Did Joel Osteen endorse Donald Trump? Lakewood Church releases clarifying statement

Pastor Joel Osteen has recently come under fire after being accused of endorsing Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump during his book tour six months ago.

There are some Twitter users who have called Pastor Joel Osteen's comments on Donald Trump an endorsement. However, Lakewood Church officials have denied the claims that his comments amounted to an "endorsement", according to KHOU.

In an official statement issued to The Blaze on Tuesday, Lakewood Church said Pastor Osteen has not endorsed any presidential candidate.

"Contrary to the misinformation making the rounds on social media, Pastor Joel Osteen has not endorsed any candidate for President of the United States," Lakewood Church said.

Recently, news spread that Osteen had expressed support for the GOP Republican frontrunner. It all began when Pastor Joel Osteen called Donald Trump a "good man" in an interview in October 2015 on Fox News radio's "Kilmeade and Friends," the report relays.

In the interview with Fox, the megachurch pastor said some good things about the billionaire and even called him a "friend" to his ministry and an "incredible communicator." However, the pastor did not explicitly endorse the real estate mogul, nor another other candidate.

The Republican presidential candidate, on the other hand, has seemingly reciprocated Osteen's praises. Trump has been known to quote the Christian leader in some of his Twitter statuses. He also called it an honor to be associated with the Lakewood Church pastor, whom he described as a fantastic man.