Posted on 12/23/2005 4:39:24 AM PST by truthandlife
Victoria Osteen, the wife of Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen, said an incident that delayed a Continental Airlines flight for two hours earlier this week was "a minor misunderstanding."
Osteen posted a "Letter from Victoria" on the church's official Web site Wednesday, saying the Monday incident resulted from her choice "to remove myself from the situation."
Osteen left the plane, Continental Flight 1602, with her husband and their two children. The family took another flight to Vail, Colo., where they are taking a ski vacation.
A church spokesman said the family left the plane voluntarily.
However, FBI Special Agent Luz Garcia has said that the Osteens were asked to leave the jetliner after "an altercation."
Garcia also said that Victoria Osteen "failed to comply" with instructions from a flight attendant.
The FBI said the airline contacted the agency about the incident. The agency decided not to investigate.
Continental Airlines spokeswoman Julie King declined any further comment about the incident Thursday.
"There have been various accounts of an incident that occurred on one of our flights, and I have issued earlier statements about that," King said. "We can confirm that there are no remaining issues between Continental and those passengers. ... Both parties feel no further comment is necessary."
King declined to comment on Victoria Osteen's explanation of the incident.
In her letter, which can be read at at www.lakewood.cc, Osteen stated:
"Regardless of how some have portrayed the situation, please know that it was truly a minor misunderstanding and did not escalate into what you saw or read in the news. Contrary to those reports, it was my choice to remove myself from the situation. Nonetheless, it was a most unfortunate event and I truly regret that it happened."
Osteen's letter continued, "The last thing I would ever want to do is let any of you down. And I promise you that I did not act in any way that would cast a bad light on you, my family, Lakewood Church or our Lord Jesus Christ. I value the position that God has placed me in and I can assure you that I will always walk in love and integrity. While I am not perfect, I will always seek to be a peacemaker and seek the high road."
The incident apparently stemmed from a spilled liquid on Osteen's seat in the first class section of the airplane. A church spokesman said the spill was not cleaned up to Osteen's satisfaction, and the family left the plane voluntarily.
Joel Osteen is a nationally known author of self-help books, including the best-selling Your Best Life Now. He became pastor of Lakewood Church in 1999. The church, in the former Compaq Center, is one of the nation's largest with more than 30,000 weekly participants in church services.
Thanks for the link.
Protestants have forever complained about the "riches of the Vatican." and the pomp and circumstance" of the episcopacy of both the Roman and Anglican churches. Now we have a preacher who lives "higher" than any American bishop, and on the same level as a CEO. Not exactly apostolic poverty.
Back in the day, they had one temple. To say that Lakewood is somehow a monopoly is a claim that blows my mind. I have never been to Lakewood, but I doubt Joel sells books from the pulpit.
I'm sure his books are sold in bookstores, but It would be ridiculous to think that his own books are not sold in the church bookstore. Once again reinforcing in his members that they should buy his books and they will get them to heaven.
You are reaching.
It's the "under the table stuff" that concerns me about each of these guys, jim baker, jimmy swaggart, joel osteen, etc. I can tell you for a FACT joel is reaping HUGE benefits from his position. Paying him a salary would be a joke.
I agree..the more I think about this the more it sounds like she created a big stink. If you think about it, 1st Class seats are leather - anything spilled on them would wipe right up - not soak in like a coach seat. It seems like it would have been an easy matter to clean it up and everyone just move on. I don't usually get to sit in 1st class seats so am I wrong on this ??
911 changed a lot of things. Used to be flight attendants had to put up with drunken idiots. Now they will kick people off for any offensive behavior. Doesn't happen often, but it is happening more and more. I am sure Victoria was not the angle she implies she was, but I would also bet the flight attendant was pretty short with her.
Exactly. Substitute Victoria with Tuh-RAY-zuh Heinz Kerry and FReepers cutting this woman slack would be singing a different tune.
He has reportedly given up any salary from the church and lives off his book income.... sold at bookstores....
To me this is like Heidi Fleiss opening up a Bunny Ranch and drawing a salary for a few years. Then writing a book and not drawing one and claiming to be virtuous. We all know how they got started.
Me too.
He could sell them at cost.. lets get real somebody has to pay for printing them; not his congregation.
So it's cool to make a buck on Jesus if you do it in a book?
Isn't everyone one on TBN? ;)
Why do we always assume the worst about someone?
EXCELLENT POINT, the media has us trained like Pavlov's dog, to salivate at every breaking story; and the stories are always negative!
And the husband didn't offer to take her seat for her because?
And they didn't lay down some towels because?
And they didn't see if there was another seat she could sit in because?
And bitching makes fools of others.
An awful lot of them do seem to have come from a background in sales or motivational speaking.
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