Romney: Jeffress wrong man to give Jerusalem embassy prayer
Senate candidate says prominent Baptist minister shouldn’t be giving prayer that opens US Embassy in Jerusalem because he’s a 'religious bigot'; Jeffress, considered President Trump's spiritual advisor, said in the past 'Jews are headed to hell.'
In a tweet Sunday night, the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee criticized Dallas priest Robert Jeffress for his remarks about Jews, Mormons and Islam.
Romney said, “Robert Jeffress says ‘you can’t be saved by being a Jew,’ and ‘Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell.’ He’s said the same about Islam.”
Liberal group Media Matters reports on its website that Jeffress made the remarks cited by Romney in a 2011 speech at the conservative Values Voter Summit.
Jeffress responded in a tweet of his own by defending his view that “salvation is through faith in Christ alone.”
“Historic Christianity has taught for 2,000 years that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. The fact that I, along with tens of millions of evangelical Christians around the world, continue to espouse that belief, is neither bigoted nor newsworthy," Jeffress said in the tweet,
The role of Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, a Southern Baptist megachurch, underlines the significance of the Jerusalem event as an appeal to Christian conservatives, part of President Donald Trump’s base of supporters.
The Baptist preacher said in the past that the "Mormon religion, Hinduism and Buddhism are the devil's genius," and that he believes the "Jews are headed to hell."
Jeffress has written several best-sellers about religious belief and conservatism and often appears on television and even hosts numerous religion-related TV shows.
Jeffress compared US Christians' treatment to the Jews in America to Nazi Germany's treatment before it executed the "Final Solution" plan meant to exterminate all Jews.
Jeffress also said "Islam is a religion that promotes pedophilia, sex with children."
Jaffress is considered to be Trump's spiritual advisor and was praying during his election rallies, saying,
"Evangelicals know they are not voting for a church boy in 2016 elections for presidency."
Two months ago Jaffress defended the American president in an Fox News interview saying that even if it turns up that Trump had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels it wouldn't make any difference.
"Evangelicals still believe in the commandment of not having intercourse with a porn star, but whether the president violated this commandment is totally unrelated to our support for him," he explained.
After Lethal hurricane Harvey struck in the US, Robert Jeffress prayed in the Oval Office and said, "We thank the president for his wisdom to call upon our nation for a day of prayer."
After Trump had gone against immigrant coming from "shithole countries," and stated the president has the full authority to act as needed to protect the US, including declaring war.
