28 seconds ago 2009-12-04T00:34:45-08:00
Continuing his effort to reach out to evangelicals, John McCain had a private meeting with Joel Osteen last weekend. The two met in a Houston hotel on Saturday following a finance event McCain had there.
Osteen, 45, is part of a new generation of Christian leaders and pastors the non-denominational Lakewood Church in Houston.
He's perhaps best known for his two wildly popular Christian self-help books: "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential" and "Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day."
Asked about the get-together, a McCain aide said the candidate sought the introduction.
"McCain thinks he is a fascinating person and wanted to meet him, so we set it up," said the aide, declining to comment on what the two talked about.
McCain's campaign, which did not share word of the meeting, has been dogged by another meeting the candidate had with a Texas pastor for the past two months. But unlike San Antonio's John Hagee, Osteen is not seen as a very political and policy-oriented pastor. He largely confines his sermons to upbeat, and at times light-hearted, lessons on life.
Osteen pastors what has been called the largest and fastest-growing church in America. In 2005, he moved Lakewood's sanctuary to the former home of the Houston Rockets. But Osteen is not just a power in East Texas. By virtue of his books and, as important, his televised sermons, he reaches into millions of American homes. Lakewood's Sunday services are available each week in markets across the country.
