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Television Pastor Joel Osteen Got Dragged To High Heaven After Being Accused Of Closing His Megachurch During Hurricane Harvey
Television Pastor Joel Osteen Got Dragged To High Heaven After Being Accused Of Closing His Megachurch During Hurricane Harvey
Here's how the televangelist responded to the backlash.
Popular televangelist Joel Osteen found himself in hot water after Houston residents accused the megachurch pastor of closing his doors on flooded-out residents desperately in need of shelter.
On Sunday Lakewood Church closed up and did not reopen. The church posted on social media that they were inaccessible due to flooding; however, people in the area believed the church was easily reachable and bashed the church for turning people away who could not get to shelters.
- Several people took photos of the Church and the "flooding"
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After the photos showed no signs of flooding, Osteen and his church were dragged on twitter for keeping the doors closed to people in need
Osteen's Lakewood Church holds up to 17,000 people and would greatly aid the 30,000 people in Texas who were displaced after the heavy downpour.
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After two days of criticism, Osteen tweeted his doors are open
Pastor Osteen also released a statement wherein he denied every turning anyone away.
"We have never closed our doors," senior pastor Joel Osteen said in a statement quoted by ABC and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We will continue to be a distribution center to those in need. We are prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity. Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm."
- However, many felt his offer of refuge came a little too late
(Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
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