I'm still looking for some digital video of the episode last night, but ABC's writeup of the show pretty much serves as a transcript for the most part ...

Joel Osteen: The Smiling Preacher
He is rich, famous, handsome, and adored by millions of fans on television each week, but he's not an actor. He's an evangelical pastor from Houston named Joel Osteen.

They call him "the smiling preacher," and Osteen has a lot to smile about. He's the head of the largest church in America, the author of a best-selling book, and the religious leader for a following of faithful, often frenzied fans.

He's achieved all that with an approach critics call "Christianity lite" -- no sin, no suffering, no sacrifice, replacing fire and brimstone with a motivational message.

Barbara Walters asked Osteen why that message strikes such a chord with people. "My message is that God is a good God," said Osteen. "And if we all … have the right attitude, he'll take us places that we've never dreamed of."

Certainly Osteen is in a place he never dreamed of: Houston's Lakewood Church collects more than $75 million a year. The congregation is so large that Osteen had to move his church into a former pro basketball arena.

"We're just amazed to be here," Osteen said. "I grew up coming to watch basketball games here. … This is where the Rockets used to play. Every time I come in here, I just feel humbled, and it's been an amazing journey."

That journey started modestly, when Osteen's father began the church in the back of a Houston feed store. For the six Osteen siblings, it was a family affair. Never interested in preaching, Osteen worked on the television and marketing side. But when his father passed away, stepped up to the pulpit and began to spread a unifying message that avoids a number of polarizing issues. Walters asked Osteen why he stayed away from controversial subjects like gay marriage, abortion or politics.

"Sometimes, I think if you get away from what you're called to do, it's more of a distraction," he said.

Osteen has been criticized for focusing too much on the almighty dollar. Walters asked him about preaching what is called "the prosperity gospel."

"I think the word rich is all relative," Osteen said. "I think down and deep in our hearts, we believe that God does want us to live the abundant life that we can. To me, prosperity is health, good relationships … and money, of course, is part of it."

I was wrong in my prediction that Walters would ask some silly/stupid questions, but the reason wasn't my underestimating her understanding of one of them churches ... but rather the brevity of the segment. Ten people to cover in an hour ... do the math. There's not a lot of time to go into any real depth. And with that, Walters offers up this gem: "He's achieved all that with an approach critics call "Christianity lite" -- no sin, no suffering, no sacrifice, replacing fire and brimstone with a motivational message."

Suffice it to say, those critics - like Barbara Walters - miss quite a few sermons.

Regardless, there are moments when I see Joel on the big media stage like this and wonder why on earth he bothers doing an edited show like this when it's rather obvious where the slant is. But then I'm reminded of a wonderful joke from McNair Wilson about how he used to live in San Francisco and that it was missionary work. In that vein, I suspect there's a bit of missionary effect with even these episodes. Get in the door and listen to Joel (and Paul, and Lisa, and Marcos) yourself. It might be a pleasant surprise to see what the critics (and echoing media reporters) fail to grasp.