A truly shocking feud has just been ignited between the country music star John Rich and the megachurch founder Joel Osteen.
Rich, 51, is speaking out against Osteen, 62. According to Rich, Osteen avoids talking about the 24th chapter of the Book of Matthew in the New Testament. This chapter outlines the “end times.” Rich thinks that Osteen doesn’t talk about this chapter because he fears it would make his congregants feel “uncomfortable.”
In this chapter, the disciples ask Jesus a question.
“What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” they ask.
Jesus responds to them by warning them that they are facing a dangerous time of “famines and earthquakes.” He said that they would also be confronted with false Messiahs. Because of this, Jesus warned that his own coming would be unexpected.
Rich Rips Into Osteen
While appearing on the Shawn Ryan Show last week, Rich let loose on Osteen. He accused the megachurch founder of avoiding this key teaching from Jesus because “it’s very uncomfortable for Christians to have to think about.”
“To say that God would never make his people go through something like that is one of the most ignorant, spiritually ignorant things a person could say,” Rich said. “That’s number one. Number two is in modern churches even today, they still don’t want there’s a few but not many. They don’t want to preach that.”
“Joel Osteen is never going to preach that,” he continued. “Joel Osteen is never going to say anything that’s going to make anybody uncomfortable ever on any level ever. He’s never gonna say anything that would prick the heart or conscience of his congregation and then offer an altar call like Billy Graham did when he speaks the truth about what Jesus said.”
Rich Doubles Down
Not stopping there, Rich proceeded to double down.
“And what happens if you decide to go the other way, and lays out what hell is, and lays out what heaven is, and lays out what this is, and then offers an altar call in those stadiums of people that will come out to see Billy Graham?” he said. “Thousands of people coming down there to pray and and give their life to Jesus. You’re not going to see Joel Osteen do that and there’s a bunch of other preachers like that.”
Rich went on to point out that Christians in America live a comfortable life compared to those who are persecuted in other parts of the world. That’s why Rich takes issue with preachers who claim that “God would never make his people go through something” like the apocalypse outlined in Matthew 24.
‘To Then, I Say, Really?’
“To them, I say, really?” Rich said of preachers like Osteen. “Why don’t you go tell that to the underground Christians in communist China right now who are being killed by the thousands? Why don’t you go tell that to the Christians in Syria right now who are being chopped up into pieces in the streets?”
“Do you think fat, lazy American Christians are better than them? No. They are superior to us,” Rich stated. “They are willing to worship God and be a Christian when it means they could die for doing it. And we don’t have that problem in the United States.”
Osteen is a pastor and televangelist in Houston, Texas. His weekly televised sermons draw in millions of viewers. Osteen is a strong believer in “prosperity theology – also known as the gospel of success – which is the belief that faith and positive thinking can lead to material wealth and physical well-being,” according to Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, Rich is a country music star who is known for his devout Christian beliefs. At the time of this writing, Osteen has yet to respond to Rich’s comments. Only time will tell where this feud goes from here!