Joel Osteen's Church Raked in $4.4 Million in PPP Loans

I don't remember this being part of the prosperity gospel.

• Donald Trump is making one final mess of civil liberties on his way out the door by loosening rules meant to protect LGBTQ people and religious minorities from being discriminated against by federal agencies. Now religious groups that receive taxpayer money will be allowed to practice bigotry under the guise of religious freedom toward individuals who seek social services.

• It’s no surprise prosperity gospel preacher Joel Osteen’s church said they wouldn’t be taking Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans just weeks before they actually did. And now we know how much: Lakewood Church received more than $4.4 million.

  

  I doubt Osteen feels bad about it — he’s made an entire career out of using his godly posturing to promote his capitalist ambitions.

  And I swear to Sagan, I wrote that last line before I saw this on Twitter:

  Kevin Kane @KevinKaneNY

  This horror display was in a Brooklyn @cvspharmacy The only reason I am posting this is because I didn’t want to be angry alone. #HappyHolidays

  

• Indian police in the state of Uttar Pradesh are crashing weddings in a not fun way — with the intent to arrest brides and grooms of interfaith marriages, or “love jihad,” as Hindu Nationalists call it. The law they claim to be enforcing is one that bans forced religious conversions, although there’s been no evidence that was happening at any of the weddings they ruined.

• There is nothing conservative Christian politicians hate more than progressive Christians. Rep.-elect Madison Cawthorn, who disguises himself as a decent person despite multiple sexual misconduct allegations (from other Christians, no less), has no business denouncing a longtime pastor as fake.

  Bobby Lewis @revrrlewis

  "you see this warnock fella who's coming down here and disguising himself as some moderate pastor from the south" warnock was born and raised in savannah, georgia and has been a pastor since the 1990s

  

• Hold the electors! God personally told Pastor Johnny Enlow that Donald Trump got “at least as many votes as he has followers on Twitter.” Apparently Enlow and God have never heard the term “hate-follow.”

• Finally, in a New York Times piece about legal writer Jeffrey Toobin, his New Yorker colleague Malcolm Gladwell suggested Toobin’s recent problematic actions received an over-the-top punishment. And he quoted a Bible verse to do it.

  Ruth Graham @publicroad

  I've had sources who have prayed, prophesied, and quoted a wide variety of scripture passages in interviews. But no one has grabbed a Bible and read me the story of Onan (YET). nytimes.com/2020/12/15/sty…

  

  Of all the verses to cite, Genesis 38 is a weird selection. There are REASONS pastors usually don’t cite that book…