Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

‘Not True’: Joel Osteen Pushes Back Against Critics and Says Church ‘Had to be Very Cautious’

CBN News
CBN News
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

August 30, 2017

Pastor Joel Osteen said on Wednesday that his Lakewood Church “has always been open” after the house of worship was targeted with claims that it locked out Houstonians in need of reprieve during the fallout from Hurricane Harvey.

“The notion that we were going to turn people away is not true,” Osteen told CBN News’ Erik Rosales on Wednesday, adding that a few people had come to the church and were sent to a nearby shelter. “The first couple of days the church was inaccessible or not safe.”

READ: ‘Everything…is God’s Will’: Neighbors Form Human Chain to Rescue Pregnant Woman in Labor Amid Hurricane Floodwaters

Osteen said that the building “has flooded before” and referenced a 2001 storm that shut the structure down.

As Faithwire previously reported, Tropical Storm Allison devastated the region back in 2001. At the time, Lakewood’s current location was the Compaq Center sports arena, with the building taking on a great deal of water during the rainfall.

When it comes to Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the church, Lakewood officials had previously released photos showing that the bottom level of the building had taken on water over the weekend.

Osteen said the initial decision not to serve as a shelter was at least, in part, based on safety concerns.

“This building has flooded before … so we had to be very cautious there,” Osteen said, noting that, after local shelters filled up, Lakewood opened its doors to the public.

In the end, Osteen said that Lakewood will spend years helping people in Houston rebuild their lives, and pointed back to past and current efforts aimed at assisting people who have been deeply impacted by natural disasters.

“We’re still helping people from Katrina,” he said.

Read more about the recent controversy surrounding Lakewood here.

Latest

  • culture

    Humans Give Off Light That Extinguishes at Death, New Study Reveals

  • Culture

    Detransitioner’s Warning: ‘False Hope,’ Lies and Chaos

  • culture

    ‘Democrats Are Doomed’: Bill Maher’s Warning Amid Anti-Semitism, Anti-Israel Furor

  • Life

    More Than One in 20 Women Need Second Abortion After Termination Pill Fails

  • Faith

    Is This Noah’s Ark? Researcher’s Compelling Evidence as Speculation Builds


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

  • Humans Give Off Light That Extinguishes at Death, New Study Reveals
  • Detransitioner’s Warning: ‘False Hope,’ Lies and Chaos
  • ‘Democrats Are Doomed’: Bill Maher’s Warning Amid Anti-Semitism, Anti-Israel Furor
  • More Than One in 20 Women Need Second Abortion After Termination Pill Fails
  • Is This Noah’s Ark? Researcher’s Compelling Evidence as Speculation Builds

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.