Joel is a positive thinking spiritual man who shares in stories and down to earth metaphors. Thank goodness he leaves out the negative Old Testament God in need of anger management! His messages are that of a prosperity preacher. The story of how he came to be the minister (death of his father) and his faith based acquisition of the Houston arena that was won by the vote of a gay woman on City Council who is now mayor is remarkable in itself and is frequently mentioned as an example of overcoming adversity to achieve one's highest good.
Joel frequently states that we are made perfect in the Divine order and are no mistake, that we should express ourselves fully. I do believe this is in contradiction to his stand against marriage equality (although he will never oppose any civil rights or become politically involved). In fact, Joel never puts anyone down. I guess he is still learning (and unlearning) things along the way like the rest of us.
I would note that Joel does not ask for money, and takes no salary. His only benefit is the income from the books he writes, which basically say the prosperity message.
The challenge for any preacher is to keep finding new ideas and new ways to put the message across, and Joel is no exception to this rule. Overall, I would say one can gain enthusiasm, support, and spiritual focus by learning from Joel Osteen.
