Joel Osteen Closes Doors To Hurricane Victims

Televangelist Joel Osteen has been accused of keeping his church closed for those seeking refuge after Hurricane Harvey. Ana Kasparian and Michael Shure, the hosts of The Young Turks, break it down. Tell us what you think in the comment section below. tytnetwork.com...
“In August 2017, just after Hurricane Harvey made landfall and inundated Houston with record rainfall and flooding, celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, which is based in the region, drew criticism for not making itself available to people affected by the storm.
On 27 August, the church posted:
Dear Houstonians! Lakewood Church is inaccessible due to severe flooding! We want to help make sure you are safe. Please see the list below for safe shelters around our city, and please share this with those in need!
A day later, a post on Lakewood’s blog read, in part:
Over the last couple of days, as the enormity of this storm was being realized, we have been working to organize relief efforts for the Houston area with our friend Franklin Graham and the disaster relief organization that he oversees, Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse has been, since it’s inception, organized to respond to situations just like Hurricane Harvey, and we are grateful to be able to partner with them to provide assistance to the Houston area.
We know the need is great. That much is clear. We do not yet know all the ways we can help.
The church reportedly seats more than 16,000 people.
Osteen, whose own Houston home is worth a reported $10.5 million, has not made any comments regarding possible flooding near the church. A map of the area surrounding the church shows it is under a flood advisory, but not a warning. (Houston police told us that they have no pending calls from the area.)”
Read more here: www.snopes.com/...
Hosts: Ana Kasparian, Michael Shure
Cast: Ana Kasparian, Michael Shure
***
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Young Turk (n), 1. Young progressive or insurgent member of an institution, movement, or political party. 2. A young person who rebels against authority or societal expectations.(American Heritage Dictionary)

[@cutemedli7]

it's sad when a major furniture store offers shelter and let refugees sleep on their new furniture was more Christ-like than the famous televangelist preacher,that is very telling..

[@AudreyHearn4248]

amen to that

[@malmsteen2013]

+Audrey Garey how many homeless people do you let stay in your home? zero. let's be honest nobody in America let's homeless people stay in their homes, job or business.

[@cutemedli7]

Actually I did offer shelter to some who lost their homes.

[@YoungRell]

I live in Houston. The area wasn't flooded. It's now open because social media dragged his ass

[@mysterion5136]

Rell Brooks they forgot this part - after he was caught lying about the damage, he said he would open his doors AFTER the other shelters were full. how lame is that?!

[@bananarepublicusa4505]

What a lying POS this alleged Christian is. He has over $50M to his name due to his snake charmer business. His mansion is worth $10M. He wouldn't even help.

[@GiotheGhreat]

Let me ask you something, If you aren't at your house and you send all your family away to be safe, how will you know if your house was safe to give shelter to people? common sense is to inspect the area and the house then you can invite all your family and friends right? I'm pretty sure any smart person will do that, no offense.

[@wipe919]

Crazy how these "Christians" never follow the teachings of Jesus christ, Jesus wouldn't even claim these people as "Christians"

[@wipe919]

DAVID ARAUJOLOPEZ 8325 2017 ok

[@alexanderdemontfort3022]

This story's original thesis/thrust has already been debunked -- Ana was right and Michael was dead wrong

[@JoelC724]

Deontha + He'd kill them all according to "his book"

[@eyemmeohigho]

He's not a real christian be real don't be that naive

[@FurEngel]

Joel Olsteen teaches a version of Christianity that believes Jesus lives in a gated community.

[@menachemsachemrobotscowitz2794]

Never trust anyone who smiles continuously.

[@pachice]

and if you're not sure they even blink

[@LunaPriscilla]

That's what I call Christian values.

[@MaryLVigil]

You saw me cold, hungry and thirsty and closed your door. Matthew: You will come before my throne and I will say unto you away from me you evil doer, I NEVER KNEW YOU!

[@MrBrewman95]

Take away their tax exempt status and see what happens.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Exactly

[@eliasarriaga3474]

From Houston here. he originally said the first floor was flooded, but there is video of a man who went around and there was no flooding, no traffic or water on the surrounding roads. he spent a day blocking people from all social media that criticized him, once a bunch of people in town and local news started noticing he opened doors, and later said the sever flooding of the first floor receded (which makes no sense bc the inside was completely dry) and later said it was only the basement or parking garage (which is the actual truth of the matter) and now is housing people in his mega church. Most people around here know he runs a corporation not a church, only a hand full of his followers are blind to the bullshit he says, he widely known as a crook and notbrespected by many. This current stunt by him also made him lose a lot more respect for several more people even some of his followers. He is making around 55-77 million a year. And u wouldn't be surprised if once he let people inside his church he had his camera crew to shoot the next Joel Osteen commercial showing how amazing he is. I hope he drowns.

[@boogieloo1831]

elias arriaga - I didn't know that he was held in such low regard by locals. He is the only televangelist that actually says the right things in public for the most part and seemed like a decent Christian until now - except for his justifications for his wealth which are just twisted, but not unique in America's Christian world.

[@tonydmty1234567]

Just another hypocritical Christian Evangelical that doesn't practice what he preaches, just like many Republicans. ";-)

[@missalpha_essence3926]

elias arriaga Exactly and the fact that they didn't show that video, cause you they saw it, is suspicious. TYT puts so much time into bashing Trump, you mean to tell me they're slacking on their aggressive reporting on Joel Olsteen 😮*I clutch my pearls* Yea Right! That's another issue though.

[@gatesbrown26]

elias arriaga meanwhile TYT pontificates about how bad somebody else is while they contribute NOTHING but FAKE NEWS.

[@leahcooper3284]

Don't worry, he'll reopen the church back again on Sunday. Just to receive the tithes.

[@CheeKiatTeo]

Let's call megachurches out for what they are. Corporations that do not require taxes.

[@Ian_sothejokeworks]

OK, turning away people because your place MIGHT flood? They're coming from places that ARE flooded! You open your doors, you let them in, and you, what's the word.... PRAY!!! that the church/shelter does NOT flood! WTF??

[@hillaryjames3180]

what is less like Jesus than not helping people during a major natural crisis?

[@CocaColaIceBear]

A Televangelist isn't doing something for free? Wow. Such a surprise ....

[@akilrangwalla]

Many other churches and even some mosques opened their doors without thinking of the "risks" to them. That is the true Christ-like way. Olsteen fell short.

[@bobjackson4953]

Oh my goodness Mr. Osteen what were you thinking. I live four blocks from the Joel Church. It was originally the Compaq Center which was the sports arena for the Houston Rockets. It's HUGE. As did the entire city, our neighborhood (It is called the Upper Kirby District) received an inordinate amount of rain which really began Friday evening and lasted several days. In our small neighborhood, the hardest rain, a deluge really, was somewhere around 10PM and lasted for almost an hour. During that one period only, the water rose dangerously high and almost flooded homes in the area. However the rain suddenly stopped for almost an hour giving the drainage system time to handle the runoff. We had a steady hard nonstop rain for the next four days and even the streets did not flood. Were it not for the news we would not have even known parts of the city flooded. During Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 our entire neighborhood was completely flooded even though we are in a 500 year flood zone. As a result the city installed new storm drain pipes in the area (so large you could drive a car through them). It has never flooded in our area since that time. Most parking garages in the city flood in a severe rain storm. We are used to it. I am not going to call Mr. Osteen a liar, he seems to be a very nice man, but perhaps saying the church flooded is just a wee bit of an exaggeration. The flooding would have had to have occurred that Friday night (the 25th). Did he have services in the church that weekend? That would likely be your answer.

[@StarFighters76]

I'm sorry, are you seriously giving this con artist a pass?

[@stepmothercity]

A religious hypocrite!? My world is shattered...

[@Not_So_Super_Mario]

Oh come on. He didn't open the church because he won't make any money off of it

[@mahlina1220]

True.

[@botazspike]

thanks for muslims open 4 mosque to helping all religion...

[@cyber6sapien]

Close your doors to flood victims. Because that's what Jesus would do. ..

[@johndoe3233]

Why didnt he open his mansion to accommodate people there?

[@lkhjsdfg]

He closed his doors to the very people who paid for this church and his lavash lifestyle.

[@cj1289]

If was that flooded then why did it dry up once he got called out for not helping? Now the church has air mattresses and flood victims but if the citizens stayed quiet the church would still be closed to those in need.

[@nagone11]

Joel Olsteen...showing the true power of Christ and the very heart of his gospel...Close the doors Joel...yeah brah...that's the spirit!

[@shanswiss1216]

Joel ain't got time to save lives, he's too busy making that $$$

[@daviddebose7502]

I have been living right across from Lakewood there was little to no flooding dude is just a con artist we all know him and his kinda is

[@commess1]

He doesnt need to open up the church because he is wealthy; he should open simply because he has the space and there are thousands who are needy. And that doing so ties in to normal selfless human behaviour.

[@viewer0ne]

If practically the entire city is flooded, I don't understand why he'd be so concerned about preserving his church's pristine condition. Who does he think will be attending with everyone gone or relocating?

[@da96103]

Rich folks who are unaffected by the floods, who can continue to donate to his cult.

[@ConsciousMechanism]

Olsteen, is a wolf in sheep's clothing...you can't live the life he lives and reflect a genuine life and pure reflection of what he preaches.Lies up front, then pressured to open the doors....shameful.

[@Jeffrey9In4Chains]

my house here in Houston got 4 inches of water all over the house! Which is lucky cause some people's houses were completely submerged!

[@stigmatamartyr4223]

JeffreysWorld 😮 stay safe, dude.

[@dincanward7067]

What's so crazy is people are still giving money to Joel and his FAKE church.

[@hannahblythhammond]

A church is always supposed 2 offer sanctuary.....

[@blackgold2521]

I agree. I even suggested to someone to send money donations to churches, monasteries, synagogues, & mosques b/c that is where most people run to first when looking for safety and food when there are disasters. This is the norm.

[@MicMaine]

Also, with all that money he could've reserved another facility located out of the targeted area to house refugees but his church never even considered something like that because it wasn't in their 70 million dollar annual budget, obviously.

[@squirrel927]

are they suggesting a mega-church preacher acted immoral? what a bombshell

[@empressoftheknownuniverse]

Squirrel They only act out when Jeebus isn't looking...he's too busy watching alterboys shower.

[@mahlina1220]

Seriously.

[@Chris-gv6ll]

I never liked Joel this makes me hate him even more

[@davidroberts1689]

He's a minister. OF COURSE HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE POOR, he knows who they are and doesn't like them. Hypocrisy.

[@freedomandliberty2538]

Don't worry Joel will have all the facts on DVD just please send $19.99 plus S&H

[@jonathanhenly99]

Pretty certain the bible has something to say about helping those in need. Another televangelist hypocrite?

[@Don-md6wn]

If this hurricane had hit a liberal state, Pat Robertson would be saying it was God's wrath.

[@TheCaptainAlaska]

Defending Olsteen for not opening his shelter is gross. Straight up. That was low.

[@chrisjfox8715]

"Why heavens no! We just got these pews reupholstered!" -Joel Olsteen

[@walterjnajarro]

I personally know the Osteens, the things you are listening to are NOT TRUE. When Lakewood Church bought the building, they had to build 10 foot concrete cement water levies that were in danger of rupturing, thus hurting many more people and possibly destroying more of the building. The actual building you see in pictures is more below ground than you might think. I have seen it with my own eyes. Joel and his church were put into a lose vs lose situation. Please don't criticize what you don't know. Btw Lakewood church feeds more 1 million children on monthly basis through all their sponsorship programs, you will never hear that on the news.

[@TheMabes69]

REVOKE HIS CHURCH'S TAX EXEMPT STATUS...END OF STORY.

[@karenatha7890]

Churches own hotel chains and other big business and get out taxes there too. Plain old WRONG!

[@McDrunkerson]

Jesus loves you....but Joel only takes CASH!!!

[@patriciaguidry2580]

Maybe your cash but he is not my Pastor if her were I would tithe there. I do however know of many things that are not reported that his ministry does. Thank you Lakewood.

[@betty5064]

He closed the doors to people in urgent need. He lied about it.

[@louisegardiner1521]

McDrunkerson he's a POS

[@macboss88]

Jesus would be proud bigly!

[@josegallegos9462]

We went that area to scout and see if it was flooded and what I saw was in my opinion safe.

[@dmc8092]

Prosperity gospel is not about helping the poor. It's about getting rich and not feeling guilty despite what Jesus supposedly said.

[@adamjrusso]

... that is literally what OP said man.

[@yekarahanne6200]

There are other ways he can help, the church building is not really a necessity. He can help people by elevating their houses in their communities in the near future. He can pay their hotel fare where they evacuate. He can buy them cars. He can get out and feed the hungry real food. He can use his mansion to let people take baths. So who needs the church building?

[@paulmac2679]

Christianity at its finest

[@LogicalPrimate]

Ken Ham should bring his tax payer funded Ark to Houston to save everyone.

[@maerlon101]

The Mormon (latter-day saint) buildings are closed as well. So much for being christlike.

[@mikelocke6825]

It's telling that so many people are defending Osteen here. Saying things like it's Osteen's church, so only he can decide when to open it. Noob question here, but isn't that church God's and not Osteen's? It's a church built for Christian worship not Osteen worship, right? So then this church should abide by Christian practices of charity, not Osteen's "I don't want hurricane victims muddying up the place" sentiments.

[@styxvxn4435]

Mike Locke It's all his congregation that's defending him

[@barbaragordon6177]

Religious pimps : gimme gimme gimme Followers: Okay, but have my back too Religious pimps: Ask the lord for salvation

[@matsjonsson9492]

Who lives in the delusion that religious people would somehow be better mammalians than non-believers? I don´t. Quite the opposite.....actually.

[@melindam7109]

Mats Jönsson Lots of xtians particularly the megachurch kind.

[@iby914]

Mats Jönsson - There was a study in the UK which showed which group of people gave most to charity each year. Muslims came first. Want to know who came last? Atheists. Hmmm.

[@bunnyslippers817]

ibkillah, source?

[@ExRev79]

Of course if you don't count giving to church's but to actual charities atheist are on top

[@Mr1stcat]

Shameful he calls himself a Christian

[@mannysabir1339]

I do remember a football stadium opening it's doors (Superdome) to victims.

[@butdoesshebudget]

Manny Sabir yes the super dome was open to Katrina victims. After the all shelters are filled FEMA them goes to churches and pays them to house people. Most churches will not allow victims to take shelter without payments from FEMA. I know this because I live in Louisiana and every pastor was paid to house victims. This is what is going on.

[@mattkolb2579]

Pay to pray. A story as old as time itself...😒

[@DarthCipient]

Mary - "Do you have any room?" Osteen Inn - "Sorry, no. Our barn is also closed"

[@bobby-ov9qn]

Check again Darth . . . the barn is, and has been, open.

[@gregcampwriter]

There's a saying that Osteen needs to review: "No room at the inn."

[@Bix12]

Ha!

[@Jsaiis]

But he'll open his doors for your money 😂😂😂

[@ilfautdanser9121]

what's his cut from the donations? administration costs ya know.

[@Medame88]

Now we know Who and What Olsten really is. Or is not!

[@trentladson5668]

not a real Christian just out for the money.

[@mmmtsp]

he thought, what would Jesus do? and then he did the Opposite.

[@mahlina1220]

Typical like most FJWs; take a decent human being, idolize him, and do the opposite just to appear "nice."

[@esthersutton23]

Someone put a video up where they were stranded outside the church and was wondering why the doors weren't open. Joel Osteen had a small group of his own people in the church.

[@Bullshotinbutt]

I saw that too. The newest thing is that they were preparing to open for the needy...my ass.

[@MackTheMadman]

Can’t wait for the day when he stands before the maker and answer for his sms and crimes call yourself a man of God

[@Timbrock1000]

JOEL OSTEEN SAILS HIS YACHT INTO FLOODED HOUSTON!! While other churches opened their doors to assist hurricane victims, Joel Osteen's Lakewood church was locked up. However, after the storm passed, Osteen had the captain of his $14M yacht sail it into the flooded streets of Houston. He stood on the bow and waved and smiled to flood victims and said "have a blessed day!" as he handed out copies of his book, "Your Best Life Now". On a few occasions, he stopped and allowed victims to briefly board his ship so he could pose for pictures, carefully not to stand too close to avoid getting his designer suit soiled. To learn more, Google "Joel Osteen sails yacht in flooded Houston".

[@estmer1954]

Joel Osteen - "did you see what they did to the super dome ?!"

[@alexanderk.5474]

Televangelists..best scammers in theology.

[@matsjonsson9492]

TYT.....best scammers in leftist political story spinning. DNC tools. Price tag: $20 million.

[@freddylooger7320]

He is like the priest from the walking dead who let everyone get eaten by zombies.

[@dontmesswiththelopez]

Prosperity church...only open during times of prosperity, DUH

[@TruthAndMoreTruth]

His church is on high ground and was not really in harms way. There were staffers there and even cars in the parking lot.

[@Herehear49]

Lakewood Church is a tax shelter but not a people shelter. How ironic that it was Jesus who said "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" and if someone asks for your shirt to also give him your coat. A rich "holy" man is probably the biggest hypocrisy ever. Tax the churches!

[@jadepaulsen1674]

ANN Linley those books made money only because he has deceived so many sheep. He is just a celebrity in " Christian" circles. Shame, shame on him. I am so embarrassed for anyone who follows this evil, evil man.

[@jmtnvalley]

I don't feel bad criticizing a person who takes money from poor people. You actively encourages poor people to give his church money. And spends that money on an extravagant lifestyle. The man is a punk. He is a fraud. Why do I think that? He is a minister.

[@ohbrother8530]

I need to be careful what I say but someone is going to go off on one of those mega church pastors.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Why? Why do you "need" to be careful what you say? You have freedom of speech to say ANYTHING.

[@jackiebinns6205]

He makes over 100 million a year from the people tax fee ok !! his doors needed to be open period !!!!!!

[@poolboyinla]

Osteen doesn't get any money at all for being a minister. He makes millions from book sales and he pays millions in taxes. Way to spread lies and fake news though.

[@beepbeepimmadragon8758]

He's an American so I'm not surprised 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@markathompson]

lol

[@adriennebernal5]

Everyone's saying without knowing. Ana I feel ya on this....I feel the same way.

[@yahkibenyehuda4255]

Joel know what happened to the Super Dome, he said "hell to da no"' they ain't gone tear up my nice shit"!!!! Lol!!

[@darthvader4345]

What's the point having a church if it's only use for worshipping but can't function in times of need/emergency...might as well turn it into a museum🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JediDrallig2]

I was thinking the same thing Darth. Your all the way in space and you know this.

[@missleo2003]

Joel this was your calling you missed it man.

[@freedomandliberty2538]

nichole bryan it is easier for cattle to go though an eye of a needle then for a rich man to get into heaven does not apply to this man of the cloth. But he does have the story on DVD JUST PLEASE SEND $19.99 PLUS S&H

[@GiorniVenibato]

And not to mention the mega mansion in River Oaks area he build for himself. THe church and the surrounding area is high and dry. the mega compound used to be Houston Rockets Stadium compaq center.

[@jondoe6514]

The fact you decide not to open up your own property to help people is your own choice. This guy closed the doors to the victims of this storm and asked for donations for the victims on the church website at the same time. Donations going to the church. No mention of this part of the story.

[@chrishale5213]

Jon Doe it's not his property, it's the CHURCH'S property. And the body of the church is made up of over 10,000 people. It is THEIR church. At least let members in.

[@laurasartori8213]

The irony is that he is a minister of Jesus Christ, who said that whatever you do to each other so you do to Me. Aside from the teaching that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to pass into Heaven, he's a "minister" afraid to extend compassion and shelter to fellow man. If Jesus really exists, I bet he's not happy!

[@selemmedhane7959]

Anna looks really pretty, love her hair down

[@abelmaldonado326]

Yea the joel ostien church is collecting donaciones now. He didnt get sundays offering so he has to get it somewhere.

[@kkirby1884]

That son of a preacher man.

[@mahlina1220]

Jesus would've kept his doors open, for sure. Again, Jesus would do a lot of things most conservative Christians wouldn't do today. And, if Jesus were alive, most probably would call him SJW.

[@wolf2109]

*Creflo Dolla would never stoop this low..................* 😂😂😂💀💀💀💀

[@DigBick69]

Wolf Perry How could anyone follow someone called Creflo Dolla that name sounds pimpish people are stupid.

[@craftsmanstandard891]

Everyone just calm down! This is all part of God's plan!.... right?

[@billiebleach7889]

A typical hypocrite preacher man....

[@geniemann9725]

people walked over and checked. there was less than a cm of water. more than one video on line.

[@BrianTrickett-pq9ub]

He didn't want mud on his new carpets. lol

[@DREADEYE_KNIGHT]

Them carpets are expensive!!!

[@seanarmstrong1156]

TO BE FAIR: a spokesperson has stated that the doors were closed because the church was flooded and they needed to first do a safety check before allowing public inside. Now...i don't now if that was just some lame excuse or if it was real, more investigation is required...but hey, innocent until proven guilty!

[@Bella-cz6od]

I live in Houston and though I am not an Osteen fan, the only reason that the church was not used until today is because it was unreachable. The mayor did not allow transportation to the church until today. Houston TV stations are all shaming CNN and MSNBC for being politically divisive, stating that every media source in the US and beyond, not only reporting but assisting, while CNN and MSNBC, did a 'fly by' long enough to get a story. When they returned, their mission was not to help but to hurt Texas and Houston's ppl, from Cruz, to Trump, to Osteen to the mayor.

[@batsukamuro]

Finally, some sense from another native. All of the outsiders speaking on what they know nothing about. I live literaly, google confirmed, 5 mins form Lakewood. There was no driving to be done. If it weren't for 2nd level parking I'd have lost my car. It flooded over here twice. The water got crazy high then receded. Then it got even higher again.

[@GoogleVideoMan]

If you're a Christian you take care of people! That's your job! It's not ours, the non-Christians.

[@staybeautifulx285]

As a Christian I would take care of people who are Christian like it says in the bible it mentions nothing about non Christians and taking care of them

[@miguiresmith510]

Stay Beautiful x it says "love thy neighbor"

[@staybeautifulx285]

It says love you neighbour Doesn't say help them

[@staybeautifulx285]

I can love from a distance

[@staybeautifulx285]

Your *

[@alexxphillips]

I've been saying he's a snake since day 1. Now everyone sees. No minister/church should be worth more than the people they serve.

[@bigrooster6893]

I don't like him either but the church was under like 3 feet of water where in the hell were the people going to stay.

[@alexxphillips]

Judge Executioner Regardless of if the church was able to physically or not. They could have done more. He took his yacht and handed out signed copies of his book and did photo ops. The church should not should be worth more than all of its patrons. He tweeted about prayers from his 10 million dollar home in the community that gave it to him. He is there for the money and nothing else.

[@lpi1]

yet he asks for money

[@waterandafter]

Kick out the money changers.

[@johnsnook4007]

Hey, I normally disagree with tyt, but thank you for reporting this!! 👍👏👏

[@rustymustard7798]

I don't watch videos with unskippable 30 second ads and you shouldn't either if you don't want this to just get worse