There is an article in today’s NYT about Samuel John Klein’s best friend, Joel Osteen. Apparently, Joel and his church just moved into the Compaq Center in Houston. The article isn’t that interesting, but there is one quote that stands out.
Mr. Osteen’s rationale for spending $95 million on a church rather than on ministering to the poor was typically upbeat. “My philosophy,” he said, “is that that $95 million will be nothing compared to what we’ll do when we have 100,000 people.”
Somehow, I don’t believe him.
I tend to believe Joel on this one. Sadly the money coming in will just go to laser light shows, plasma screens, new carpet, espresso machines at every entrance and on and on. Never to make it into the hands of the unlovely.
Used to be the Compaq Center, eh? Astounding.
And, for the record, he’s not my best friend any more. He wouldn’t lend me any money.
We can allways count on Joel to be positive.
Maybe they’ll start a Dallas campus, followed by an Austin campus. Then they’ll reach out to the Hispanics by building a Tiajuana campus.
Here is a question I have?
Since “mega-churches” have all this tax free disposable income, why don’t people like ourselves unite and bring about change from within the churches?
I think the youth of today are quite intelligent enough to “pull a Martin Luther” on the modern evangelical church and get these vast amounts of money channeled to popular social causes. What church leader could stand up to his congregation, and say that the tithe should be going to Retreats and summer camps rather than homeless outreach centers and education outreach programs.
I think it is time to go on the offensive regarding this matter. Even if it means lining up along the raodways, to the churches, in mass chains of solidarity showing that the youth want more than just MTV and Starbucks on Sunday morning3x/evening/2x. I really think this is a political issue, but nobody on this blog, since I’ve been following it, (Dec 04) has mentioned this fact.
The only reason this blog exists is because the founders happened to grow up in a socially progressive town such as Portland Oregon rather than say San Antonio. It is the future knocking on our hearts to awaken the Church to the fact that “people matter more than mochas”.
Please excuse the poor assemblance of this propaganda. I just really want to be part of the awakening that these preachers have been talking about since I was 10 years old.
The money talks even in the church!!! Those of us who attended PBC schools and didn’t have the money that the Finance Team children had, all know that is the case.
I attended for one year during high school and then went back to public school because I didn’t have the money and didn’t fit in with the holy-rollers-of-cash
and honestly, I really wasn’t learning a whole lot.
The school didn’t offer many courses beyond the 3 R’s and some bible classes, economics, and choir.
There was no television courses. No radio programming and the opportunities just didn’t exist at that school for someone who had a mission to learn about the world.
Bible classes don’t pay the bills and they certainly don’t entertain the person seeking social change for the worlds poor.
P.S. Magledon has it right on!!! We really do have to get off our buttocks and speak our mind. Not only to CBC, but to the private colleges, the ministries, and the evangelists out there seeking converts. We need to let the mass media know that we have a different idea of how Christianity can be represented in the world.
“Prayer for the day”
Thank God for this humble Blog.
I’m loving this Les-Miserables-children-of-the-revolution thread!
Do it!
Here’s what’s funny to me. On this blog I hear one church get criticized for not being evangelistic enough and only focusing on money, then there’s a church that apparently has got the evangelism thing down and needs a big enough building to house all of these people and the many more they will continue to reach and they get criticized for THAT.
Kind of makes Jesus’ comments in Matthew 11:18-19 make sense. When you’re successful, you just can’t win.
Sounds like some of the bloggers on here would be most happy at a crappy little church with no standards, no cosmetically pleasing features, no money coming in to support it, but giving anything that does come in to the poor, and has a ministry of standing on a street corner proclaiming the gospel.
*shakes “old-man-hand” at you while tellin’ y’all to go eat turd*
Nick,
It’s not necessarily about the concrete kinds of ideas that you’re bringing up. It’s about the abstract notions of what the church’s duty is and how it goes about accomplishing it. Is it realistic to expect 100,000 people to truly be of like mind, feel connected to one another, be in fulfilling relationships with one another, and have a chance to grow spiritually ALL TOGETHER? No. It’s not rational to expect that.
No one is advocating only ugly, small churches. Personally, I feel like this Compaq center business is much more a manifestation of consumerist, bigger-is-better American culture than an ideal incarnation of the Church.
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing…and when quantity becomes the main thing, quality inevitably suffers. I think the first order of business has to be taking care of what we have…like the whole bit with putting the oxygen mask on yourself before you go trying to help anyone else.
Why?
Because the Church is made of humans, and humans are no good to anyone else if they’re not getting what they need themselves.
A crappy little church…no cosmetically pleasing features… all money going to the poor…street corner ministry proclaiming the gospel??????
Were you trying to describe Jesus’ ministry? ‘Cause that sounds a lot like Jesus. Of course maybe Jesus did meet in a large stadium somewhere. In fact maybe, plasma screens aren’t so new at all; maybe Jesus had a couple at his church.
Maybe your right; Jesus had a crappy little ministry. From now on I’ll pledge my allegiance to Joel Osteen.
Let’s pray
WOW!!!! Haven’t written lately but this topic strikes me. Just said to my Aunt the other day that I went to church or as I say it as close as getting to church as I can and watched Joel Osteen on TV ,not just any TV a 65 inch one.
Called ticket master trying to get tickets to go see him at the new Compaq center but was unsuccessful. The did tell me for around 30 dollars they might have some tickets behind the stage that you will be able to see him on plasma TV. Sorry I said I want to see him from the bleacher through my binoculars he continued to tell me those seat where for those that paid their tithes from 0% to 7%. So I asked him what do I have to give to sit in the first row, but he declined to comment and hung up on me.
REVELATION 3:14
14 ¶ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
REVELATION 3:15
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
REVELATION 3:16
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
REVELATION 3:17
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
That is exactly us as a church we no long need financial help but long for true spiritual stimulation.. God bless the Morton’s
PS