And the Winning Bid . . . $134.89

How much would you pay to see Joel Osteen speak in MSG (Madison Square Garden)?

Someone dropped $134.89 for 2 floor seats (near the front) on E-Bay to see Joel speak in the Big Apple.  Joel doesn't ask for money on his broadcasts, but he must be raking it in when he takes the show on the road.  One thing about Joel . . . when MSG sells out and tickets to see him are selling for that much on E-Bay, he's sure having his "best life now." 

Click here: 2 Floor Seats Joel Osteen 10/20/07 Madison Sq- NYC - (eBay item 160168184511 end time Oct-15-07 13:41:21 PDT)

 

I wonder if his MSG appearance will include bench-pressing?  He might even shoot a few hoops on the Knicks' home floor.  But he sure won't waste the audience's time talking about sin and a suffering Savior.

Update on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 10:52AM by Kim Riddlebarger

I had hoped to let this Osteen business go, but then I saw this on "A Little Leaven" (Click here: A Little Leaven )

Someone is actually selling an "I Watch Joel Osteen" lapel pin!  (Click here: Joel Osteen)  Please, will someone reading this buy one for Zrim!

OK, I promise, no more . . . 

Comments

[zrim]

Hmmmm, is Joel Osteen at MSG a form of transforming NYC, Dr. Keller?

If it is, I stick to my standing response to your call to transform that great city: "I love NYC the way it is and wouldn't change a thing."

Zrim

[Mark VPol]

For those in SoCal who are dying to see Joel live he will be coming to San Diego on January 4! Tickets are only $15.00 each (limit 6 per household)!

I wonder if Joel will allow WSC and WHM to have booths in the foyer!

Mark

[keith]

how much did Jesus charge for people to come and hear him preach? how about the Apostle Paul?

[Tyler]

"I wonder if his MSG appearance will include bench-pressing? He might even shoot a few hoops on the Knicks' home floor. But he sure won't waste the audience's time talking about sin and a suffering Savior."

Ha ha ha ha!

(But oh-so sad, too)

[mholst]

It's a lot cheaper to check out one of his books from the library, struggle to read through chapter 1, get mad, return it to the library, and then listen to the Whitehorse Inn to get the icky stuff out of your head. I say read only 1 chapter because he essentially says the same thing for the remainder of the book.
BTW, Kim, has Chuck Norris personally endorsed any of your books?
Matt Holst

[Megachurcher]

The sad truth is that Jesus and Paul lacked the draw to charge that kind of money. Jesus was always wording things awkwardly (remember the cannibalism mishap that dispersed the crowd.) I don't know why God didn't make Jesus as good at speaking as Joel, but I do know that Jesus never filled a colloseum. He probably couldn't bench press as much as Joel either. But even though Jesus couldn't charge enough to bankroll prestigious and lucretive religious posts for all of his friends and family, the important thing is that he stayed positive in the midst of trials and hardships. He held out for his moments of blessing, just like Joel, and just like we should.

[carolyn]

To be fair here, I've read that in city after city, big names tried to hold free events at stadiums, and ended up drawing thousands of extra people. The cities or cops or stadiums- somebody- have insisted that they sell tickets for every seat.

I suppose we could talk about cheaper tickets or ways to distribute free tickets, so that everybody has a fair chance to hear Joel explain how thinking positive thoughts will bring our desired goals. But I'd guess in the final analysis the easiest thing is just to sell normal tickets through normal venues.

[Megachurcher]

Today, I visited a hospice care facility to share Joel's message of hope. Let me warn you in advance that dying people are not very nice. One man, Stan, was only in his early 60s, but he was riddled with cancer of the hip. He had been avoiding morphine for as long as he could, because he didn't want to be to clouded to talk with his grandchildren. He managed to keep his screams of pain down to whimpers as I shared with him the magic of God's love moments of hope and blessing, and how with the right attitude he never had to be sick again and he could be rich beyond his wildest dreams. At first Stan responded with some language that was NOT very nice. I scolded him to "Turn that frown upside down!". After Stan had the nurse administer some morphine, he asked me why I wan't filfthy rich. I told him if he didn't want to have a good attitude that God was just going to send him more pain, and I ducked out just before the water pitcher hit my head.

I tried my luck at the next door. Martha was 44. Martha had congestive heart failure and multple sclerosis. She could barely move. Her husband abandoned her and failed to parent her kids when she got sick. Her son, Bill, had gotten killed trying rob a liquor store and her daughter was a junky stripper in Dallas. I knew Joel's message of hope could help her. When I shared how she never had to be sick again if she could just hope enough for God's love moments of prosperity and how she could be rich beyond her imagination, she begged me to kill her. And then it was a miracle. She spat really far! I couldn't believe it considering how weak she seemed. "Praise God! Your stength's returning already!" I hooted and did my little dance. And she kept spitting right at me, until all her machines started beeping and those rude nurses had be removed from the building.

[Todd Pedlar]

Hmm... $134 for syruppy happy-happy-joy-joy talk? Even better at MSG: How about a best of three falls, Osteen vs. Vince McMahon?

[Greg]

Joel was on Larry King tonight...

Joel revealed his acute knowledge of Scripture when recalling that just "one" of the disciples was a fisherman!

Joel struggled to recall the name of David's son... he finally got it!

When Larry (I believe who is Jewish) queried him on Jesus comment that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, Joel showed his complete ignorance of what Jesus was talking about. This would have been a perfect opportunity to present the Gospel and Joel could only think about justifying his own wealth! What a tragedy!

He claimed that Jesus came, died on the cross and rose again so we could live "an abundant life"! He also again mentioned God helping you with your parking problems!

When Larry asked him about his credentials,i.e., if he was a reverend, Joel seemed to struggle with himself. His famous smile vanished and he twice affirmed that he was a reverend...of his church. After the second affirmation his noticeably swallowed heavily.

This is the first time that I've seen Joel asked questions that seemed to catch him off guard; he seemed to have lost of bit of confidence and self-assuredness... maybe he needs to watch video tapes of himself!

Sadly, CNN's captions included lauding Osteen as the pastor of the largest church in the country... what a public embarrassment: that the lies of this heretic should be associated with the Body of Christ.

[Rick B.]

That pic would be a great 'you supply the caption'

Joel: "We are getting soooo rich"

His Wife: "We need a sack this big to hold all the money"

[Trish]

He's a total heretic of the 1st order.

[Tyler]

Megachurcher: That's great, yet disturbing! :)

[Movie Watcher]

On Saturday night, the local PBS station showed "Elmer Gantry" (1960 --based on Sinclair Lewis book of 1927) about a couple of cheesy evangelists (Burt Reynolds and Jean Simmons). I imagine most people know the story.

I had never seen the movie. It came out just as I was becoming a teenaged pietist.

I was appalled at how much Joel is like Elmer Gantry (except for the sexual peccadilloes -- Joel never seems to have gone there).

The only difference is that the cheesy female evangelist Sister Falconer (played by Jean Simmons) actually asked one of her followers if he believed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and if he believed that Jesus is divine and if he believed in the miracles of Christ. Has anyone ever heard Joel get that close to the Apostles' Creed (i.e. the Historic Christian Faith)?

I thought it was funny when I saw the 60 Minutes puff piece and they were taking up the collection in milk pails, just like Falconer and Gantry did at the tent meeting.

Gantry and Falconer took up a free will (although high-pressured) offering. They didn't charge for seats in the tent, but maybe they would have if they had had Joel to disciple them.

Larry King: Joel's appearances on Larry King prove that the age of miracles has not ended. After all Joel sits up straight as an arrow for 5 minutes without even a backbone. In my denomination, officer bearers of Joel's rank (Teaching Elder or Ruling Elder) are supposed to be able to defend the faith. Why does it seem that Larry King is always defending the faith againt Joel?

[John Cerny]

I watched the second half of the Larry King interview. Joel Osteen's mantra is "I was called to bring hope." Hope in what? And did Christianity really start with Abraham, as Joel said quickly, before Larry cut in?

[Mike Felker]

I don't have as much of a problem with the money as I do the message. People pay that much, if not more, to see Piper at the Passion conference. But I will say this; i'd pay about that much to see Osteen vs. James White in a strongman competition...hehe

[lkir]

I don't understand the shot taken at Tim Keller by the first poster in this thread. In no way does TK preach a prosperity gospel. I'm sure he would call it idolatry and works righteousness.

[zrim]

Lkir,

That was me.

That is the evil genius of prosperity gospels--they don't always come in cheesy comb overs or big stadiums. They can be very principled and ostensibly reserved, etc. I know it may be hard to swallow, but I think the case can be made that Transformationalism is a form of propserity gospel for the more principled amongst us.

Not spotting Transformationalism in this way is part of why I get a bit frustrated at shooting the proverbial fish in barrels like Osteen. Gang-banging Osteen makes us think we have the bad guys cornered while his more savvy cousin slips in the back door.

Zrim

[zrim]

I will wear it next to my I-heart-NYC pin...I swear.

Zrim

[lkir]

Zrim,
Please explain "transformationalism" and why it is prosperity gospel. I'm not being disagreeable. I really want to know. thanks.
lkir