Joel Osteen's Mini-me speaks

I wondered why Deplorable Pride (aka Brian Talbert) ran this post, which is outside its his usual self-obsessed, paranoid megalomania:

Then I read this and all became clear.

They're just alike. The only scalable differences are how many followers they have, and how much money they scam:

“Prosperity churches are focused on selling the merchandise of the pastor,” she continued. “A lot of it is about how you can buy this book or this series, focused on how God loves you, or how to have your best life now.” 

This explains the level of incompetence in Lakewood’s initial response to Harvey. In contrast to Houston’s Catholic churches and other congregations, Lakewood seemed taken by surprise by the whole notion that a church might be called upon to serve the needy. 

Their focus is simply elsewhere. “It’s God’s will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty,” Osteen has preached. Over the weekend, as Harvey battered the Texas coast, Osteen tweeted inspirational self-help quotes. Because ultimately, that is what the prosperity gospel is all about. 

Nor are Osteen’s personal wealth, lavish $10.5 million mansion, and jet-set lifestyle problems for prosperity believers. On the contrary, said Posner, “for people who believe in the prosperity gospel, that’s evidence that the prosperity gospel works. Osteen believes, he’s rich, he lives in this fabulous home—it must work.” 

Of course, a skeptic would say what works is Lakewood’s business model, in which promises of health and wealth are exchanged for “sowing seed in a ministry,” i.e., giving money to the church. And of course that exchange is doubly tax free: Lakewood doesn’t pay taxes, and adherents get a deduction for giving. 

But to the faithful, the prosperity gospel is serious business. 

“They really do believe that if you have faith, God will fix everything for you,” Posner explained. “I interviewed people who used to go to prosperity churches and were told that if things weren’t working out for them, it meant they weren’t sowing enough seed, they’re not having enough faith. People felt guilty that they don’t have enough faith.” 

Osteen’s church fumbled the response to Harvey not because they are hypocrites. They fumbled because they are believers. They are focused on personal success, not community service. And like the adherents of New Thought, aka The Secret, aka The Law of Attraction, aka The Teachings of Abraham, prosperity gospel believers think you can manifest your own reality, and God rewards you according to your faith.