Hard Call

It's really difficult to decide whether Robert Jeffress deserves the Tony Perkins Award for lying as a reflex or the Through the Looking Glass Award for inhabiting an alternate universe. From an appearance on Fox & Friends:

There is a better way to protest social injustice without disrespecting our country or disrespecting our country's leaders. I mean, for example, a few years ago, you had those Oregon Christian bakers who were almost driven into bankruptcy for practicing their faith. That's injustice. But they didn't respond by calling then-President Obama a "bum." Or this football coach you all have covered who was fired for voluntarily praying. He didn't respond to that injustice by failing to stand for the national anthem. I think what these players are doing is absolutely wrong. These players ought to be thanking God that they live in a country where they're not only free to earn millions of dollars every year, but they're also free from the worry of being shot in the head for taking a knee like they would be with the were in North Korea. And I think tens of millions of Americans agree with President Trump when he says they ought to be called out for this. I know this president. President Trump is not a racist. For President Trump, this is not about race, it's about respect of country.

Lie #1: Those "Christian" bakers made off with a cool half million over and above the amount of their fine.

He's lost me on the football coach -- I missed that story.

Lie #2: Donald Trump most certainly is a racist, and proud of it. This is a man (and I use the term loosely) who comes down on black athletes for protesting racial injustice in law enforcement while making it easier for the police to do worse.

Alternate universe: "They're also free from being shot in the head. . . ." No, they can be shot in the head in lieu of a speedding ticket. Or for walking down the street in the wrong neighborhood. Or even in their own neighborhood.

At any rate, he certainly is a disgusting person.

PS: This is the cherry on top:

You know, Ainsley, many of these players claim to be strong Christians, and I believe they are, and I think they ought to remember what Jesus said. Jesus said render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's. Jesus said we have a responsibility toward our government. We owe our government just not our taxes, but we owe them our respects and our prayers. And I think that needs to be kept in mind in all of this discussion.

Jesus said a lot of things that Jeffress routinely ignores. Let's start with Matthew 25:31-46 (my favorite). (And I don't see Jeffress, or Tony Perkins, or James Dobson, or any of the Wildmons leading efforts to help out in Puerto Rico, or welcoming refugees, or feeding the hungry, or sheltering the homeless.)

And what about what the government owes us? Like respect for our exercise of our fundamental rights.

Via Dispatches from the Culture Wars.