Joel Osteen preached to over 50,000 attendees in New York City during this Saturday's "A Night of Hope with Joel and Victoria," selling out the legendary Yankee Stadium. The pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, interviewed with Fox News before the event took place.
Joel Osteen is known for his inspirational messages and his positive attitude. It is estimated that more than 43,000 people attend Lakewood Church, and that around 10,000,000 people watch Osteen's messages through television broadcasts every week. The pastor has also authored six New York Times best-selling books.
Osteen is excited that Yankee Stadium, which seats 50,291 people, was sold out for Saturday's event. When asked by Fox News whether he feels guilty for being wealthy or if he believes that God is rewarding him for his faithfulness, Osteen responded, "I never set out to be famous or wealthy, or anything like that - and it happened - so I don't apologize for it. But it's given us an opportunity to bless people like we've never dreamed of."
Fans waiting in line outside the stadium lauded Osteen for his inspirational message of hope and of "positivity," and looked forward to attending the encouraging event that day. Osteen's central messages of positive thinking and of prosperity have been criticized by many mainstream evangelical leaders, however.
"I think there really is a hunger for God," Osteen told Fox News prior to the event - "There's a lot pushing people down in life, and our message is lifting people up, letting them know that God has them in the palm of His hand, and people are responding to that."
