Plugged-in preacher Joel Osteen slakes thirst for hope

It's hard to miss him. Joel Osteen's smiling face lines shelves at every bookstore. His televised sermons from Houston are viewed weekly by 7 million Americans, a good chunk of those right here in Hampton Roads.

Locals will have a chance to see Osteen in person as he brings his national "A Night of Hope" tour to Scope on Friday and hosts book signings this week in Chesapeake and Norfolk. His wife, Victoria, will appear with him.

"We've always had good support and praise in Norfolk," Joel Osteen said during a recent phone interview. "We're looking forward to being there."

Osteen, 47, is known for his gospel of hope and inspiration; that God wants people to have successful lives - in health, relationships and finances. It's the backbone of a tour that began in 2004 and has continued with one national stop each month and one or two overseas visits.

Osteen said he never expected his appearances to be so popular. In April, more than 45,000 filled Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Osteen said people need a message of hope, and that's what prompted him to write his latest book, "It's Your Time." Released in November, it hit the New York Times best-seller list.

"I wrote that because, with the economy and so much going on, I wanted to let people know that God doesn't want us to be just in survival mode, just hoping to survive," Osteen said in his signature Texas twang. "I believe that God can bless us, even in the desert."

Osteen's appeal and popularity are hard to ignore. He comes across as an aw-shucks kind of guy, the child of a preacher who wanted his son to follow him into the pulpit, though the son didn't want to.

Osteen studied radio and television communications at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and started his father's television ministry in 1982. He gave in to his father's wishes and preached his first sermon in January 1999. His father died days later.

Lakewood Church now pulls in more than 40,000 for its weekly services and is housed in the former Houston Rockets basketball arena. Osteen's free audio podcast is downloaded nearly 4 million times each month. His most popular books, "Your Best Life Now" and "Become a Better You," also were best-sellers.

Regent University President Carlos Campo said Osteen has a multifaceted appeal that includes his look - trim and tall, with glossy dark hair and an easy smile - and his manner.

"People feel that he's nonthreatening," Campo said. "He's certainly tapping into something in America. While one might be critical of him, one must pay attention to his tapping into a need, an interest... from my perspective, that keeps him popular. He takes an approach that's open, that's hopeful."

Osteen's sermons have drawn flak from those who criticize him for being more of a motivational speaker than a theologian and for not using enough scripture in his preaching. He's also been accused of smiling too much. Osteen often is called a "prosperity preacher" because he believes that God's blessings can include eternal salvation as well as financial rewards while here on earth.

Osteen rejects that label. He doesn't ask for money on television, he said, and his critics define prosperity too narrowly.

"The way I think about prosperity is that God wants you to be happy. He wants you to be healthy. He wants you to be able to send your children to college," he said. "Prosperity is not just about money. I do believe God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing to others."

Osteen will be coming to the area as it's still dealing with the recent news of the closing of the Joint Forces Command, which could mean the loss of thousands of jobs.

He'll have a special message, he said.

"You know that God has you in the palm of his hand, and you have to stay in a place of trust. You can't manipulate the situation," he said. "We're going to believe that this doesn't happen, but if it does, you must think, I truly believe, that God has a better plan. And that God will give you the strength to make it through."

Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com