Twitter Backlash Forces Houston Pastor Joel Osteen to Be a Good Samaritan

This is VICE Impact's weekly series, "Slay of The Day," which takes a look at unique social media posts that left us shook and enlightened how we think about advocacy in the digital age.

Last week, we looked at the Instagram account of the Working Families Party, an economic justice organization that slammed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton for flaunting their wealth on social media then Louise having the gaul to get upset when people called the post insensitive. This week we're back on Twitter, where people are reacting to the less-than-charitable actions of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The Category 4 Hurricane has been downgraded to a tropical storm since it began last Friday and made landfall this Tuesday in Houston and other areas of the Texas Gulf. Despite the decrease in intensity, the storm has caused catastrophic rainfall that submerged entire communities underwater. So far, nine people have been reported dead due to the natural disaster, and thousands have been left stranded in search of higher ground. With many people in need of shelter, it seems logical to assume that one of the largest churches in Houston would show mercy—that is unless, you're Joel Osteen.

Osteen is a televangelist who preaches kindness and generosity from the pulpit, but seemingly practices something else entirely. People on Twitter dragged Osteen for shuttering the doors to his 16,800-square-foot arena of a church that has more than 15,000 seats when his community needed him most.

Even other members within the faith-based community criticized Osteen's inaction:

After the severe backlash, Osteen finally responded. According to a statement Osteen made to ABC News, his Lakewood church was "prepared to house people once shelters reach capacity." The statement went on to say, "We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need."

That statement contradicted a Facebook post made by the church on Monday that said the building was inaccessible due to severe flooding.

Even locals noticed that the church appeared dry during the thick of the storm despite not allowing anyone to enter.

Nonetheless, it looks like people in need will be able to receive help from Osteen's church after all, but it's somewhat ironic that a leader of a church had to be shamed into doing a good deed.

If you care about helping the survivors of Hurricane Harvey, here's how you can support local relief efforts.

There you have it, and please be sure to join us next week for the best of the online nitty gritty. And let us know YOUR favorite online slays @viceimpact or email aaron.barksdale@vice.com .