Tyler Perry has decided to donate $1 million to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey, and that is commendable. One-quarter of it, however, is earmarked for Lakewood Church in Houston, which is pastored by Joel Osteen. Certainly, Perry can do whatever he desires with his hard earned money, but as a Christian, he knows Jesus said to look out for the least among us.
Lakewood church does not need the money
Joel Osteen is a millionaire and lives in a $10 million home. Lakewood church has the largest congregation in the nation. This church is doing well and does not need a donation of a quarter of a million dollars.
In 2014, someone stole $600,000 from a church safe, which indicates the financial well being of Lakewood. There are however churches, business, and individuals who were affected by Hurricane Harvey that absolutely need financial assistance and have no grand benefactor. A millionaire Christian businessman giving $250,000 to a millionaire pastor should not impress anyone.
For believers in Christ who are familiar with prosperity preachers, this is no more than one celebrity Christian giving a wink and a nod to another. Some applaud the success of Perry and Osteen and say those who speak against them are jealous and hating. Other more traditional believers point out that Jesus said a camel could go through the eye of a needle quicker than a rich man can enter heaven.
Tyler Perry should know the Bible says the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing
In Matthew 6:3-4, Jesus said that giving should be done in secret, and when we give to those in need, our right hand should not know what the left hand is doing. This is not a judgment because we all fall short. This indicates that Perry announcing his large donation along with the fact that it is going to Osteen is suspect.
He could have spread his million dollars around Houston without anyone having to know how much he gave or to which organization it went to.
Tyler Perry obviously believes by letting the world know he thinks so much of the pastor of Lakewood Church it will take some of the heat off regarding Osteen's initial response to the Hurricane.
This gesture, actually, will only cause more controversy. Rich people passing money between each other while poor people suffer is not an outstanding feat. There are some people who believe Tyler Perry did a good deed. Others, however, will consider his large donation as a ruse to help out a fellow millionaire. The bigger question is why is Osteen not donating some of his own personal millions?
