Joel Osteen Popular Books

Joel Osteen Biography & Facts

Joel Scott Osteen (born March 5, 1963) is an American pastor, televangelist, businessman, and author based in Houston, Texas, United States. Known for his weekly televised services and several best-selling books, Osteen is one of the more prominent figures associated with prosperity theology and the Word of Faith movement. Early life and education Osteen was born in Houston, and is one of six children of John Osteen and Dolores ("Dodie") Pilgrim. His father, a former Southern Baptist pastor, founded Lakewood Church (of which Osteen is the current senior pastor) in the back of an old feed store.He graduated from Humble High School, a public high school in the city of Humble, Texas, in 1981, and attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he studied radio and television communications but did not graduate.In 1982, he returned to Houston, founded Lakewood's television program, and produced his father's televised sermons for 17 years until January 1999, when his father died of a heart attack. Career Osteen was ordained through his father's church in 1983 and preached his first sermon on January 17, 1999. By October 3, he was the new senior pastor of Lakewood Church. In 2003, Lakewood Church acquired the Compaq Center, former home of the NBA Houston Rockets and the AHL Houston Aeros and subsequently renovated it. According to Osteen, in 2008, Lakewood Church's weekly service TV program was viewed in more than 100 countries. Preaching style Osteen memorizes his planned remarks before he delivers them, and listens back to previous ones on tape. His sermons have been criticized as self-serving and revealing a poor command of Scripture. Osteen says he chooses to focus more on the goodness of God and on living an obedient life rather than on sin, and that he tries to teach Biblical principles in a simple way, emphasizing the power of love and a positive attitude. When asked why he does not focus more on sin, the devil, and hell in detail, Osteen stated in an interview with CBN News: When I grew up, the devil was a reason why I had a headache or the devil was the reason I got mad today. We always blamed the devil. I think today when I say the enemy, I like to make it broader. Sometimes the enemy can be our own thoughts. We've trained ourselves the wrong way. Or the enemy can be our own lack of discipline. Some people preach about hell like you're already going there, and to me the Gospel means "Good News." I'd rather say God is a God of mercy. So I think the people already know what they're doing wrong, and I certainly believe in hell. But to me, when I see thousands of people before me, it just doesn't come out of me to say, "You guys are terrible, and you're going to hell." I'd rather say that God is a God of mercy. You've got to live an obedient life, but for every mistake you've made, there's mercy there, and I believe we can do better. Events Since 2004, Osteen, along with his wife, have hosted Night of Hope events, as well as their annual stadium event called "America's Night of Hope", in the U.S. and around the world. The event incorporates contemporary Christian music and inspirational messages to reach the masses at the venue and others watching online. Osteen also hosted an event at his Lakewood Church in 2018, in collaboration with rapper Kanye West, called Sunday Service. According to media reports, the event was attended by 17,000 as well as joined by many people streaming online. He also held his Easter service during COVID-19 with Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry. Shooting On February 11, 2024, a woman with a history of mental health issues, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, accompanied by her 7-year-old son, entered the church between services and began firing an AR-15. Two off-duty police officers working security returned fire and killed her. Her son was critically injured with a gunshot to the head during the exchange of gunfire. Another man who was present was wounded in the hip, treated at a local hospital and released. Books Osteen's first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, was released in October 2004, and reached the number 1 position on The New York Times Best Seller list.He released his second book, titled Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, in October 2007. It also topped The New York Times Best Seller list and had a first printing of three million copies. Osteen has said that the book focuses more on relationships and not getting stuck where we are in life. Personal life On April 4, 1987, Osteen married Victoria Osteen (née Iloff), who later would become co-pastor of Lakewood Church. They have two children. In 2002, some of his siblings, including Paul, were also involved in full-time ministry.Osteen lives with his family in a 17,000 square-foot mansion in River Oaks, with an estimated value of $10.5 million. Osteen says that as senior pastor, he draws no salary from the church, which has an annual budget of $70 million, and that he instead relies on income from book sales. Political and social views Osteen has generally avoided discussing or preaching about controversial issues such as gay marriage, abortion, and politics. Having gone on record saying homosexuality is "not God's best", he has stated he believes the church has a tendency to become overly focused on single issues (such as homosexuality) to the point of neglecting others. When asked if he thought God approves of homosexuality, Osteen said homosexuality is a sin according to his interpretation of Scripture, but said gay people are welcome in his church without judgment.In an interview on Fox News in 2008 during the Republican Party presidential primary race, when discussing whether he thought that Mormons were Christians, Osteen indicated that he believed that they were. He further revealed that he had not studied the religion. In an interview in 2011, Osteen stated his support for Israel. Controversies Prosperity gospel Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes criticized for promoting prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel, a belief that the reward of material gain is the will of God for all pious Christians. Critics of prosperity gospel consider its teachings anathema to the gospel of Mark: Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, 'You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. On October 14, 2007, 60 Minutes ran a 12-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers His Critics", during which Reformed theologian Michael Horton told CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts that Osteen's message is heresy. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.Osteen is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million, with his church taking in $43 million a year in collect.... Discover the Joel Osteen popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Joel Osteen books.

Best Seller Joel Osteen Books of 2024

  • Reposition Yourself Reflections synopsis, comments

    Reposition Yourself Reflections

    T.D. Jakes

    T.D. Jakes offers readers of the New York Times bestseller Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits a collection of scripture and quotes that provides the spiritual underpin...

  • Hope for Your Marriage synopsis, comments

    Hope for Your Marriage

    Clayton Hurst & Ashlee Hurst

    Clayton and Ashlee Hurst share the principles and Scripture they have learned to lean on and preach at Lakewood Church. Foreword by Joel Osteen.Are you willing to do whatever it ta...

  • Love Your Life synopsis, comments

    Love Your Life

    Victoria Osteen

    Do you ever feel like your life is moving at the speed of light? Are you constantly trying to keep up with all of your commitments and responsibilities? In this day and age when mo...

  • Daily Readings from Become a Better You synopsis, comments

    Daily Readings from Become a Better You

    Joel Osteen

    A discounted box set including ebooks for Joel Osteen's bestselling, inspiration work It's Your Time, and Daily Readings from It's Your Time.

  • I Am Number 8 synopsis, comments

    I Am Number 8

    John Gray & Joel Osteen

    If God can take David the invisible eighth son of a forgotten family and turn him into a king, just imagine what magnificent plans He has for redeeming your life.David was born a...

  • Ama tu vida synopsis, comments

    Ama tu vida

    Victoria Osteen

    Now available in Spanish Victoria Osteen’s New York Times bestselling Love Your Life provides practical guidance to help women embrace joy and live life to its fullest. As one of t...

  • Daily Readings from Love Your Life synopsis, comments

    Daily Readings from Love Your Life

    Victoria Osteen

    In Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole, Victoria Osteen offered practical solutions to achieving what every person desires: balance between relationships, career, soci...

  • If My Heart Could Talk synopsis, comments

    If My Heart Could Talk

    Dodie Osteen & Joel Osteen

    Dodie Osteen, mother of Joel Osteen, gives readers a personal account of her extraordinary life and shares what she has learned about love, faith, and family.As the wife of fortyfo...

  • Winning Plays synopsis, comments

    Winning Plays

    Matt Mayberry

    No one goes undefeated when playing the game of life. Matt Mayberry is no exception. He's faced setbacks beyond his control and lots more he created himself. But even after conquer...

  • Handcrafted synopsis, comments

    Handcrafted

    Clint Harp

    A moving and inspirational memoir from the beloved maverick carpenter on HGTV’s smash hit Fixer Upper that shows how to turn your hobbies and craft into a career and celebrates the...

  • The Full Tank Life synopsis, comments

    The Full Tank Life

    Ben Tankard

    Modernday Renaissance man and star of Bravo's Thicker Than Water Ben Tankard offers powerful motivation and practical tools to empower readers to find their destiny and create an a...

  • Ich muss nur fest genug glauben synopsis, comments

    Ich muss nur fest genug glauben

    Kate Bowler

    Dieses ehrliche, mutmachende und überraschend amüsante Memoire von Kate Bowler über ein Leben mit einer TodesDiagnose ist einer von fünf SommerTipps von Bill Gates. Alles hat seine...

  • On the Seventh Day synopsis, comments

    On the Seventh Day

    T.D. Jakes

    Based on the film Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day, executiveproduced by T.D. Jakes, this novel follows the lives of a couple whose love and commitment are tested when their o...

  • Este es tu momento synopsis, comments

    Este es tu momento

    Joel Osteen

    Anímate. Mejora tus expectativas. Espera lo inesperado. En tiempos difíciles, es posible que te cueste trabajo ver que hay mejores días por venir. Tal vez sientas que tus luchas nu...

  • I Declare synopsis, comments

    I Declare

    Joel Osteen

    Embrace God's blessings every morning and experience the glory of His promises with thirtyone powerful Scripture lessons based on a regular, favorite feature of Joel Osteen's sermo...

  • Win from Within synopsis, comments

    Win from Within

    John Gray & Steven Furtick

    MegaPastor and media personality John Gray uses powerful Biblical principles to help you become your best self the person God created you to be. In Win FromWithin, John Gray helps...

  • Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage synopsis, comments

    Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage

    Mark Gungor

    “Mark has written a fun and enlightening book that can help all couples communicate and understand each other better.” John Gray, PhD, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from V...

  • How to Overcome Fear synopsis, comments

    How to Overcome Fear

    Marcos Witt

    Fear is devastatingly real. All of us at some point have faced it. In fact, approximately one out of ten people has experienced a panic attack or a crisis situation. From fear of...

  • One Simple Idea synopsis, comments

    One Simple Idea

    Mitch Horowitz

    From the millionsstrong audiences of Oprah and The Secret to the massmedia ministries of evangelical figures like Joel Osteen and T. D. Jakes, to the motivational bestsellers and N...

  • Focused synopsis, comments

    Focused

    J.J. Moses

    The creator of the #1 professional and personal development program in professional sports reveals his winning playbook for unleashing your Godgiven potential.At 5'6" and from a sm...

  • From the Cross to Pentecost synopsis, comments

    From the Cross to Pentecost

    T.D. Jakes

    New York Times bestselling author T.D. Jakes explores the importance of Christ’s death on the cross and the importance of the Holy Spirit which gives power, anoints believers, and ...

  • Reposition Yourself synopsis, comments

    Reposition Yourself

    T.D. Jakes

    Life should be full of success, spirituality, and happy relationships, but we often settle for lessReposition Yourself is a guide for living a more prosperous life through Christia...

  • Own The Moment synopsis, comments

    Own The Moment

    Carl Lentz

    This engaging and inspirational book by Carl Lentz, the rock star pastor of Hillsong NYC, shows us the way toward a more connected, spirituallygrounded, and fulfilled life.When you...

  • Desired by God synopsis, comments

    Desired by God

    Van Moody

    Popular pastor and acclaimed author Van Moody reveals the secret to a fulfilling, lifesustaining relationship with God: a deep understanding of just how much he loves us.We were ma...

  • The Money Cult synopsis, comments

    The Money Cult

    Chris Lehmann

    A grand and startling work of American historyAmerica was founded, we’re taught in school, by the Pilgrims and other Puritans escaping religious persecution in European austere and...

  • 64 Lessons for a Life Without Limits synopsis, comments

    64 Lessons for a Life Without Limits

    T.D. Jakes

    The New York Times bestselling author, senior pastor of The Potter’s House, and “spiritual warrior who is a master of meeting mankind eye to eye” (Stedman Graham, New York Times be...

  • Let It Go synopsis, comments

    Let It Go

    T.D. Jakes

    T.D. Jakes, New York Times bestselling author of Reposition Yourself, Making Great Decisions, and more than a dozen other titles, presents this book on forgiveness, demonstrating o...

  • Salvation with a Smile synopsis, comments

    Salvation with a Smile

    Phillip Luke Sinitiere

    Joel Osteen, the smiling preacher, has quickly emerged as one of the most recognizable Protestant leaders in the country. His megachurch, the Houston based Lakewood Church, hosts a...

  • The Prayer of Protection synopsis, comments

    The Prayer of Protection

    Joseph Prince

    In these days of danger, trouble, and evil, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Prince reveals how God's children can have roundtheclock protection through the power of prayer...

  • Your Best Lie Now synopsis, comments

    Your Best Lie Now

    Adam Key

    Joel Osteen is, without a doubt, one of the most prominent pastors in the United States. Senior pastor of Lakewood Church, the nation's largest and fastest growing congregation...

  • A Diary of Private Prayer synopsis, comments

    A Diary of Private Prayer

    John Baillie & Susanna Wright

    Editor Susanna Wright offers this updated edition of a Christian devotional classicinvoking the daily prayers and timeless imagery of the original text through modern, accessible l...

  • The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible synopsis, comments

    The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible

    T.D. Jakes

    From Genesis to Revelation, it is clear that the Holy Bible is, in the words of Bishop T.D. Jakes, “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.” It is not a book about religion, but relatio...

  • Why I Hate Religion synopsis, comments

    Why I Hate Religion

    Dr. Creflo Dollar

    Pastor Creflo Dollar offers ten compelling reasons why God hates religion but loves for people to have real relationships with Christ. Religion has broken churches, fueled wars, a...

  • Making Great Decisions synopsis, comments

    Making Great Decisions

    T.D. Jakes

    New York Times bestselling author T.D. Jakes explains the tools that we need to knowwhether we’re single and looking to have a committed relationship or already marriedbefore takin...