John Rich, half of the duo Big & Rich, is known for being an open book with his political opinions. Heck, the "Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" singer has even been known to call out other country singers for not sharing their views enough. Just recently, he chose to call out pastor Joel Osteen, saying he's taking the "comfortable" route too much.
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At an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, John Rich covered a variety of topics, a lot of them being controversial. The singer made a point to talk about the P. Diddy scandal, his music video with Donald Trump, and even shed some light on his own religious beliefs. He did the latter by speaking on the way Osteen preaches.
Osteen is an American pastor, televangelist, author, and businessman. He's currently the senior pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, which is one of the fastest-growing congregations in America. His preaching style focuses on having a positive attitude, and just bringing people closer to Christ. Rich says that his attempt to be non-confrontational is doing believers a disservice, and here's why.
Why Big Rich Doesn't Like Joel Osteen
John Rich talked about the "end times" and the "second coming of Jesus" on his appearance on Shawn Ryan's show. It is something he says "is very uncomfortable for Christians to have to think about." He then went after the pastor, saying, "Joel Osteen is never going to preach that."
"Joel Osteen is never going to say anything that's going to make anybody uncomfortable ever on any real level ever. He's never gonna say anything that would prick the heart of conscience of his congregation and then offer an altar call like Billy Graham did when he speaks the truth about what Jesus said." Rich was comparing Osteen to Billy Graham, who was a major pioneer in using media and television as a pastor to bring people closer to God. The difference between the two is that Graham actually had people come forward and make a decision about their faith.
"You're not going to see Joel Osteen do [an altar call] like Billy Graham did," he shared, referencing the direct invitation that Graham would make to have people choose Christ. Rich seems to think that Osteen wouldn't do this, as he might be more focused on promoting himself than God.
Even though we haven't heard a response from Osteen yet, it seems like John Rich doesn't really care what anyone has to say. We don't know Osteen, but if we know Rich, the singer's gonna get his opinions out there, one way or the other.
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