After the controversial clip that has gone viral over the past weeks, megachurch pastor Joel Osteen's wife, Victoria Osteen finally reacts to her critics. She responded to the debate and squall making rounds in evangelical circles following a statement she delivered about church attendance and worshiping God that drove contention to those who got to listen to the said speech.
In a statement exclusively issued to The Blaze, Victoria said "While I admit that I could have been more articulate in my remarks, I stand by my point that when we worship God and are obedient to Him, we will be better for it. I did not mean to imply that we don't worship God; that's ridiculous, and only the critics and cynics are interpreting my remarks that way." She further added that every member of their church in Lakewood knew exactly what she was talking about and there was no confusion among the congregation whom she co-pastors with her husband, when she made those remarks.
The 37-second clip that has circulated in the social media contained Victoria Osteen telling their congregation that when people obey the Lord and go to church, they are "not necessarily doing it for God." She said from the pulpit, "I just want to encourage everyone of us to realize that when we obey God, we're not doing it for God- I mean that's one way to look at it. You're doing it for yourself, because God takes pleasure when we're happy." She added, "That's the thing that gives him greatest joy this morning...just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy." "When you come to church when you worship him, you're not doing it for God, really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy," she continued.
Those remarks earned her a seemingly never-ending scorn and ridicule from different social media sites. However, some came to her defense and gave their support and even explained what she meant by her statement.
