Can’t handle the truth, Joel?
Texas megachurch pastor Joel Osteen is garnering some viral attention (once again) in the wake of Pope Francis’ death. Of course, an Argentina native, Pope Francis, the first Pope to be born in the Americas as well as the first Jesuit Pope, recently passed away due to a stroke and subsequent heart failure at the age of 88. And while honoring the memory of the late Pope, a number of Catholic Christians have praised the man’s humble lifestyle after a photo of his bedroom went viral.
Unfortunately, the photo isn’t accurate, but it was relatively similar to the bedroom that he had. The first photo is from 2005 and features a room in Casa Santa Marta that he occupied briefly before he became the Pope. The second picture is his actual bedroom, which is still pretty simple, but clearly more refined:
Of course, let’s not forget that the Pope’s rather humble room is located in one of the most beautiful and grandiose places on Earth, Vatican City. Specifically, the Pope resides in the Papal Apartments, which are located in the Apostolic Palace. The Apostolic Palace also houses the Sistine Chapel.
So his bedroom might have been “humble,” but walk down the hall a few a feet and you’re standing inside of a literal masterpiece:
His room was in this house ⬇️
Humble it ain’t. pic.twitter.com/DRhIJFKDEw
— Moral Tourism (@moraltourism) April 28, 2025
The Catholic Church has been generating wealth for nearly 2,000 years…
Nevertheless, the photo did spark a comparison to well-known megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, who pastors at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas,. At approximately 45,000 attendees, it’s one of the largest congregations in the country, and in the entire world. For those not familiar, I’ll give you a brief rundown on ol’ Joel…
Following the sudden death of his father, the lead pastor at the time, John Osteen stepped into the pulpit in 1999. Despite having little formal theological training, Osteen’s warm and friendly, conversational style of preaching, and focus on feel-good motivational speaking resonated with a wide audience. Lakewood Church rapidly expanded under his leadership, moving into the former Compaq Center in 2005, a former NBA arena retrofitted to seat over 16,000 attendees.
Osteen has grown his massive audience on the back of what’s known as the “prosperity gospel,” AKA a heretical belief that faith and positive thinking can lead to material wealth and physical well-being. This controversial and I’ll say it… false teaching… has drawn millions of followers and sold millions of copies of his books like Your Best Life Now and Become a Better You. Despite controversy, Osteen has remained a highly influential figure. His television sermons reach millions across the globe, and his books consistently appear on bestseller lists. His communication style — typically light on actual Christian doctrine, and heavy on fluffy, feel-good, positive encouragement appeals to a wide range of lost people seeking religious affirmation, hope and inspiration.
And that level of success has left Joel with the kind of wealth that you’d find in Silicon Valley, or perhaps the Texas oil business… not your average church pastor. And while I don’t really want to turn this conversation into an argument on Christian doctrine, I think it is safe to say that his wealth is excessive for that of a pastor. We know that the Bible speaks often on money and wealth, with 1 Timothy saying that the “love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Jesus also says in Matthew that “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Not saying you can’t be rich and be a Christian… not saying that AT ALL… but I think there is A LOT to be wary of.
And to be fair, most of the megachurch pastors make a lot of money on book sales, appearances and speaking engagements. In fact, many donate a lot to charity and the church, and don’t even take a salary from their church. Not calling it right or good, but generally, this kind of wealth isn’t straight up taken from the offering plate like most people think, and pastors DO pay personal income taxes. Like I said, not calling this kind of wealth right or good for a pastor, and will certainty call out Joel’s false teaching of the Gospel, but there is a lot of nuance and misinformation relating to churches and money.
But in light of the conversation surrounding the Pope and his bedroom, a number of X posts on Osteen’s mansion went MEGA VIRAL, with a number of people calling him out for his grandiose lifestyle. A photo of a mansion that is actually Kim Kardashian’s house is going viral too, but Joel’s real house is pictured below and in the article cover image:
And naturally, it came with a bevy of criticism for the Texas pastor.
No Christian I know thinks Joel Osteen is a Christian. He is a charlatan, a showman and a heretic. He leads people away from Christ. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
— Feed your chickens well… (@JohnTilton9) April 27, 2025
Christians flashing cash ain’t it. We don’t serve two masters.
Joel Osteen is a false teacher who makes a living off a false gospel (prosperity gospel). He’s a wolf.
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) April 28, 2025
Brother, Joel Osteen preaches a completely different Gospel.
He may be drawing crowds, but what is he drawing them to? Self, entertainment, and getting their ears tickled.
He’s a heretic. He’s not saving people, he’s confirming them in their condemnation
— Brian Freytag (@brianfreytag) April 27, 2025
So much so, that Joel removed the ability to comment on some of his most recent X posts.
His most recent post has the comments back on, but they remained off over the weekend while the negative comments poured in.
