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Joel Osteen and Pope Francis
patheos.com ^ | August 27, 2013 | Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Posted on 08/28/2013 11:39:15 AM PDT by Brian Kopp DPM

Joel Osteen and Pope Francis

August 27, 2013 By 7 Comments

Joel Osteen the prosperity preacher from Houston has just moved up from his $2m mansion to a $10m mansion. Here’s the news.

This is one of the things that tickle me about American Protestantism. These are the folks who have traditionally beat the Catholics with a big stick about the Pope living in a palace surrounded by rich art works.

The other thing is the way Protestants will beat up on Catholics for having a highly exalted infallible leader who is treated like a celebrity. Duh. The problem with them is not that they don’t have a Pope, but that they have 30,000 popes. Every pastor a pope, and Pope Osteen is just one among many.

So Pope Francis lives in a modest suite in a functional hostel while Pope Joel lives in a palace in Houston. Even when the popes lived in the apostolic palace they only lived in a comparatively modest apartment in the palace, and all that art? It’s history and heritage. He doesn’t own it. It belongs to the world–witness the crowds who come and go talking of Michelangelo.

But who am I to judge? They say Joel Osteen makes all his loot from sale of his books and calendars and self help T-shirts. He’s welcome to it I guess, and who knows, he might live like a prince of the Church on a fraction of his takings. He might give 90% of his wealth to the poor. So live and let live and let God be the judge.

But when it comes to appearances, when it comes to the one who seems to live the life of apostolic simplicity– Pope Francis wins.

For that matter, he wins with the gospel he’s preaching too. The American prosperity gospel is a false gospel. It’s no surprise that Osteen’s church doesn’t have a cross in it. Neither does the gospel he’s preaching.

Just thought…are there any photoshoppers out there who can send me a pic of Osteen being carried around in the sedia gestatoria?


TOPICS: Catholic; Ecumenism; Evangelical Christian; Humor
KEYWORDS: megachurch; osteen; popefrancis; ybpdln
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To: driftdiver
How long has the Pope lived in the Vatican?

longer than the President has lived in the White House, Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace, your Governor in his state mansion.....but none of these people OWN the property....they just live there while they hold office....big difference

81 posted on 08/28/2013 9:31:55 PM PDT by terycarl
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To: Kartographer
Neither the Pope with his acceptance of Gays, nor Osteen with his love of mammon are part of any church I would belong to.

you must be a very lonely person....how sad....no sinners near you!!!

82 posted on 08/28/2013 9:37:57 PM PDT by terycarl
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To: SECURE AMERICA
All I will say is this. If you do not think that within the Vatican there are treasures worth HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of Millions of dollars you need to buy a clue...............

if you were the caretaker at the Smithsonian and they gave you an apartment there to live in.....would all that stuff be yours????

the Pope owns virtually NOTHING

83 posted on 08/28/2013 9:46:26 PM PDT by terycarl
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To: Revolting cat!; Gamecock
35,000 a recent study showed. 35,000 little napoleons, or should I say martin luthers?

Oh my - a 5,000 increase since the thread was posted this morning!

84 posted on 08/28/2013 10:59:18 PM PDT by Alex Murphy (Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America's destiny.)
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To: terycarl

Just as Protestant leaders don’t own their churches. Perhaps your issue is with personal wealth then?


85 posted on 08/29/2013 2:56:33 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

Did I saw they were?


86 posted on 08/29/2013 2:57:20 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: terycarl

I prefer my spiritual leaders to be against sin instead of condoning it.


87 posted on 08/29/2013 5:53:04 AM PDT by Kartographer ("We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.")
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To: driftdiver

I thought that’s what you meant. My apologies.


88 posted on 08/29/2013 8:48:06 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Don't blame me for McCain.)
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To: driftdiver
Just as Protestant leaders don’t own their churches. Perhaps your issue is with personal wealth then?

I have no isues with anything...true, the minister does not USUALLY own the church (sometimes does)....but he does own his ten million dollar mansion, and his plane, and his yacht, and his whatever.....the Pope owns virtually NOTHING.

89 posted on 08/29/2013 4:02:52 PM PDT by terycarl
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To: terycarl

Yeah ok, every single minister has a 10 million dollar mansion, a plane, a yacht. yep every single one

or you’re a liar.

hmmmm


90 posted on 08/29/2013 4:24:07 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver
Yeah ok, every single minister has a 10 million dollar mansion, a plane, a yacht. yep every single one

not every one of course....what an asinine thing to say.....but far more ministers own ten million dollar mansions, of five million dollar mansions, or $250,000 houses, or $10,000 houses, than Popes own anything of consequence. and that's what the discussion was about....the opulance of the Pope.....sad

91 posted on 08/29/2013 5:35:42 PM PDT by terycarl
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To: Brian Kopp DPM

Look out, another ‘devotional’ Joel Osteen thread has just been posted. Remember - no discussion of any kind is allowed. You gotta be ‘devoted’ to Joel!


92 posted on 08/29/2013 5:37:37 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: terycarl

Which one has a toilet with a gold flusher?

oh yeah the pope


93 posted on 08/29/2013 5:44:13 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver

“I guess you’re the second perfect person to be born on the earth.”

Nope; the best I could be is third. There’s already been two: Jesus Christ and His Mother.


94 posted on 08/29/2013 7:27:38 PM PDT by ebb tide
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To: driftdiver
Which one has a toilet with a gold flusher? oh yeah the pope

who is the more opulent....a person who OWNS a stainless steel toilet flusher or a person who merely uses someone elses gold toilet flusher???????

95 posted on 08/29/2013 9:17:19 PM PDT by terycarl
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To: ebb tide

Jesus mother was not sinless and neither are you or I.


96 posted on 08/30/2013 3:00:16 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: terycarl

So you have more respect for people who takes money from the poor to buy a gold toilet then someone who purchased a regular old crapper with their own money?


97 posted on 08/30/2013 3:02:16 AM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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