Grammy Award-winning Christian singer Israel Houghton, who finished the last leg of his “King’s Men” tour in mid-October, recently testified that pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church is “the real deal.”
Houghton reportedly said that although Osteen has been criticized for not taking a more hardline approach to the topic of sin, he has seen the megachurch pastor make positive changes in the lives of his congregants.
“Houghton says he would rather offend Christian leaders who think Osteen doesn’t preach enough about sin than the many non-Christians who are attracted to Osteen’s message of God’s love for them,” The Associated Press reported.
Osteen is the senior pastor of the largest church in the U.S., located in Houston, Texas and boasting an average weekly attendance 43,500 people.
Houghton told the AP that while there are three million Christians who choose to watch televised pastors preach, Osteen attracts an additional seven million un-churched viewers every Sunday.
