Joel Osteen Opens Church to Flood Victims After Being Falsely Accused of Keeping It Closed

Yesterday, the internet erupted in criticism of megachurch preacher Joel Osteen. The “prosperity Gospel” preacher was accused of keeping his large church closed to hurricane victims. After all, why would a man who presides over a church of nearly 17,000 seats keep his doors shut in the wake of a disaster?

To make matters worse, the accusation went viral, and there was no shortage of reports that his Lakewood Church had closed its doors.

The satirical “Babylon Bee” mocked Osteen with the following story:

Now, while I’m no fan of Osteen, I am a fan of the facts, and they portray a much different story. According to Osteen’s spokesman, the only reason his church was closed was because it too suffered from flooding.

Lakewood, Osteen, and a spokesperson for the church all responded Monday to the heavy criticism that accused the Houston megachurch — which can accommodate nearly 17,000 people — of not taking in Hurricane Harvey victims during a time of need.

Many on social media voiced disappointment at a Saturday tweet originating from Osteen’s Twitter account, which read, “Victoria & I are praying for everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. Please join us as we pray for the safety of our Texas friends & family.”

This was despite the fact that photos of Lakewood Church flooding had been circulating on social media, Osteen was one of the top trending topics on Twitter as a result of the criticism he took over allegations that Lakewood Church would not help those in need.

Osteen clarified the church’s position Monday night in a statement provided to ABC News.

“We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need,” Osteen said, adding, “Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm in helping our fellow citizens rebuild their lives.”

Osteen also noted that Lakewood Church is “prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity.”

H/T The Blaze

After announcing that they would be opening their doors, the narrative shifted to Osteen only offering a helping hand in the face of public outrage.

This is sad. The anti-Christian press is looking for any reason to tear apart a faith leader like Osteen.

This was another pile on by liberals desperate to make Hurricane Harvey about politics.

Liberals should be ashamed, but I doubt they’ll learn from this mistake.

Share this story if you’re glad to see Osteen opening his church up for hurricane victims!