Joel Osteen, a televangelist and preacher from the United States, faced criticism when photos of his Ferrari emerged on Twitter on July 18.

The pastor was recently seen driving a Ferrari worth $325,000, according to reports.

Since the founding of the first megachurch, the issue of the ethicality of megachurches and its revered pastors has been continuously pushed to the forefront of debate. Many people wonder how much is too much for God, and whether these megachurches and preachers have strayed too far from conventional church traditions. Some think that the main emphasis of these churches is monetary development rather than teaching the word of God and stewardship.

More than 7 million people watch Osteen’s sermons on TV and online. His book Your Best Life Now, published in 2004, spent over 200 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Many Twitter users had differing views on the issue, but many believed the Pastor’s lavish lifestyle and new purchase were unjustified. Here are some of the heated comments on the subject.

Franklin Leonard, who posted his Tweet with a picture of Kanye West’s house, quipped, “In Joel Osteen’s defense, Jesus also drove a $325,000 car and lived in an eight figure 17,000 square foot home.”

In Joel Osteen’s defense, Jesus also drove a $325,000 car and lived in a eight figure 17,000 square foot home.

You want him to park a Prius here? God don’t like ugly. pic.twitter.com/kMdYJNhL0c

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) July 18, 2021

“Remember that one time Joel Osteen helped the poor instead of himself? Yeah, me neither,” one enraged social media user said.

“Y’all forgot that Jesus was a wealthy man- he fed, housed and clothed twelve disciples for years, a beautiful lady wiped his feet with her hair, his earthly father was a carpenter( very rich profession then and now) etc. Jesus loves his followers to be rich.”

“Joel Osteen exploits religion and his followers to feed his own gluttony.”

“What would Jesus think of Joel Osteen’s $325,000 Ferrari?”

“My take on Joel Osteen having a $325,000 Ferrari and getting a $4.4 million dollar PPP loan: Tax the f*** out of the churches,” another said.

Joel Osteen has made religion a lucrative career and the fact that he drives a $325,000 Ferrari as he asks people to send him money only shows how morally bankrupt he is.

His $10.5 million dollar house isn’t too shabby and shows why he clearly needed that $4.4 million PPP loan. pic.twitter.com/Yc50BOwssL

— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) July 19, 2021

“I’ll never understand how people buy whatever Joel Osteen is selling. The prosperity Gospel is dangerous and telling your constituents that the more they give to the church the more they will be blessed is literally not what Jesus stood for. Jesus helped others, not himself.”

“I wonder if Joel Osteen thinks he can drive that Ferrari through the eye of a needle”

However, others defended the church leaders, claiming that the Pastor has been working and investing outside of the church for many years. Many people are also aware that Osteen is an award-winning novelist.

“Why do people want Church leaders to be poor? He takes NO SALARY from Lakewood and is a Multimillionaire by his books and business ventures. I do not understand the hate he gets.”

The American preacher is said to be worth $100 million.

There was a fuss when it was discovered earlier this year that his congregation, Lakewood Church, got a staggering $4.4 million in PPP loans during the pandemic.

However, according to David Iloff, a Lakewood Church spokesman who talked with KPRC about the loan, “Lakewood Church, our 368 full and part time employees and their families are grateful for the Payroll Protection Program during these uncertain economic times caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. Lakewood suspended its in-person services for more than seven months (March 15th though October 18, 2020), impacting its ability to collect substantial donations during those services. Believing the shutdown would only last a few weeks, Lakewood did not initially accept PPP assistance during the first half of the program. However, as the shutdown persisted month after month, given the economic uncertainty, Lakewood finally applied for the PPP loan and has been able to provide full salaries and benefits including health insurance coverage to all of its employees and their families.”

The evangelical church is one of the biggest in the United States, with headquarters in Houston, Texas. Under the federal government’s CARES Act stimulus program, small companies could apply for PPP loans from their banks.

Osteen makes no apologies for his riches, since revenues from his books have allowed him to live a lavish lifestyle. The pastor, on the other hand, insists on being grateful for the richness of God’s gifts in his life.

The Texas-based pastor shares a 17,000-square-foot home with his wife and two children, which is estimated to be worth about $10.5 million.