Though the storm of criticism over prosperity gospel pastor Joel Osteen’s failure to immediately make his church available for a shelter has passed, there are lessons to be learned from the aftermath. The biggest is that the people who took to Twitter and rage on about his apparent callousness towards the people caught in the midst of Hurricane Harvey did not have the entire story. That made them wrong on a number of counts. Here are five reasons you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Joel Osteen.
1. They followed the crowd.
Christians in general are often accused of being like mindless sheep who do not critically think about their beliefs. Those who took to Twitter in search of a target for the ongoing chaos of Hurricane Harvey found an easy one only because of his prosperity. If his church was a dry, unaffected wooden building he wouldn’t have gotten so much as one 10 character tweet.
2. Joel Osteen may be a public figure, but he is a private citizen.
Though contrary to the Twitter rants, his property is not subject to public scrutiny as long as he operates within the boundaries of the law. Yes, he can look selfish and any decision he makes opens the door for accusations of hypocrisy. But at the end of the day it is his followers who will determine the future of his ministry, not secular public opinion.
3. He has a history of helping those in need
Specifically during the difficult times of those caught in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is the norm in today’s American culture to forget about history unless it advances a specific agenda. Osteen’s church was made available after Katrina came and went, in part because it was not in the direct path of the storm and was deemed to be a true safe haven for people. The photographs he posted are proof that safety was an immediate issue, and the situation had to be assessed lest he be accused of not providing a safe and comfortable place for the displaced.
4. Refusing people to come into the church would have been counterproductive.
In other words, Osteen could have literally had a captive audience, not by choice, to preach his message to with the goal of adding to his membership rolls. Wet or dry, believer or unbeliever, people would have tolerated the verbal inconvenience. He chose to do what is right first, and what is popular later.
5. Osteen’s response to the Twitterstorm was actually common sense.
He stated that the staff and resources necessary to properly meet the needs of the potential 16,000+ in need of shelter were simply not available. Putting in in a different perspective, there would potentially be 16,000 people without any actual help, just a place to come in out of the rain. Food, clothing, blankets, and all the other needs shelters that were up and running were not available to Osteen at the time. It is easy to be a critic, and as is often the case, taking the time to use common sense and think the problem through is not a prerequisite.
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