that whoever is head of a church cannot be financially rewarded?

Really not just the head of the church, but anyone who becomes wealthy off this kind of thing.

Matthew 19:24

King James Bible
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

…23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”…

There are other verses as well that exhort rich men to give away their wealth to help the poor.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

For easy figuring, if there's 50,000 church members and each church member earns $50,000 a year, and each church member gives 10% of his/her income to the church, that's $5,000 a year from each church member, for a grand total of $250 million a year from donations alone, and it's all tax exempt.

Doing good things for the poor and less fortunate should not excuse a church, especially a mega-church, from paying their fair share of taxes, when you consider the fact that helping the poor and less fortunate is what Christians are suppose to do, and not for earthly financial reward. Their reward will be in Heaven.

[TFW46]

Did anyone ever hear a followup on the $600,000 that was supposedly stolen from the church in 2014? It was apparently the take from two days' worth of services and disappeared from the church safe. $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by TFW46

Did anyone ever hear a followup on the $600,000 that was supposedly stolen from the church in 2014? It was apparently the take from two days' worth of services and disappeared from the church safe. $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks.

Animal Kingdom.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by TFW46

Did anyone ever hear a followup on the $600,000 that was supposedly stolen from the church in 2014? It was apparently the take from two days' worth of services and disappeared from the church safe. $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks.

That happens there every Sunday

[shanv3]

You need talent and smartness to make such money. Its still a church so there is some remote remembrance of God there.

[Thoreau424]

To answer the OP though, you could say that there are a wide variety of opinions concerning Pastor Osteen. Many in the Houston area love and appreciate him. Many others can't stand the guy. There's no one opinion that sums up the city's feelings about him.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

The way people are acting is pure hypocrisy. On one side of people's mouths, they claim that those who are successful in this country earn their way to the top, and are therefore rewarded for their actions. On the other side of their mouths, these same people then throw that out the window and claim that anyone in the church is not allowed to be successful or show any signs of it. It's stupid as hell. People in church have as much of a right to show success as anyone else. There's nothing biblical that excludes that, and there are no laws that single them out either. They work as hard as anyone else, despite the garbage and junk being thrown around by some to slam and bash them.

Ok.
Churches aren't supposed to be operating like businesses that get people rich, are they?
Tax 'em.

[cBach]

This is why all Protestant churches are bogus. The only one and true church is the Roman Catholic Church, which is the rock on which Jesus built his church. Catholic priests live at the Cathedral in dorm like accommodations and have very little money for themselves.

It was never supposed to be like this and now with Pope Francis a lot of the flock is returning to the Catholic Church because the fact is that all Christians should be united in one church.

These mega churches are the devil in disguise. Osteen might as well have a cape and horns...