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Televangelist Joel Osteen canceled Sunday services at his Houston megachurch due to the storm but was unwilling to reopen its doors to Harvey victims — despite the fact that thousands of flooded-out inhabitants are desperately seeking shelter and several bodies are coming together to seek help for victims.
The forever smiling pastor told followers on Twitter on Monday to lean on their faith.
“Jesus promises us peace that passes understanding,” he wrote. “That’s peace when it doesn’t make sense.”
Jesus promises us peace that passes understanding. That’s peace when it doesn’t make sense.— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) August 28, 2017
He later tweeted a message seeking flood-relief donations to his church. Even when he isn't doing the least by opening doors for victims.
Our hearts break as we see the damage and destruction in our city. Please join us in helping Houston recover. Visit https://t.co/jXMX5VB3qS pic.twitter.com/00HtzOmeQL— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) August 28, 2017
But Osteen’s sympathizing words didn’t sit well with critics, who wanted to know why the doors to the 16,800-seat arena at his Lakewood Church near downtown Houston are closed.
“You have taken so much money away from your people to live like a king,” entertainment publicist Danny Deraney blasted. “It’s the least you could do.”
Ministry spokesman Donald Iloff had claimed that the property is inaccessible because of enclosing waters.
Osteen was prompted to respond to the criticism. “We have never closed our doors,” he 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.”
Washington, D.C.–based writer Charles Clymer tweeted pictures of Lakewood Church, which did not appear to be damaged by floods, and later updated his feed with this shot from inside the church, where air mattresses had been laid out apparently meant to receive flood victims.
It makes no sense to open church doors when the city and county are already attending to thousands of flood victims at the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center, according to Iloff.
“It has everything inside there — medicine, doctors, places to sleep,” Iloff said of the convention center. “It’s amazing what they’re doing there to make people comfortable.”
Lakewood is a nondenominational church hosting some 52,000 attendees weekly and is one of the largest gatherings in the U.S.
