Unsubscribe

If one has not heard, on Sunday (Feb 11th-yesterday at the time of doing this post), there was a shooting at Joel Osteen’s church in Houston, TX.

BREAKING: Lakewood Church Shooter Identified as Transgender Immigrant from El Salvador

The first article I saw about it didn’t really give many details other than active scene that police were at-one was dead, and two were injured. If I remember correctly from that first article, I think the shooter was dead and there was an older man that was injured as well as a child. From this new article, it looks like the child was brought into the building with the shooter. Why? I don’t know. I do know the child was one of the injured victims and is in critical condition. His relationship with the shooter was not shared.

From what I did read the shooter was an illegal immigrant, a transgender person, with a criminal background. So one could only guess that the relationship with the shooter and the child was not good. It ties in to a previous post I did: no child should ever have to ask if someone is a friendly.

This is the second time I have seen his church be mentioned only a few months apart I believe it is. The other being that protesters showed up in the middle of a service and disrupted it in an…embarrassing way lets just say.

I have personally never been to Joel Osteen’s church and I haven’t listened to all of his teaching, but from what I have heard, I have liked and agreed with. When it comes to people that I follow-be it politically or as a pastor-I am very picky. If someone recommends someone else to listen to, I’ll listen to a message or two before doing some research into their ministry’s background or the politician’s background. If a red flag comes up, I won’t follow. One thing I will agree with Governor Abbott on on what I saw he said about the attack: places of worship are sacred. I would even go further to say that there is a time and a place for protesting, don’t do it on church building property in the middle of a service.

I know there are many out there who have not agreed with his teaching. But that doesn’t mean do acts like this. Some may call it a hate crime, some may not. I would definitely call this most recent act yesterday a hate crime. It is just as easy to unsubscribe from someone you don’t like as it is to hit subscribe. I like his teaching, I don’t listen to him all the time, and I haven’t felt called to be a member of his church if that makes sense.

If its something you don’t agree with, hit unsubscribe.

If this isn’t seen as a hate crime after the protesters a few months ago, I would be surprised. But a “hate crime” is one of those phrases that annoy me now because it has been used far too much in some situations that it has lost its original meaning.