Megachurch pastor Joel Osteen has "glorified himself and not God", one of the men arrested for heckling at his Lakewood Church has claimed.
In an emailed statement to the Washington Post, Jacob Gardner, 26, said he and his fellow protestors wanted to warn Lakewood, which is in Houston, Texas, of a "coming judgement" from God because of what they believe to be the church's false teaching.
"We have been burdened for this place for years (this past year especially) and were all of us united in fasting and prayer for three days preceding this event," Gardner said. The men are "convinced that the sins of Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church have reached heaven and that God has remembered their iniquities," he added.
"Joel Osteen has glorified himself and not God. He has heaped to himself riches, while he promises the poorest of the poor a life of health, wealth, and prosperity. Joel's religion is a worship of SELF, and not of CHRIST."
The incident occurred on Sunday, while Osteen was delivering a sermon. Gardner was arrested, five others. They are all members of the Church of Wells – Gardner is an elder – which is known locally as a cult; a charge the group has publicly denied. Gardner has previously been arrested for preaching at a high school. According to KTRE 9, he caused a disturbance during a youth Christian event in 2014 and "started telling kids they were going to hell and that what they were being taught was wrong."
During Osteen's sermon on Sunday, the protestors interrupted by shouting "Joel Osteen you're a liar". One churchgoer, Casey Eaglin, said that another "jumped up with his Bible and started screaming 'Shame on you Joel! Shame on you Joel!'."
"I was terrified for a quick second there," Eaglin added. "After the first guy, I thought, 'Oh it's just a random heckler, but then you start seeing the second, the third."
The protestors were escorted out by security.
Osteen, also a bestselling author and televangelist, has faced criticism for his large personal wealth in the past and has been forced to defend his teaching several times. Celebrity Networth estimates that he is worth $40 million, which includes a $10.5 million mansion in the luxury River Oaks area of Houston.
In an interview with CNN in 2011, Osteen told Piers Morgan that he often gets "categorised" as a preacher of the prosperity gospel, but "I don't even believe in that".
"I mean, that's not the focus," he continued. "The main thing I'm talking about is how you can excel."
Osteen also told Morgan that he doesn't feel "guilty" about his personal fortune, noting his belief that it signifies "God's blessings on my life. And for me to apologise for God's – how God has blessed you, it's almost an insult to our God".
