Joel Osteen: Social Media Created ‘False Narrative’ Around Houston Megachurch

Joel Osteen said on The Today Show this morning that social media created a “false narrative” about Lakewood Church closing its doors during Hurricane Harvey.

Lakewood opened its doors to people yesterday after getting slammed online for not taking people in sooner. Osteen explained today that the city didn’t ask them to become a shelter earlier.

He said this morning there were just “safety issues” and they wanted to be cautious, offering this response to the social media criticism:

“I think sometimes social media can be very powerful and it can create this false narrative, but if you’re sitting in another state and you’re not here––I mean, my niece was stranded right across the street from this building, nowhere to go.”

He added, “Social media doesn’t run our life.”

Watch above, via NBC News.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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