Joel Osteen Endorses President Obama- Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Lakewood Church Pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen endorsed President Obama and defended the president against critics who claim that he is a Muslim.
The Truth:
It’s true that Joel Osteen vouched for President Obama’s Christian beliefs, but Osteen does not make political endorsements.
In an interview during the 2012 presidential campaign, CNN commentator Wolf Blitzer asked Osteen if he believed that the president was a Christian.
“I’ve been with the president at Easter breakfasts, not five feet away from him, I’ve heard him talk about his faith, talk about redemption, talk about salvation, and I believe in all my heart that he is a Christian,” Osteen replied. “He says he is. I wouldn’t try to push people away — that’s the opposite of what we’re supposed to do. I would encourage him in that … Of course, my personality is to give people the benefit of the doubt. You don’t have to prove to me that you are, if you say you are from the sincerity of your heart, then I believe you are.”
However, the claim that Osteen endorsed Obama is false. The televangelist told CBS News in 2012 that he steers clear of partisan politics and endorsements because he doesn’t want to alienate his followers.
“You start dividing yourself saying, “I’m a Democrat,’ ‘Republican,’ whatever, 50 percent immediately don’t agree. And I want to throw a broad message of hope to everyone, not somebody turn me off because of my political preference,” Osteen said.
The source of the eRumor appears to be an article published by the Examiner on October 28, 2014.
Posted 11/04/14