Free Republic

Pastor Who Opposes Abortion to Deliver DNC's Closing Prayer By Krissah Williams Sen. Barack Obama's team will continue its aggressive outreach to evangelical voters at the Democratic National Convention next week. Making a prime-time appearance Thursday night will be Joel C. Hunter, a Florida megachurch pastor who will deliver the convention's closing prayer following Obama's speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination. Hunter is a registered Republican, opposes abortion and, at one point, had been chosen to lead the Christian Coalition. He has not endorsed Obama and says he agreed to give the benediction because has was asked to do so....

... A Southern Baptist minister who breaks the conservative mold. Touted by some as the likely successor to Billy Graham. On Saturday, pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life," will do what no one else has yet accomplished: bring the presumptive GOP and Democratic presidential nominees onto the same stage to discuss their views. It's a sign of religion's importance in the 2008 presidential campaign. The event, back-to-back one-hour interviews at Mr. Warren's California megachurch, will be broadcast live on CNN and streamed on the Web. It also represents the emergence of a new style of evangelical leadership on...

When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage Saturday at the sprawling religious campus of Orange County's Saddleback Church, their presence will vividly underline the reach that has made Pastor Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation. ~snip~ But Warren's willingness to soft-pedal political issues once central to U.S. evangelicals, such as opposition to abortion, has opened him to criticism that he has strayed from his calling to spread the Gospel. It's likely that both fans and critics will be watching closely when Warren plays host to the two presidential contenders at his church...

Mosques are multiplying across the country and their inspiration may come as a bit of a surprise – Christian megachurches. Similar to many megachurches, new mosques are popping up as extension campuses to a main mosque with the stated goal of making it more convenient for Muslims in an area to worship. These extended mosque sites are sometimes referred to as “mosque chains” and tend to be adopted by more progressive Muslim congregations. "Because of how streamlined we are, you can get off the highway from anywhere and find a mosque that is well-maintained, well-structured and that will always be...

Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama will speak Aug. 16 at Saddleback Church in what is expected to be the only joint campaign event for the candidates before the national conventions. The Lake Forest megachurch’s pastor, Rick Warren, will moderate the joint appearance, which will take place on the eve of the two national party conventions. After a brief appearance together, the two candidates will separately spend an hour talking with Warren.

The 23rd Psalm rolled off the Rev. Jason Strand's tongue with soothing familiarity, the way it had since he memorized it as a boy. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters ..." But up on the 16-by-24-foot screens flanking Strand, the PowerPoint version displayed the updated words "quiet waters" instead of the "still waters" of Strand's memory. Amy Anderson noticed the problem instantly. She began scribbling notes in her three-ring binder, then flipped to a new page to catch up with what...

A campaign worker for Barack Obama and the Texas Methodist pastor who advises President Bush have been linked to a website that bashes prominent Christian leader and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. The site, called "jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme," appeared just days ago after Dobson criticized Obama's interpretation of the Bible during a 2006 speech and Obama responded essentially by calling Dobson a liar, accusing him of "making things up." Now a report from OneNewsNow, a division of the American Family Association, said the website originally was registered to Obama campaign worker Alyssa Martin, but the registration later was changed to...

Barack Obama discussed Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and other issues Tuesday with Christian leaders, including conservatives who have been criticized for praising the Democratic presidential candidate. Bishop T.D. Jakes, a prominent black clergyman who heads a Dallas megachurch, said Obama took questions, listened to participants and discussed his "personal journey of faith." The discussion "went absolutely everywhere," Jakes told The Associated Press, and "just about every Christian stripe was represented in that room." Jakes, who does not endorse candidates and said he also hopes to meet with Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said some participants clearly have...

Jackson, Tn - It's a Sunday morning in Jackson, Tennessee, and for David O'Rouke, on this particular Sunday, it's a day of uncertainty and possible change. O'Rouke, who has been a long time member of the popular Longview Baptist Church, which has over 15,000 members, has ventured out into the unknown, paying a visit to the much smaller but friendly congregation of Mt. Olive Baptist Church on the outskirts of town. With just over 300 active members and a 4 member praise band, Mt. Olive's worship service is a far cry from the massive production that occurs every Sunday at...

The California pastor who has helped churches worldwide increase attendance by leaps and bounds through his “purpose driven” phenomena now has his eye on New York City. Wed, Jan. 30, 2008 Posted: 11:25:35 AM EST MT. BETHEL, Pa. - The California pastor who has helped churches worldwide increase attendance by leaps and bounds through his “purpose driven” phenomena now has his eye on New York City. Speaking at the 17th annual Pastors' Prayer Summit in Pennsylvania Tuesday, Rev. Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, asked for the collaboration of 300 pastors and church leaders from the Greater New...

Texas: Plano man Joe Barron, 52, a minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church near Dallas, was arrested after driving nearly 200 miles to Bryan to meet who he thought was a 13-year-old girl he had been chatting with sexually online for roughly two weeks. The girl was actually an undercover agent leading police to Barron and his car, inside of which they found condoms and a web-cam. He had been with the 26,000-member church for 18 months; they said this was the first incident of this type with Barron. Executive pastor Mike Buster said, "We are disturbed and saddened by the...

An evangelical pastor who backs John McCain tried to put his controversial remarks about the Catholic Church behind him, apologizing to the head of the Catholic League and expressing "deep regret for any comments Catholics found hurtful." ...In his letter, Hagee said he had gained a better understanding in recent weeks of the Catholic Church's relationship to the Jewish faith. He wrote of his "profound respect for the Catholic people" and said he hoped to advance "greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals." The Catholic League said in a statement that it accepted the apology. "Pastor John Hagee has demonstrated an...

After modeling a seeker-sensitive approach to church growth for three decades, Willow Creek Community Church now plans to gear its weekend services toward mature believers seeking to grow in their faith. cut Since 1975, Willow Creek has avoided conventional church approaches, using its Sunday services to reach the unchurched through polished music, multimedia, and sermons referencing popular culture and other familiar themes. cut .....surveyed congregants at Willow Creek and six other churches, suggested that evangelistic impact was greater from those who self-reported as "close to Christ" or "Christ-centered" than from new church attendees. In addition, a quarter of the "close...

The American Family Outing, a gay-friendly outreach to mega-churches, responds to Family Research Council fund-raising letter.Austin, TX (PRWEB) April 10, 2008 -- On Thursday, April 3, 2008, The Gay City News reported on a Family Research Council (FRC) fundraising letter devoted to the American Family Outing, a project that aims to create dialogue between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) families and members at six American mega-churches. The letter, dated March 2008 and signed by FRC President Tony Perkins, asks for $50,000 to create "Church Crisis Response Teams" to react to same-sex couples and their children who have expressed a desire...

TV preacher Joel Osteen shuns lavish lifestyle of some others MARK I. PINSKY The Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — If the evangelical world is looking for a poster child to offset the negative publicity surrounding rich televangelists, Joel Osteen would be a good choice. Joel Osteen, pastor of the nation’s largest megachurch, preaches at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, where services are broadcast around the world.MCT Photo Times Leader Photo Store Osteen is among the nation’s most widely recognized television ministers, trailing only Billy Graham and Rick Warren, and in 2006 was named the most influential Christian in America by...

February 27, 2008, 6:22 pm Mega-Church Pastor in Texas Backs McCain By Elisabeth Bumiller SAN ANTONIO — Senator John McCain got support on Wednesday from an important corner of evangelical Texas when the pastor of a San Antonio mega-church, Rev. John C. Hagee, endorsed Mr. McCain for president. Mr. Hagee, who argues that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive, biblically prophesized military strike against Iran that will lead to the second coming of Christ, praised Mr. McCain for his pro-Israel views. “John McCain has publicly stated his support of the state of Israel, pledging that his administration...

Joel Osteen wants you to stand up straight. "Even many good, godly people have gotten into a bad habit of slumping and looking down," Mr. Osteen writes in his best-selling self-improvement tract Become a Better You. "[Y]ou need to put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, and communicate strength, determination, and confidence." After all, "We know we're representing Almighty God. Let's learn to walk tall." Mr. Osteen is the pastor of Houston's Lakewood Church, a Pentecostal congregation recently named the largest in the country by Outlook magazine, hosting some 47,000 souls in the former Compaq Center, where the...

According to the Family Research Council, a new Barna poll shows that the "born again," whatever that might this week, now overwhelmingly support Hillary (20% of the "born again" vote) and Obama (18%). How is it possible that seemingly devout Christians could support the party that stands like a phalanx behind partial birth abortion and redefining marriage into oblivion and opposes biblical free market principles? Look no further than "America's Pastor" and the Saddleback Church, where Obama and Hillary were guests last year. Rick Warren, while claiming to be acting in a Christian, conciliatory manner, treating these leftwing politicians as...

People were walking toward the impressive auditorium from every direction. I got the impression of a crowd going to a sporting event. Almost every person was dressed as if they were. Out of thousands of people, I saw one man wearing a suit; most people were in shorts so I saw lots of leg. It was a very causal event. I did see five or six women carrying what seemed to be Bibles, although surely not a KJV! But then, I’m making an unsupported judgment. Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL is having an incredible impact on “evangelical”...

This winter, as the Rev. Joel Osteen graces the pages of People Magazine, the familiar image of the old-school, anti-gay televangelist is rapidly being replaced by a new iconography: a younger generation of mega-church leaders with upbeat and inviting messages. Unfortunately, while this generation's tone may seem less harsh, many of their mega-churches still enforce policies of exclusion and teach theologies that label Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people as sick, sinful, and in need of change. An "American Family Outing" is taking shape in the spring of 2008 so LGBT families can talk with mega-church leaders and congregation...

"Small Church Manifesto." We will no longer purchase any teaching videos or books produced by mega-church pastors. We will no longer feel guilty that our 1897-version sanctuary is not suited for today's contemporary worship services. Neither, we believe, is a pastor's theology suspect because he doesn't wear his shirttails out and sit on a stool while preaching. We will no longer feel that a sermon is lacking something if it doesn't include a video clip from a major motion picture. We will no longer use any statistics produced by religious research groups that are paid for by our denominational contributions...

ATLANTA - The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch has been charged with lying under oath, court documents show. A warrant for the arrest of Archbishop Earl Paulk, co-founder of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church, was issued Monday, according to court documents. Paulk was making arrangements Monday night to turn himself in to authorities, WAGA-TV reported. Paulk's attorneys did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press for comment. Former church employee Mona Brewer is suing Paulk, his brother, Don, and the church for allegedly manipulating her into an affair from 1989 to 2003...

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Republican Mike Huckabee spoke from the pulpit Sunday, not as a politician but as the preacher he used to be, and delivered a sermon on how merely being good isn't enough to get into heaven. Huckabee is vying for support from the Christian conservatives who dominate the GOP in South Carolina, which on Saturday chooses a Republican presidential nominee. A former Baptist minister and Arkansas governor, Huckabee is competing for their votes with fellow southerner Fred Thompson. As in Iowa, where Huckabee won the Jan. 3 caucuses, Huckabee is rousing pastors to marshal their flocks for...

Megachurch leaders such as Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and Robert Schuller have principles like the elastic in an old woman’s drawers: It will stretch to fit almost any shape! They have problems with principle. It seems their ambition has outrun their character. In deciding right and wrong, character does not consider friends or foes, personality or position; family or faith; reputation or riches, but will apply absolute truth that comes from the Scripture. The above three leaders of aberrational Christianity are very careful to never offend anyone with such “barbaric” teachings as personal sin, repentance, judgment, hell and the like;...

The Bible is against abortion. Hillary is for killing womb babies. The Bible is against active homosexuality. Hillary endorses sodomy. The Bible is against other gods than God. Hillary is polytheistic in that any deity is fine for her. Yet Hillary quotes then from the Bible in a sanctuary. So what’s new? Per AP, “Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton used an appearance at one of the nation’s largest evangelical churches Thursday to sketch a broad agenda to take on disease around the globe, calling it ‘the right thing to do.’ “The centerpiece of a speech laced with Biblical references and reflections...

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.—High on prescription drugs and four days without sleep, Michael Berke raced his Harley to the megachurch where he'd found a home. He barged into the church office, cursing loudly and wearing a mesh shirt printed with profanity. In his hands he held a picture of a woman with long, red hair and pouty lips. "This is who I used to be," he said. "And this" — he gestured to his breastless chest, bald head and red goatee — "is who I've become." He was born a man. After a lifetime as a social misfit, he had transformed...

WASHINGTON - At First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Prince George’s County, Md., parishioners who don’t make it to church on time are directed to an overflow room to watch the Sunday service on a huge projection screen. If they can’t make it to church, they can catch the service online anytime. The Church at Severn Run in Anne Arundel County, Md., has a wireless network in its cafe that lets parents work and peruse the Internet while waiting for their children to finish Sunday school. And at McLean Bible Church in Virginia, fancy lighting, rock music and occasional...

Among the nation’s so-called megachurches — those usually Protestant congregations with average weekly attendance of 2,000 or more — ChangePoint’s appetite for expansion into many kinds of businesses is hardly unique. An analysis by The New York Times of the online public records of just over 1,300 of these giant churches shows that their business interests are as varied as basketball schools, aviation subsidiaries, investment partnerships and limousine service. At least 10 own and operate shopping centers, and some financially formidable congregations are adding residential developments to their holdings. In one such elaborate project, LifeBridge Christian Church, near Longmont, Colo.,...

Some modern ministers and ministries spend lavishly. But is that any of Congress' business? November 18, 2007 A U.S. senator is putting a new and troubling spin on the question: "What would Jesus drive?" Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who is pressing tax-exempt churches to be more open about their finances, told The Times that "Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey." Given that example, Grassley asked, "Do these ministers really need Bentleys and Rolls-Royces to spread the Gospel?" Actually, they do, according to a politician who attends a Georgia church that has attracted the attention of...

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) will join Rick Warren at his California church this month for an AIDS conference. Warren says he has invited several other presidential candidates from both parties to attend his third annual Global Summit on AIDS, but Senator Clinton is the only one, so far, to confirm. According to a press release, others who have expressed interest and currently are dealing with scheduling issues include GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Rudy Giuliani, and Democrats John Edwards and Senator Barak Obama (D-Illinois). According to Warren, "Inviting politicians from different perspectives to the Summit is...

An Atlanta megachurch took in $69 million in 2006, according to a financial statement the church's minister released in response to a Senate investigation into him and five other well-known televangelists. The Rev. Creflo Dollar disclosed the World Changers Church International's financial information to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but said the money he spends is his own. Dollar said his income comes from personal investments, including businesses and real estate ventures. But the church gave him a Rolls Royce, which he mainly uses for special occasions, he said. "Without a doubt, my life is not average," he said. "But I'd like...

PLANO – Republican presidential primary contender Mike Huckabee received a major vote of confidence Sunday from the pastor of one of the nation's largest churches. Pastor Jack Graham told the congregation of Prestonwood Baptist Church before Mr. Huckabee's sermon that Christian values have a crucial role in the political process. Although Dr. Graham said his church doesn't endorse candidates, his praise for Mr. Huckabee was unambiguous. -snip- Dr. Graham said the sermon from Mr. Huckabee, who is an ordained Southern Baptist minister, was a message of "God's word from God's man."

LAKE FOREST, CA – When the elders of Saddleback Community Church gathered three months ago to pray over a theme for the Year of Jubilee, Pastor Rick Warren was led by Providence to skip the meeting for an Angels-White Sox matinee. “I had just ordered a soft pretzel and a light beer when the vision literally fell out of the sky,” Warren said. “I thought, ‘Yes Lord, this will be a good year indeed.’” Warren immediately texted Associate Pastor Anson Billings, and one week later the Goodyear blimp flew from the U.S. Open in Oakmont, Pa., to Lake Forest. “What...

Virtual communities are the new haven for believers coping with 21st century culture. Fri, Sep. 28, 2007 Posted: 12:48:16 PM EST Virtual communities are the new haven for believers coping with 21st century culture. Whether it's for confessions or a sense of support, today's believers are flocking to the Internet, where they discover thousands of others struggling as Christ followers as they are. "Our culture wants us to conform," said Ed Young, lead pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, in a sermon this past Sunday. "God wants us to be transformed." And transformation, the megachurch pastor indicated, begins with...

Juanita Bynum's story may read like soap opera, but her travails are a reminder of the longtime magnetism between celebrity Pentecostal preachers and scandal. The 48-year-old regular on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) made her reputation with a sermon renouncing pre-marital sex to search for a holy partner. She appeared to find one in a minister named Thomas Weeks III, wed him in a $1 million on-air ceremony, and together they went out to preach and teach the perfect Christian marriage. Then, in August she accused him of badly beating her in a parking lot (he has been charged, but...

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. A tagger etched the characters "B1R" with a sharp tool on 11 glass and granite surfaces at the Crystal Cathedral, causing about $30,000 in damage to the Garden Grove landmark, officials said Tuesday. Police were called to the cathedral at 12141 Lewis St. Monday to investigate defaced areas including glass walls of the original chapel and prayer room, granite areas of floors and the memorial wall, said Garden Grove police Lt. Travis Whitman. Police said the damage occurred sometime between Friday and Saturday nights, Whitman said. The damage consists of the etched characters B1R, and initial investigation...

Megachurch Leader D. James Kennedy Dies By MATT SEDENSKY Wednesday, September 5, 2007 The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a pioneering Christian broadcaster and megachurch pastor whose fiercely conservative worldview helped fuel the rise of the religious right in American politics, died Wednesday. He was 76. Kennedy died at his home in Fort Lauderdale, said Kristin Cole, a spokeswoman for Kennedy's Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. The cause of death has not been determined, but Kennedy had not been seen publicly he suffered cardiac arrest Dec. 28. His retirement was announced last month. Kennedy's voice and face were known to millions through...

The “prosperity gospel,” as critics call it, is growing highly prominent megachurches and has blacks divided on the controversial message. 'Prosperity Gospel' is the Greatest Threat to Black Churches, Says Author While the nation's largest African American religious organization – the 7.5 million-member National Baptist Convention – has clearly denounced the prosperity gospel especially with many black communities suffering in poverty, tens of thousands of black Christians flock to services every week to hear the message of wealth and abundance. "God gives us power to get wealth. Does that sound like he wants you to be on welfare? That's in...

In 1990 Saddleback was already one of the larger churches in America. On our 10th anniversary I stood up and said, “What’s next?” In our first 10 years we became one of the largest churches. But my goal now, our goal, is that we become one of the most spiritually mature churches in the nation. Spiritual maturity is not automatic. It’s got to be cultivated. This is your role and your responsibility as a leader in your church. You might be saying, Rick, that’s a pretty audacious goal! No, it’s not. It ought to be the goal of every church....

Note: Some of the names of people in this article have been changed to protect their identities. Memphis, Tn - It is a typical Sunday morning for a man we will call John. He wakes up early, spends some time reading his Bible over a cup of coffee, prays, and then gets ready to go to church. Only for John, "going to church" doesn't mean the same thing as it does for everyone else who will be going there on this Sunday morning. About a year ago John joined a rather well known and a rather large Southern Baptist church...

Here, too, Robert Putnam has a possible assimilation model. Hold onto your hat. It's Christian evangelical megachurches. "In many large evangelical congregations," he writes, "the participants constituted the largest thoroughly integrated gatherings we have ever witnessed." This, too, is an inconvenient truth. They do it with low entry barriers to the church and by offering lots of little groups to join inside the larger "shared identity" of the church. A Harvard prof finds good in evangelical megachurches. Send this man a suit of body armor!

"We did decline to host the service _ not based on hatred, not based on discrimination, but based on principle," Simons told The Associated Press. "Had we known it on the day they first spoke about it _ yes, we would have declined then. It's not that we didn't love the family." Simons said the decision had nothing to do with the obituary. He said the church offered to pay for another site for the service, made the video and provided food for more than 100 relatives and friends. "Even though we could not condone that lifestyle, we went above...

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay. Officials at the nondenominational High Point Church knew that Cecil Howard Sinclair was gay when they offered to host his service, said his sister, Kathleen Wright. But after his obituary listed his life partner as one of his survivors, she said, it was called off. ``It's a slap in the face. It's like, 'Oh, we're sorry he died, but he's gay so we can't help you,''' she said Friday. Wright said High Point offered...

An Arlington church volunteered to host a funeral Thursday, then reneged on the invitation when it became clear the dead man's homosexuality would be identified in the service. The event placed High Point Church in the cross hairs of an issue many conservative Christian organizations are discussing: how to take a hard-line theological position on homosexuality while showing compassion toward gay people and their families. Mr. Sinclair, 46, died Monday. He was a native of Fort Worth, a Navy veteran who served in Desert Storm helping rescuers find downed pilots, and a singer in the Turtle Creek Chorale, said his...

DALLAS -- Nine months after influential US evangelist Ted Haggard was disgraced in a gay sex scandal, the man poised to take his place in the pulpit says he plans to steer clear of overt politics and focus on the Bible instead. "I believe Christians need to be good citizens. . . . But I will not take near the active political role that Ted did," Brady Boyd, recommended by a search committee to be the new senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, said in an interview. Haggard, a vocal critic of gay marriage, was forced from...

National Talk Show host Reuben Armstrong has put TD Jakes, Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar, and Joel Osteen, the top four Mega-pastors, "Under Fire." Dallas, TX (PRWEB) August 7, 2007 -- The Reuben Armstrong Show airs on Streaming Faith which is the largest Christian based website in the world and broadcasts in eight states and on TV around the World. Armstrong will release a new book titled "Snakes in the Pulpit." The book is scheduled for release on August 29th, 2007. Armstrong will be sending a certified letter to these four pastors asking them to resign from their positions as Pastors...

Students living here in Murfreesboro can be divided into two groups: those who don't have to drive past World Outreach Church in order to get to class, and those who do. Those who do, often times prefer to drive through downtown traffic than brave the tangle of cars that clog New Salem Highway as they try to get in and out of the massive megachurch. Apparently, though, the city planning commission is unconcerned with the religious campus' impact on its neighborhood, approving the church's annexation of 27 acres for new buildings and parking to serve its roughly 5000 members. Even...

Ask people to name the most influential Canadians of the 20th century and they will throw out familiar entries from the centre-left political firmament: Pierre Trudeau, Lester Pearson, Tommy Douglas. Yet there was a woman who eclipsed all these men: a Canadian preacher who reinvented American Protestantism, starred in a crime sensation rivalling that of the Lindbergh kidnapping and helped fuse the alliance between evangelism and right-wing ideology that drives American politics to this day. And amazingly, I bet you've never heard of her. Perhaps a newly published biography will change that. Aimee Elizabeth Kennedy was born to a hardscrabble...

Willow Creek Community Church Rated Most Influential in U.S. SOUTH BARRINGTON /U.S. Newswire/ -- Willow Creek Community Church as been rated the most influential church in the U.S. in a recent survey of more than 2,000 of the largest non-Catholic congregations in the nation. The survey, which was conducted by Church Growth Today, an organization in Bolivar, Mo., which provides consulting and research services for church growth and development, asked participants to recommend up to 10 churches they considered to be among the nation's most influential. The final list is a report entitled, "50 Most Influential Churches." The churches that...

Joel and Victoria Osteen, pastors of the largest and fastest growing church in the US, wrapped up their UK tour in Birmingham last Saturday night. Since taking over the Lakewood Church in Texas eight years ago, Joel has enjoyed enormous success as the author of #1 New York Times bestseller, Your Best Life Now, and was named one of the most fascinating people of 2006. During his stop in London, Joel talked with Christian Today before taking the stage at Wembley Arena. In this interview, Joel talks about his ‘role model’ Billy Graham, his feedback on criticism, his upcoming book,...