I watched the video several times in stunned disbelief and then several more times in order to accurately transcribe it word-for-word. The pastor’s voice was dramatic; he would start slowly, begin to be more and more emphatic and then arrive at a crescendo that had people shouting “Amen!” in the background. He is an excellent speaker and seems to have had his entire congregation hanging on his every word:
“In this nation, I’m worried that we are on the verge of bloodshed. This is an attempt to take us back to a day that we do not want to go and we will not go. Therefore, there will be conflict. I pray that the peace of God will win out and overcome the madness that is attempting to take over this nation.”
So far, so good; the pastor sees that we are heading for bloodshed and is praying for the peace of God. But that statement, “Therefore, there will be conflict,” should have been a tell. Sure enough …
“And I will say to you, beloved, no one likes violence, but sometimes violence is necessary.”
Before I go any further, ask yourself how you feel about a preacher making the statement, “Sometimes violence is necessary.” Are you trying to figure out if the preacher is a right-winger or a left-winger before you decide? Do you want to know if he is angry with Democrats or Republicans before you make that call? If so, you might have a hypocrisy issue to deal with.