Pastor warns against ‘anti-Trump’ sentiment among believers
In the wake of increasing condemnation of the Donald Trump administration from several quarters, including the black church globally, one local pastor has issued a reminder that God’s will is more superior than the man-made justice that is clouding the minds of many Christians.
Founder and president of the Jamaica House of Prayer (JAHOP) Pastor Harry Walcott has taken note of the fact that several African-American churches have come out in defence of the Black Lives Matter, abortion rights, and the LBGTQ movement, which formed a large part of the campaign focus for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The DNC had implemented several diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, which are now being upended by Trump and his team.
“A lot of the black church seems to be more concerned with race and issues relating to it, and their allegiance is more towards somebody that is more sympathetic towards racial issues than even issues relating to true justice from God’s perspective,” the pastor observed.
Megachurch pastor Jamal Bryant is among several pastors who have publicly opposed Trump’s policy of overturning the promotion of the DEI agenda. He called a group of black supporters of Trump “runaway slaves” and “coons” during a sermon at his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, on February 23.
“I stand firm in my commitment to speak out against this administration or any corporation that seeks to erode generations of progress among marginalised communities. It is not only my right, but it’s our collective responsibility as citizens to hold the powerful accountable. At this critical moment, we must collectively resist any radical actions that threaten the very foundations of our democracy,” he told congregants.
According to the Christian Post, Bryant has a long history of opposing other black people who support Trump. In 2015, he said that black pastors willing to meet with Trump are worse than prostitutes. In 2018, he blasted black inner-city pastors praying for Trump, and in 2022, he said that Herschel Walker, the black former NFL player who ran as a Republican for the Senate in Georgia, was the “lowest caricature of a stereotypical, broken black man.”
Bryant, recently called for a 40-day “fast” from shopping at Target during this Lenten season, arguing that the company has “spit in the face” of black people by ending its commitment to DEI and joining a growing list of prominent companies to do so, including McDonald’s, Walmart, and Ford.
“I want the stock to go down because we are standing in righteous indignation against racism and sexism in this nation,” Bryant said.
Several black pastors had supported Obama and then Kamala Harris, who went up against Trump for the presidency. Many feel that Trump is taking the country in the wrong direction, and the effort to remove DEI has been viewed as an attack on marginalised communities. But Pastor Walcott insists that it is God’s will that will be done.
“We need to hear what God is saying. Our personal desires as it relates to how we feel about things should not determine the way we respond. It is the will of God that must determine this; so the people [looking at] Black Lives Matter and all of that and the concern about race and racism is not the main feature. It is justice, yes, and justice issues, but a lot of it is not justice in accordance with the will and purposes of God,” Walcott told the Freedom Come Rain.
“It is humanism; it is about how I feel about something and how we want our will to be done. We need to think of it in terms of justice from God’s perspective and not in terms of how I feel about a matter. So, there is a lot of people making judgements relating to their own interpretation of what justice is. Some people want justice for abominable things,” he added.
While the DNC is strongly in support of abortion, LGBTQ rights, feminism, and other so-called social justice initiatives, which most evangelicals are against, the Trump administration has introduced several measures, including tariffs on goods coming from China, Mexico and Canada, which many fear will increase the cost of living for Americans. His harsh stance on immigrants has also put him in the crosshairs of global leaders and civil rights groups.
Walcott said it is important for Christians worldwide to pray for discernment. He acknowledged that he does not know everything, but he believes that Trump’s accession to the White House has stalled the persecution of Christians. Last month, Trump signed an executive order establishing a task force to end the anti-Christian weaponisation of government and unlawful conduct targeting Christians. The task force will, among other things, review the activities of all departments and agencies to identify and eliminate anti-Christian policies, practices, or conduct. Walcott noted that a revival is also taking place in America, especially among the youths.
“My opinion of Trump is that he is there for this time. He is not a man without fault, and I think that Christians need to be careful that we don’t see him as our saviour. He is there for the fulfilment of a definite purpose,” he shared.
