Robert Jeffress: ‘Were It Not for Pastors, There Would Have Been No Civil Rights Movement’

America has a history of the faithful leading political change, noted Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist pastor and senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, offering his remarks on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Sunday with host Joel Pollak.

Pollak asked why rioters targeted churches for vandalism following the death of George Floyd, given churches’ centrality to the civil rights movement.

Jeffress replied, “First of all, let me just point out the obvious truth that Dr. Martin Luther King was a pastor who got involved in politics. We hear today all the time, ‘Well, pastors shouldn’t get involved in politics. Christians shouldn’t get involved in politics.'”

“Were it not for pastors, there would have been no civil rights movement,” continued Jeffress. “If it were not for pastors getting involved in politics, there would have been no abolition of slavery. If it were not for pastors getting involved in politics, there wouldn’t have been any American Revolution.”

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Jeffress recalled, “It was the Black-Robed Regiment, a group of pastors, who led the way in the American Revolution. These did so by peaceful protesting, and there’s everything right with peaceful protesting. Many times, peaceful protests are the antecedents to needed reform like the abolition of slavery, like the civil rights movement.”

“I don’t want to lump all of these anarchists into one category, but the ones who are targeting churches — the bottom line problem — is they have no fear of God,” determined Jeffress. “That is what the real issue is. Racism and lawlessness are not the root problems. They are symptoms of the root problem. The root problem in America is sin, rebellion against God, and His right to rule over our lives. The destruction of churches is just one symptom of people lacking a fear of the Lord.”

Racism and lawlessness are both violations of God’s law, Jeffress stated. “God does hate racism,” he said. “To hate a person because of the color of their skin is to hate the God who gave them the color of their skin. We ought to speak out about that. We also need to speak out against lawlessness. God hates lawlessness.”

Pollak invited Jeffress’s comments on President Donald Trump’s visit to the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, after it was damaged by rioters damaged it with arson.

“I have a personal relationship with that story,” shared Jeffress. “When I watched — Sunday night  — those anarchists trying to burn down historic Saint John’s Church, a church every president since [James] Madison has visited, I was heartbroken because it was at that church that I preached the Inauguration Day sermon for President Trump, Vice President Pence, and their families.”

Trump’s holding of a Bible at St. John’s Episcopal Church was partly a symbolic act of support for America’s faithful, determined Jeffress.

Jeffress went on, “It was devastating to watch that church going up in flames, and I was so encouraged 24 hours later when President Trump stood in front of that church that anarchists had tried to destroy 24 hours earlier. To me, it was a sign of solidarity, not just with that congregation, but with houses of worship all over America.”

“The president was demonstrating his vow to protect all houses of worship from those who would try to destroy them, and I think millions of people of all faiths are gratified by what the president did,” concluded Jeffress.

Breitbart News Sunday broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern.