Joel Osteen. Photo from Joel Osteen Ministries.

This Saturday, Nationals Park may achieve a feat it usually doesn’t during the regular season—a full house. But it won’t be the Nats attracting the crowds, but rather inoffensive and approachable spiritual televangelist Joel Osteen.

Osteen and wife Victoria are bringing their “Night of Hope” to D.C. this weekend, where the Houston-based preacher will lead the estimated crowd of 41,000 in the very feel-good, religious-but-not-overly-so shows that have made his Texas ministry a national sensation. (Osteen was in town on April 16, when he spoke at an event for D.C. Emancipation Day and threw out the opening pitch for a Nats game against the Houston Astros.)

In the grand scheme of all-things-Osteen, this is a pretty big deal: he only has one of these events a year, and D.C. beat out Atlanta, New York and Baltimore to host it.

Today the Post has an interesting read on Osteen’s success and appeal:

Experts have been analyzing Osteen’s ministry since it exploded in 1999, the year it began. His pastor-father, John Osteen, died and was replaced at the pulpit by his cameraman son, who had no theology training, no college degree and not a day of pastoring experience. But his appeal was undeniable.

Lakewood Church in Houston grew from 16,000 to 38,000 worshippers in five years under Joel Osteen and to 43,000 today. It is America’s largest church. Its budget last year was $70 million, including $20 million for the television ministry and $5 million for events such as the “Night of Hope.” He’s sold a million books in Muslim Indonesia. Regular Sunday viewers and attendees at the ballpark will be Jewish, Hindu or the kind of people who check “none” when asked to identify their religion.

Osteen’s success says much about American religion in 2012, when “church” can be a bunch of strangers online who may not even be Christian and when one of the few pastors who can fill a baseball stadium preaches about love, not doctrine.

Of course, love, spirituality and inspiration aren’t cheap. Even though $15 tickets remain, scalpers are asking for $45 to $440 for seats on StubHub. Craigslist also has some cheaper options.