...I do so enjoy listening to the Joel Osteen television broadcasts. I don't make a specific point to watch him, but when I'm surfing the channels, I always stop and watch as he broadcasts from the former Compaq Center in Houston TX. Invariably, the stories he relates get me misty eyed. Weird, but he gets me every time. I suspect that is his power...if he can capture the attention and heart of a non-believer it's no wonder that he's leading one of the country's megachurches.
Now I'm not going to convert or start going to church (not that there's anything wrong with that) so don't get yourselves all in a tizzy. Quite frankly, I don't have faith and that won't come from a pep talk. But I want to acknowledge that he touches me in some sort of way.
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Sunday, June 10, 2007
I'm A Confirmed Agnostic, But...
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When I first moved to Houston, I was driving along the 59 freeway - which cuts through some of the densest parts of the city - and there was the Compaq Center looming nearby (it's right on the freeway). And there was a sign in front that said, "Future Home of Lakewood Church." I thought it had to be a joke until someone explained Lakewood to me.
I doubt being an agnostic is a problem there; there's not much religious about the operation, which is basically a self-help empire (with books, videos, and all kinds of other products along with a whole range of activities) that doesn't pay taxes because it's a church. Osteen, in interviews, sounds like dot com CEO. It's a good racket; he's a smart guy. He did have the sense not to push matters by taking a parsonage exemption on the property taxes on his home in a wealthy Houston suburb (which would have saved him tens of thousands of dollars a year).
Now if he could keep his wife from getting into fights with Continental flight attendants and getting dragged off by police, it might help.
My little gripe: Lakewood is right next to two movie theaters and a bunch of restaurants, and if you go near there when they are having services, streets are closed and it looks like half the Harris County sheriff's department is there to keep order. Mind you, the place is in Greenway Plaza, a giant office/retail complex where thousands of people come and go from the vast underground parking facilities without needing that kind of special help.
So I can only conclude that Lakewood parishioners are either really bad drivers or prone to violence, thus requiring the heavy law enforcement presence.
If you are ever in Houston, drive by the place at night and see just how freaking enormous it is, and note that among the largest giant illuminated signs beaming out over the city are the Osteen's names. Got to keep that brand in the public eye.
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