Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, held a grand service for the first time in Hawaii, at the "Night of Hope" worship event on Friday, Feb. 3. During his visit to the state, Osteen was asked by local media to address accusations that he preaches a "watered-down" Gospel.
Joel Osteen, best-selling author and pastor of Lakewood Church in Texas, and his wife Victoria are seen in this file photo, April 6, 2010.
The Texas megachurch pastor had been spotted earlier in the week at the Pacific state wearing only his swim trunks, a hat and sunglasses, gathering a lot of media attention for his in-shape physique. An image of Osteen's abs was released by TMZ.com that made headlines and put the spotlight on the 48-year-old pastor's advocacy for healthy living and dieting.
At the Night of Hope event, however, Osteen talked on some serious issues in his first ever sermon at the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.
"I think, for years, people have been pushed down by religion, and I don't say that disrespectfully, but they've been shown a God that you can't measure up to," the Texas pastor told the crowd, according to the Hawaii News Now.
"And so, my goal is to make God good and let them know, hey, I tell them all the time, God's smiling down on you right now. You're his child. He's got a great plan for your life. You can overcome mistakes, and to me, that draws people TO God," he continued, adding as the crowd cheered: "You are victors, not victims!"
Osteen also addressed some of his statements that homosexuality is a sin and accusations that his sermons only focus on receiving prosperity from God - which some critics interpret to mean money. The Lakewood Church pastor, and bestselling author, has been identified as one of America's wealthiest pastors.
Source: Christian Post | Stoyan Zaimov
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