DailyKenn.com — I can sleep better at night thanks to the preaching of Joel Osteen. I usually drift off about ten minutes into his sermons—somewhere after he cracks a joke, leads the crowd in its weekly mantra, and assures them that getting passed over for a promotion is all part of God’s master plan.
That’s not Osteen’s fault. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) clings to my Autism like a wart on a toad.
Encouragement seems to be Osteen’s ministry niche. Some might prefer to call it his ministry calling, while critics dismiss it as his hobby horse.
Of course, Osteen isn’t the only reverend with a niche.
The late, great Hal Lindsey’s focus was eschatology, especially end-time prophecy. Ken Ham’s niche is creation science. William Lane Craig specializes in apologetics, as did the now-disgraced and dead Ravi Zacharias. Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis are known for preaching the prosperity gospel.
Then there’s another kind of niche ministry—one devoted to scrutinizing other niche ministries, often with a censorious tone. Notable critics include Todd Friel of Wretched Radio, Justin Peters, and Julie Roys (also known as “the eyebrow lady”) of The Roys Report. A mention also goes to LongforTruth1, a YouTube podcast hosted by a married couple—I’m guessing their surname is Long.
At times, it can seem a bit hypocritical when these critical niche ministries deliver scathing reviews of other niche ministries simply for being niche ministries. Osteen once described it as “staying in his lane” when confronted by Larry King. Ministers are, after all, instructed to preach “the whole counsel of God.” But if that means leaving their niche, then the critic ministries are guilty of the same narrow focus. (To be fair, I once heard Friel give a fiery sermonette on hell, perhaps to distance himself from Osteen. And Roys arguably gets a pass—since, as we all know, women can’t be preachers.)
I find it unfair to lambast Osteen for staying his lane while ignoring other ministers whose narrow their ministry focus to prophecy, apologetics, or creation science.
Beyond pointing out Osteen's sins of omission, these critics often highlight the wealth of the ministries they target.
But I can’t help but wonder: Who’s policing the police? Who’s evaluating the evaluators? Auditing the auditors? Analyzing the analysts?
Do most niche ministries have substantial incomes? I wonder how much The Roys Report brings in, or what Julie’s salary is. The same goes for Justin Peters’ ministry, Wretched Radio, and LongforTruth1. I’d guess they earn less than Osteen—but certainly more than I do. And what percentage of their income is set aside for charity? Are these critics exempt from the auditor’s probing eye?
As of 2025, the global average income per person is about $900 per month. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the median income is under 500 dollars a year. By that comparison, it’s fair to say most of these critical niche ministries are in the same league as Osteen.
For the record, this website is not monetized (though I wish it were), nor is its affiliated YouTube channel. And, no, I do not support religious charlatans who use theatrics to scam people.
Source for global income data:
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD
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