Joel Osteen

=== Hurricane Harvey response ===
During the immediate aftermath of [[Hurricane Harvey]] in August 2017, Osteen received significant criticism for not making [[Lakewood Church]], a 606,000-square-foot, 16,000-seat former sports 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 = [[The 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 = [[The 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 = http://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 = Chicago Tribune |date = August 30, 2017 |access-date = August 30, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Joel Osteen defends not opening megachurch to Harvey victims |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hurricane-harvey/joel-osteen-defends-not-opening-megachurch-harvey-victims-n797036 |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=NBC News |date=August 29, 2017 |language=en}}</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 posted 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-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829225240/http://www.fox13news.com/news/277145632-story |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>  Lakewood spokesperson Don Iloff later described floodwaters as one foot from spilling over the facility's floodgate and surging into the building.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/megachurch-hurricane-harvey-lakewood_n_59a60e8be4b00795c2a28e87|title=Inside The Megachurch Accused Of Closing Its Doors During Harvey|last=Lohr|first=David|date=2017-08-29|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-09-01}}</ref> He also stated that pictures showing Lakewood free of flooding were taken on Monday, after the flood waters had lowered.<ref>{{Cite news|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|last=Phillips|first=Stephanie Kuzydym, Kristine|work=chicagotribune.com|access-date=July 27, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.inquisitr.com/4469615/joel-osteen-responds-to-criticisms-over-closing-lakewood-church-amid-hurricane-harvey/|title=Hurricane Harvey Flood: Joel Osteen Didn't Turn People Away, Says There Was Safety Issue At Lakewood Church|date=August 31, 2017|work=The Inquisitr|access-date=July 27, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

Osteen disputed the claim that flood waters closed the church, saying "the church has been open from the beginning," and, "[w]e'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 = The Washington Post |access-date = September 9, 2017 }}</ref> This contradicted his earlier statement that the church would open when other refugee centers were full.<ref name="Tribune" /><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 |first = Oliver |last = McAteer |date = August 29, 2017 |website = Metro |access-date = September 9, 2017 }}<br />{{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 |access-date = September 9, 2017 |language = en-US }}</ref> On the evening of August 28, it was announced by Lakewood that it would open at noon the next day as an available shelter to storm victims and emergency personnel, which it did.<ref name="Tribune" />

On August 15, 2018, less than a year after Harvey struck, the City of Houston and Mayor [[Sylvester Turner]] proclaimed a day in honor of the assistance of Lakewood and Osteen in rebuilding 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 |access-date = August 15, 2018 |language = en-US }}</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 {{!}} Houston Public Media|last=Martin|first=Florian|date=August 14, 2018|work=Houston Public Media|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>