Joel Osteen isn’t concerned with those criticizing him for not opening his church doors sooner to shelter Hurricane Harvey victims.
ET spoke to the megachurch pastor at the Lakewood Church on Thursday in Houston, Texas, where he talked about the backlash he’s received following accusations that he and his congregation weren’t doing enough to aid victims. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry are among the celebrities who have attended services at Lakewood, and multiple GRAMMY winner and gospel star Israel Houghton — who’s now married to former Cheetah Girls star Adrienne Bailon — used to be a worship leader at the church. Lakewood reaches 20 million followers per month, and has helped Osteen and his wife, Victoria, amass an estimated net worth of more than $50 million.
“You know, I’m not really concerned about the Twitter critics,” Osteen tells ET’s Kevin Frazier in an exclusive interview airing Thursday on ET. “We’re concerned with these people [victims now at the church] and how they move forward. And there were safety issues that people don’t understand. But, I really believe that if people were in my shoes, they would have done the same thing. When the building is clear, when it’s safe, we can start taking people. That’s what we have done for 60 years. We love helping people and that’s what our message is all about.”
Lakewood posted that it was “inaccessible due to severe flooding” on Sunday, though videos and photos shared on social media on Monday
Osteen says critics shouldn’t judge him by videos appearing to show the church in good shape despite being closed. He also says that the building — which used to be home to the Houston Rockets — had already previously flooded in 2001.
“You know, it depends on what day that is,” he explains. “I think another thing that people don’t understand — it could flood. That street could…
The post EXCLUSIVE: Joel Osteen Talks Hurricane Harvey Backlash: ‘I Feel at Peace Because We Did the Right appeared first on FeedBox.