THE JOEL OSTEEN/LAKEWOOD CHURCH/HOUSTON FLOOD CONTROVERSY

One story that has come out of the terrible flooding in Houston, Texas, has been that of Lakewood Church, a mega-church led by Joel Osteen, who preaches a gospel of the goodness of God and on living an obedient life. He also asks his congregation for money – lots and lots of money. He preaches the “prosperity gospel”, a belief that material gain is a reward for pious Christians. He lives with his family in a $10 million home. After years and years of living in Houston, and asking its people for their money, when the Hurricane hit and people need somewhere to go, somebody noticed that the giant church building was not open. That’s when the internet shaming started, and the church could not get ahead of it until Tuesday afternoon.

– As reported by ABC news: A Lakewood Church spokesperson claimed Tuesday its doors have always been open and the church is waiting for city officials to designate it as a shelter so it can obtain cots and other assistance. The spokesperson said the church doesn’t have showers or a kitchen. At first it was difficult for church staff to get to the facility from their homes, the spokesperson explained. Moreover, the facility did not initially shelter people because it would be too dangerous to have people on a lower level, which could flood, the spokesperson added. Now that the floodwaters have receded, the church decided to bring in evacuees, the spokesperson said.

– After the church finally opened its doors Tuesday, they posted a few pictures of areas of the church that they said had flooded. Later, another picture surfaced showing their lobby piled high with donations or books, towels, toys, diapers, clothing and more.

– TMZ (* the authority in these matters!) say they spoke to someone at the DoubleTree Hotel in Houston — which is located directly across the highway from Lakewood Church. When Harvey was at its peak on Saturday, the hotel was at 100% capacity … 388 rooms booked. Yet Lakewood Church was not taking in evacuees on Saturday. After they were called out on it by the internet, church officials claimed it was simply inaccessible due to flooded roads. The SAME ‘flooded roads” that allowed the hotel across the street to be open?

So… who do you believe? Was Joel Osteen and the Lakewood Church shamed into action? Can you turn what is basically a big auditorium into a refugee center? Does the church give back to the community, or is it just there to take the money?
* God only knows. And you better believe God knows, Mr. Osteen.