But to many of its critics, especially since the election of Donald Trump, this tradition has come to represent the worst of the conflation of American-style capitalism, religion, and Republican party politics. While it’s popular among many evangelical Protestants, it’s been condemned by many others. But whether the backlash was founded or not, it reflects the profoundly ambiguous feelings Americans of different faiths have about wildly wealthy preachers like Osteen - whose net worth is estimated at over $50 million - and about the “prosperity gospel” he preaches.Īs Laura Turner notes in an excellent piece for BuzzFeed, no theological tradition is as rife for accusations of hypocrisy as the “prosperity gospel,” a distinctively American theological tradition. Lakewood’s representatives maintain that the church was opened as soon as it was safe and feasible to do so. Osteen’s seeming hesitation in opening the church as a shelter for evacuees provoked an intense social media backlash. In the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 46 people, few narratives have captured the public imagination - or anger - like that of Joel Osteen and his Lakewood Church, one of the largest megachurches in the country.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |