HOUSTON — A Texas megapastor is under fire for comments he made about Donald Trump during a book tour six months ago.
On Twitter, some people have said Joel Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, has endorsed the Republican presidential candidate. Church officials say it's simply not true.
“It’s just like fire when it comes on Twitter or Facebook,” said Michael Garfield, a technology expert who is known as the High-Tech Texan. “You’re going to mix words, you’re going to say, ‘Look at this ... he’s a big follower, he's a big supporter of this particular candidate.’ But now it just goes viral.”
Garfield said during an October 2015 interview, Osteen called Trump a "good man."
“But now when everybody is starting to hop on the endorsement bandwagon, somebody did some research, where they pulled it up where they said Joel Osteen likes Donald Trump,” Garfield said.
In a statement, Lakewood Church said:
"Contrary to the misinformation making the rounds on social media, Pastor Joel Osteen has not endorsed any candidate for President of the United States."
Even so, Garfield said it could still sway voters, even though it’s just Twitter talk that’s not true.
“It’s going to come back to bite a certain voter group it seems like,” he said, adding that churches and pastors must be careful as churches can lose their non-profit status if they make political endorsements.
Follow Grace White on Twitter: @GraceWhiteKHOU
