Lakewood Church

==Criticism==
===Prosperity gospel===
Osteen's sermons and writings are sometimes noted for promoting [[prosperity theology]], or the prosperity gospel, a belief that material gain is a reward for pious Christians.<ref name=blumenthal>{{cite news|last=Blumenthal|first=Ralph|title=Joel Osteen's Credo: Eliminate the Negative, Accentuate Prosperity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/30/books/30oste.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 30, 2006 |access-date=January 5, 2014}}</ref><ref name=lite>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318054,00.html |date=December 23, 2007 |access-date=May 13, 2011 |title=Transcript: Pastor Joel Osteen on 'FNS'|quote=Now, as with most successful people, you have critics who say that what you offer is gospel 'lite,' the prosperity gospel. |publisher=[[FOX News]]}}</ref> However, when asked if he is a prosperity teacher, Osteen responded that if prosperity means God wants people to be blessed and healthy and have good relationships, then he considers himself a prosperity teacher, but if it is about money, he does not. He has specifically stated that he never preaches about money because of the reputation of televangelists.<ref name=Interview>{{cite news|title=Joel Osteen: The Man Behind America's Largest Church|url=http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/osteen_010408.aspx|publisher=CBN.com|access-date=November 16, 2013}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[The Christian Post]]'' on April 21, 2013, Osteen expressed his sentiments on being perceived as being part of the prosperity gospel. "I get grouped into the prosperity gospel and I never think it's fair, but it's just what it is. I think prosperity, and I've said it 1,000 times, it's being healthy, it's having great children, it's having peace of mind. Money is part of it; and yes, I believe God wants us to excel ... to be blessed so we can be a bigger blessing to others. I feel very rewarded. I wrote a book and sold millions of copies; and Victoria and I were able to help more people than we ever dreamed of. But when I hear the term prosperity gospel, I think people are sometimes saying, 'Well, he's just asking for money'."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-joel-osteen-on-life-tragedy-and-why-he-shuns-prosperity-gospel-label-94355/|title=Interview: Joel Osteen on Life, Tragedy and Why He Shuns 'Prosperity Gospel' Label|work=Christian Post|date=April 21, 2013 }}</ref> On October 14, 2007, ''[[60 Minutes]]'' ran a twelve-minute segment on Osteen, titled "Joel Osteen Answers his Critics", during which [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] theologian [[Michael Horton (theologian)|Michael Horton]] told [[CBS News]] correspondent [[Byron Pitts]] that Osteen's message is [[Christian heresy|heresy]]. Horton stated that the problem with Osteen's message is that it makes religion about us instead of about God.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/11/60minutes/main3358652.shtml |date=October 14, 2007 |access-date=May 13, 2011 |title=Joel Osteen Answers his Critics|publisher=CBS News [[60 Minutes]]}}</ref>   According to the Houston Chronicle Lakewood church’s income was $89m in the year ending March 2017. More than 90 percent of that was raised from church followers and barely 1 percent of its budget went to charitable causes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-04-18 |title=A preacher for Trump's America: Joel Osteen and the prosperity gospel |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/3990ce66-60a6-11e9-b285-3acd5d43599e |access-date=2023-01-31}}</ref>

===Slow response to Hurricane Harvey===
During the immediate aftermath of [[Hurricane Harvey]] in 2017, Osteen received significant criticism in response to not making Lakewood Church, a {{convert|606000|sqft|m2|adj=on}}, 16,000 seat, former basketball arena, available as an emergency shelter for those displaced by the storm.<ref name="WaPo_083017">{{cite news|last1=Kuzydym|first1=Stephanie|title=Joel Osteen calls claim he shut church doors on Harvey victims 'a false narrative'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/29/we-were-never-closed-joel-osteens-houston-megachurch-disputes-claims-it-shut-its-doors/|access-date= September 8, 2017|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|date=August 30, 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYT_082917">{{cite news|last1=Bromwich|first1=Jonah Engel|title=Joel Osteen Says Lakewood Church Is Open to Harvey Victims After Criticism|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/us/joel-osteen-backlash-church.html?mcubz=0&_r=0|access-date=September 8, 2011|newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=August 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Newsweek_082817">{{cite magazine|last1=Sinclair|first1=Harriet|title=Is Joel Osteen's megachurch too flooded to help hurricane Harvey victims?|url=http://www.newsweek.com/televangelist-joel-osteen-flood-hurricane-harvey-656163|access-date=September 8, 2017|magazine=[[Newsweek]]|date=August 8, 2017}}</ref><ref name="LAT_092917">{{cite news|last1=Associated Press|title=After criticism, televangelist Joel Osteen denies closing Houston megachurch to people seeking shelter|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-joel-osteen-houston-megachurch-harvey-20170829-htmlstory.html|access-date=September 8, 2017|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 29, 2017}}</ref><ref name=Tribune>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-joel-osteen-megachurch-harvey-victims-20170830-story.html |title=Joel Osteen pushes back against accusations he closed his megachurch to Harvey victims |author1=Kuzydym, Stephanie |author2=Phillips, Christine |work=The Chicago Tribune |date=August 30, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2017}}</ref>  On August 27, posts from the church and a Lakewood Church associate pastor's social media accounts stated that the church was "inaccessible due to severe flooding,"  and associate pastor John Gray posting further, "If WE could get there WE WOULD OPEN THE DOORS."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fox13news.com/news/277145632-story |title=Joel Osteen's megachurch blasted for lack of outreach during Houston flooding |work=Fox 13 News |date=August 29, 2017 |access-date=August 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829225240/http://www.fox13news.com/news/277145632-story |archive-date=August 29, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fox26houston.com/news/kwalking-should-osteen-have-opened-church-as-a-shelter-sooner|title=KWalking - Should Osteen have opened church as a shelter sooner?|last=FOX|website=KRIV|date=September 4, 2017 |access-date=2019-09-01}}</ref> However the area was not under flood warning and photos and videos posted on social media appeared to counter the church's claim.<ref name=Snopes>{{Cite news|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/is-osteens-megachurch-affected/|title=Was Joel Osteen's Houston 'Megachurch' Affected By Hurricane Harvey?|newspaper=Snopes|access-date=Aug 29, 2017}}</ref> In a subsequent interview, Osteen denied the claim that the church was closed during the flood, saying "the church has been open from the beginning," and, "We've always been open … How this notion got started, that we're not a shelter and we're not taking people in is a false narrative."<ref name=Tribune/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/29/we-were-never-closed-joel-osteens-houston-megachurch-disputes-claims-it-shut-its-doors/|title=Joel Osteen calls claim he shut church doors on Harvey victims 'a false narrative'|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/29/joel-osteen-opens-his-megachurch-for-shelter-after-video-showing-it-empty-6888322/|title=Pastor opens his megachurch for shelter after video showing it empty|last=Metro.co.uk|first=Oliver McAteer for|date=August 29, 2017 |website=Metro|access-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://heavy.com/news/2017/08/joel-osteen-wikipedia-summary-trolled-vandalized-hurricane-harvey-lakewood-church-photo-screenshot/|title=PHOTO: Joel Osteen's Wikipedia Trolled Over Church's Response to Hurricane Harvey|last=Prince|first=S.J.|date=August 29, 2017 |work=Heavy.com |language=en-US |access-date=September 9, 2017}}</ref> He also said that "On the evening of August 28, it was announced by Lakewood that it would open at noon the next day as an available shelter, opening to storm victims and emergency personnel on August 29".<ref name=Tribune/>

On August 15, 2018, the City of Houston and Mayor [[Sylvester Turner]] proclaimed a "Lakewood Church Day" in honor of Lakewood's assistance in reconstruction efforts across the Houston area.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abc13.com/society/joel-osteen-honored-by-city-of-houston-for-post-harvey-help/3957138/|title=Joel Osteen honored by city of Houston for post-Harvey help|date=August 14, 2018 |work=ABC13 Houston |language=en-US |access-date=August 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/08/14/300096/lakewood-church-receives-mayors-proclamation-for-harvey-support-after-initial-criticism/|title=Lakewood Church Receives Mayor's Proclamation for Harvey Support – After Initial Criticism |last=Martin|first=Florian|date=August 14, 2018 |work=Houston Public Media |language=en-US |access-date=August 15, 2018}}</ref> It stated Lakewood has provided "assistance to more than 1,150 Houston-area families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by floodwaters" and bought "1.1 million dollars in building materials, furniture, appliances, and paid labor, as well as through the contribution of more than 2,500 volunteers".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/pastor-osteen-recognized-for-his-work-during-hurricane-harvey-with-surprise-proclamation |title=Lakewood Church pastors recognized for work during Hurricane Harvey |last=FOX |work=KSAZ |language=en-US |access-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815164611/http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/pastor-osteen-recognized-for-his-work-during-hurricane-harvey-with-surprise-proclamation |url-status=dead }}</ref>