Research On Religion » Joel Osteen

Phillip Sinitiere on the Osteens & Lakewood Church

tonygill — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 09:00:04 +0000

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Since 2000, Pastor Joel Osteen seemingly has become an overnight success on the national evangelical scene. But his rise in popularity, along with that of Lakewood Church, has a deeper history dating back to the ministry of his father, John Osteen. Prof. Phillp L. Sinitiere — an associate professor of history at the College of Biblical Studies (Houston) and a visiting assistant professor at Sam Houston State University — talks about his new book Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, & American Christianity.

As is par for the course, we explore how our guest came to be interested in the topic he studies. Prof. Sinitiere grew up in Houston, which he calls the “buckle of the Bible Belt,” and attended small churches in a mixed-ethnicity neighborhood. Having known about Lakewood Church growing up, he found it to be an interesting topic given his fascination with the history of American Christianity and considering how it dovetailed with his interests in African-American Christianity. His experience studying Lakewood dates back about a decade, and Phillip tells the story of his first visit to the mega-church and how he was immediately approached to sing in the choir. He talks of himself as a “shade tree sociologist” using both archival research and ethnographic fieldwork to paint a vivid picture of the Osteen family and the Lakewood community.

Our conversation turns historically to the story of John Osteen, the founder of Lakewood Church, and his unique personal journey to the pastorate. We learn about John Osteen’s childhood growing up during the Great Depression, his evangelical conversion to Christ as a teen, and his Southern Baptist charismatic roots. After attending John Brown University, he then followed his spiritual development through the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and spent some time in California during the 1940s before returning to Houston. Phillip notes that the elder Osteen was associated with some of the early attempts at “televangelism” in the 1950s when TV was becoming all the rage. Following a divorce in 1955, another marriage brings him a daughter who has medical problems at a young age but who eventually grew in health. This event had a significant impact on John and he becomes more drawn to the neo-Pentecostal movement bubbling up at the time and develops an interest in divine healing, which plays an important role in his theological development, eventually influencing his son Joel. Prof. Sinitiere then details the institutional founding and growth of Lakewood Church. Interestingly, shortly after Lakewood’s founding in 1959, John heads down to Mexico to do missionary work but returns home in the late 1960s. This gap in the senior Osteen’s ministry proves critical for Lakewood’s eventual multi-racial appeal as John did not get drawn into the divisiveness of the Civil Rights Movement in the South during the 1960s.

We follow Lakewood Church’s history through the 1970s and into the ’80s when Joel enters the picture and begins working in the television aspect of his father’s ministry in the early 1980s. By this time, Lakewood could be considered a mega-church by scholarly standards (more than 2,000 members) and Joel is learning how to manage such a large congregation as it grows extensively during this time. We also talk a bit about the transition of the pastorate to Joel in 1999. Shortly after taking the helm, Joel moves Lakewood from northeast Houston and to Greenway Plaza and the Compaq Center, giving the church new visibility along a major highway. Combined with the use of social media and an expanding televangelism ministry, Lakewood witnesses unprecedented growth making it the largest congregation in America.

Our discussion then picks up on theological themes and Prof. Sinitiere explains the “prosperity gospel” that Joel Osteen (and his father before him) were known for. Phillip traces the roots back to 19th century “New Thought” and the neo-Pentecostal movement of the 20th century. While there is much emphasis on material advancement within prosperity gospel thinking, Phillip points out that a major part of John Osteen’s theology also revolved around divine healing, which was influenced both by his daughter’s recovery from muscular disease and his second wife’s overcoming cancer. We then examine the development of Joel’s theological perspective and the influences that Joyce Meyer and John Maxwell played. Joel’s thinking emerges in the first few years of his taking the helm at Lakewood, and in addition to the material aspects of his theology that his critics are quick to point out, Prof. Sinitiere notes that there is a great deal of emphasis on healthy living, psychological wholeness, and positive thinking, which was an influence from his father. The picture that is painted by Phillip is more nuanced than of Osteen’s critics. While not an apologist for the prosperity gospel, Prof. Sinitiere puts it into a much broader context based upon his own research of the topic.

We finish our discussion with an examination of how Lakewood’s congregants have taken to this prosperity gospel message, and what impact the Osteens have had on American Christianity. Phillip notes that many individuals who attend Lakewood see it as a means of finding a “second chance” in life, and that several of these individuals eventually go in search of deeper Christianity elsewhere. Amongst these individuals, there is an image of Lakewood being a “seasonal Christianity” from whence they move into other phases of their spiritual development. Phillip also points out that Lakewood’s congregation is multi-racial although the leadership has tended to be Caucasian, but notes that there have been efforts to address this in recent years. As for Lakewood’s impact, Phillip explains how the Osteens have “re-enchanted” American televangelism and how the message of predictability in unstable times seems to resonate during times of economic turmoil. He also observes that many of Osteen’s Calvinist critics indicates the broader influence Osteen is having on the discussion of Christianity in America. Recorded: Jan. 21, 2016.

Phillip Sinitiere’s personal website.

Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity, by Phillip Sinitiere.

Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace, by Shayne Lee and Phillip Sinitiere.

Christians and the Color Line: Religion & Race after Divided by Faith, by Russell Hawkins and Phillip Sinitiere.

Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, by Kate Bowler (mentioned on the podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.

Matt Sutton on Aimee Semple McPherson.

Darin Mather on Evangelicals and Racial Attitudes.

Jeremy Lott on the Religious Newsmakers of 2013

tonygill — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 09:00:10 +0000

Jeremy Lott of the RealClear world (now an editor-at-large at RealClearPolitics) joins us to discuss his list of the top religious newsmakers of 2013. Unlike a list that focuses on events, his recounting of the year focuses on personalities. The usual suspects, namely Pope Francis, make the list, but so do some other folks that you may not have remembered or even heard of.

We start off the coversation with two leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention — Fred Luter and Russel Moore — who have started to reshape the direction that their denomination is heading. Many of their policy moves represent a softening of the Southern Baptists on the political front and we discuss why this is. Next up, we do cover an “event” that was associated with two individuals — the Boston Marathon Bombing. Jeremy gives his perspective on that event and we speculate to what effect this will have on how we view terrorism in the United States.

On a less serious note, we turn to our third “newsmaker/event” of the year, which was the “Tips for Jesus” trope that strung out over several months. Starting with the actions of a pastor who refused to give 15% to a waitress back in the summer and then to another waitress who faked a similar incident, we track how this has led to a number of “anonymous” big tippers for Jesus in the month of December.

Following our gratuity controversy, we turn then to a series of three megachurch pastors that have all stirred up the religious soup pot in one way or another. Mark Driscoll is first on that list based not only upon his “in-your-face masculine” Christianity, but because of a recent plagiarism controversy that has arose around him. The next megachurch newsmaker was Joel Osteen, not for any action on his part but rather because of a hoax that someone perpetrated claiming Osteen has left Christianity behind. Given that so many people fell for this hoax might have something to say about the state of Christianity in the U.S. today, and we chat a bit about this. Finally, Rob Bell makes the list not for his acceptance of same-sex marriage. which became common fare for many religious notables this year, but rather for what happened to his own congregation following the release of his book, Love Wins. Apparently, there was a dramatic drop in membership following the publication of that work and this leads us to a brief discussion, once again, of “nones,” a topic that both Jeremy and I believe has been exhausted and/or needs a whole discussion unto itself.

Not all well-known ministers made the news because of controversy. We finish off the podcast with reflections on Billy Graham and Pope Francis. Graham makes this list because he gave his final sermon in the past year, prompting many people to reflect upon his amazing ministry and his impact in the future. Jeremy then shares his perspective on arguably the most talked about religious figure of the year, Pope Fancis. This perplexing pontiff seemed to both exhilarate and anger progressive and conservative Catholics alike, all the while garnering immense admiration all around the world. Finally, Tony asks Jeremy for trends to be looking for in the year ahead, which allows us to wrap around with some of the things from the year behind. Recorded: January 2, 2014.

RELATED LINKS

“Kind of a Big Deal: Top Newsmakers of 2013,” by Jeremy Lott (on RealClearReligion).

RealClearReligion — a great place for all your religious news! (You can also link to RealClearScience and RealClearBooks here too.)

William F. Buckley (Christian Encouter Series), by Jeremy A. Lott.

In Defense of Hypocrisy: Picking Sides in the War on Virtue, by Jeremy A. Lott.

The Warm Bucket Brigade: The Story of the American Vice Presidency, by Jeremy A. Lott.

I’ll Never Forget It: Memoirs of a Political Accident from East Baltimore, by Marvin Mandel, Jeremy Lott, and Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama.

Jeremy Lott on America’s Shifting Religious Election Coalition.

Jeremy Lott on Episcopalians, Ex-Atheists, Health Care, and German Circumcision.

Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion.

James Felak on Picking Pontiffs and Pope Francis.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

Christopher Scheitle’s Religious Road Trip

tonygill — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:00:06 +0000

What do you get when you take a seasoned sociologist and a senior research associate, put them in a rented Dodge Charger for six weeks, and tell them to discover what America’s spiritual landscape is all about? You get a religious road trip with Christopher P. Scheitle and Roger Finke .. and you learn a whole lot about what it is like to be religious in the US! Chris Scheitle, a senior research associate in the Department of Sociology at Penn State University and adjunct assistant professor at the College of St. Benedict – St. John’s University in Minnessota, tells us how this unique research project came about. He reveals how he suggested this offbeat idea to Roger Finke over a few beers and that Roger came back with some research funding and his wife’s permission a few days later and off they went (after a bit of preparation). Their first stop took them to Memphis, TN to investigate the experience and influence of an African American church headed up by Robert Cole. Chris details how the black church experience has permeated the broader American culture and what this means for religion in America. It is then off to Houston, TX to pop into Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, a megachurch that serves roughly 40,000 congregants on any given Sunday. We discuss the role of megachurches in America and how they represent the adaptability and creativity of the American religious spirit. We then stop at a local Houston Yerberia and a cowboy church just out of Amarillo to find out what these entities bring to the national experience. Travelling up to Colorado Springs, often called the “Vatican of evangelical Christianity,” we then find out about the role played by parachurch organizations such as Focus on the Family and Global Mapping International. And then it is off to San Francisco to peak into various Asian immigrant religious groups such as the Buddhist Churches of America and even a Hare Krishna group. We finish up the trip with an exploration of Muslims in Detroit and Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. All along the way, Tony peppers Chris with questions about what it is like to drive around the country with a full professor and what kind of music Roger Finke likes to listen to. We end with Chris’s thoughts on what he learned from this trip and find out that although the American religious landscape is defined by its pluralism and diversity, in reality many religious folks of different faith traditions often share the same concerns with one another; Chris ends up impressed with the similarities that arise from our national diversity. Recorded: February 17, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Places of Faith: A Road Trip across America’s Religious Landscape, by Christopher P. Scheitle and Roger Finke.

Christopher P. Scheitle’s website and Penn State University.

The Association of Religious Data Archive (ARDA) at Penn State University.

An article about Places of Faith at Ahead of the Trend on The ARDA.

RELATED PODCASTS

Roger Finke on Religious Persecution.

Daniel Stiles on Cowboy Churches.

Chris Bader on Ghosts, Bigfoot, and the Paranormal.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths

tonygill — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:00:12 +0000

Since the early 1980s, the nmber of megachurches –defined as churches with weekly attendance exceeding 2,000 congregants — have increasingly grown in number and scope. From the casual glance of an outside observer, these churches often appear to be highly impersonal and spiritually shallow, prefering theatrics to theology. Dave Travis, the managing director of The Leadership Network and co-author of Beyond Megachurch Myths, explores these impressions and several other stereotypes surrounding megachurches. We cover the variation in size, demographic composition, and theological orientation of these churches and continue our discussion by examining the different organizational emphases one sees in these organizations. Our conversation also drifts to the denominational affiliation (or lack thereof) of megachurches and we think about whether denominationalism is a relevant concept in the contemporary world. Dave also reveals different ways that these large churches make themselves “smaller” with the use of small groups. Indeed, much of the spiritual growth that members of these churches experience often occurs outside the typical Sunday service. Dave’s research has also shown that many members of megachurches do feel they are getting a serious dose of theology. We speculate on the future of megachurches, particularly those led by charismatic and well-recognized figures such as Rick Warren and Mark Driscoll. What will happen when these figures pass from the scene? How do megachurches deal with the issue of pastoral succession? At the end of the interview, Dave discusses his role at The Leadership Network and tells Tony there is nothing he can do to help the Seattle Seahawks. Recorded: August 12, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Dave Travis’s profile at the Leadership Network.

Beyond Megachurch Myths, by Scott Thumma & Dave Travis.

“Not Who You Think They Are: The Real Story of People Who Attend America’s Megachurches,” by Scott Thumma and Warren Bird.

Reinventing American Protestantism, by Donald E. Miller.

RELATED PODCASTS

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Mark Driscoll on the Growth of Mars Hill Church.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.