Joel Osteen is
a feel-good pastor in Houston, whose church was permitted to take over what many of you know as the Summit, where the Houston Rockets once played.
Osteen is the #1 televangelist today, and is a bestselling author.
So, how does this annointed man of God and his family behave, while they are waiting for God to take time from running the Universe to personally speak with them, as they relate to their tens of thousands of parishoners in Houston and millions nationwide?
Well, apparently, it's not "What Would Jesus Do?", but What Would Ken Lay Do?" They're going skiing in Vail, and they're flying first class. But therein lies a problem, since to fly commercial you have to leave the protective envelope, at least for a few hours.
It seems Victoria Osteen was not up to the task.
Despite an attempted coverup in the Houston media, the Dallas Morning News
today let the cat out of the bag:
Lord have mercy, what on earth got into Victoria Osteen, wife of millionaire megastar pastor Joel Osteen, on a recent flight from Houston to Vail? According to press accounts, when a flight attendant wouldn't clean Mrs. Osteen's fold-down table quickly enough, the church lady leaped up from her first-class seat and began banging on the cockpit door. The Osteen family had to be removed from the plane before takeoff. Isn't that special?
Don't hold your breath waiting for any follow-up on why Osteen wasn't shot by an Air Marshall, or even charged with a crime. This is Houston we're talking about, and the Osteens are "made" there, in the vein of Ken Lay, the guy who made sure everyone in Houston with a billion dollars knows where to ski.
But it is worth noting the same Dallas Morning News, fresh from naming Karl Rove "2004 Texan of the Year" will tomorrow nominate Joel Osteen as such for 2005 (joining Tom DeLay- some shit you just can't make up).
To be in the Osteens' flock one must believe God talks to them. God, the Creator of the Universe, takes time to talk to Joel and Victoria, who won't ski anywhere but Vail and who think it is the air pilots' job to clean their tray tables before preparing the plane for takeoff. Really- is that your God?
By the way, Joel Osteen and their children were also on the plane. She acted this way in front of her children- they seemingly needed to know from Mom that they were above the law.