“Victor, not Victim”: Joel Osteen's Rhetoric of Hope

摘要

Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, is currently the largest congregation in the US and Joel Osteen, its main pastor, is one of the most influential Christian leaders in the country. The article explores Osteen's rhetorical strategies on the basis of rhetorical theory. This may contribute to explaining the explosive growth of the congregation. The analysis shows how Osteen's relational prosperous theology of hope is highly contextual and finely tuned to ‘the American Dream’. Further, it shows how Osteen's preaching is elaborately built to inspire hope and encouragement and how it is carefully delivered by a person who has understood the importance of performance and communication. Osteen's characteristic rhetoric of hope makes him stand out among Christian preachers. The article concludes that his success, whether lasting or not, may partly be explained rhetorically.View full textDownload full textRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13537900903416804