Pastor Joel Osteen: Romney & Obama Are Christians & I See Mormons as 'Brothers In Christ

On Tuesday, Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, spoke out about Mitt Romney's Mormon faith. Unlike a small number of evangelical preachers who have sought to place a divisive wedge between Romney's beliefs and those of traditional evangelicals, Osteen reiterated a position he has advanced before -- that the top GOP contender is, in fact, a Christian.

The litmus test, according to Osteen, is the belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God -- a central tenet of the Christian faith and one that Romney has openly embraced. Osteen made his comments about the presidential candidate during an interview on CNN's "The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer."

"When I hear Mitt Romney say that he believes that Jesus is the Son of God -- that he's the Christ, raised from the dead, that he's his Savior -- that's good enough for me," the pastor proclaimed, going on to say that he wants to be "inclusive" and welcoming to those who claim they accept Christ.

While Osteen did differentiate between Mormonism and "traditional Christianity," he maintains that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints adherents do, indeed, fall into the Christian realm. Despite some differences, the pastor claims that he sees Mormons "as brothers in Christ."

But Romney's faith wasn't the only thing Osteen commented on. When it comes to President Barack Obama, who has endlessly faced questions surrounding his beliefs, the mega-church pastor said that he takes the president at his word that he is a Christian.

"I believe with all my heart that he's a Christian, as he says he is," Osteen maintained. "[Obama] says he is [a Christian]. Again, I wouldn't try to push people away. That's just the opposite of what we're supposed to do...my personality is, I give people the benefit of the doubt."

Watch these comments during his interview with Blitzer, below:

(H/T: CNN)