Evangelist Donnie Swaggart, son of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, has gone viral, at least in Black circles, for his full-chested public rebuke of the Black Church and its lack of adherence to “biblical values,” if you let him tell it.
And tell it, he did. He basically called the Black Church ungodly for its abundance of members who vote for candidates from the Democratic Party. Swaggart was particularly disturbed by Bishop John Drew Sheard, the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. endorsing current vice president and Democratic Party nominee for president, Kamala Harris.
Here is some of what Swaggart shared with members of his father’s Baton Rouge, LA congregation, the Family Worship Center Church:
“The statement I’m about to make, I’m going to be called a racist and I will be called every name under the sun, but somebody needs to stand up and speak to the Black Church. When the largest African American Pentecostal denomination, when that leader stands up and said I endorse that woman, he was saying, I endorse murder, I endorse homosexuality, I endorse lesbianism, I endorse transgenderism, I endorse every evil that Hell could prosper or bring up to [be] right. That’s wrong folks. And the Black Church votes predominantly for the party that is anti-God. What’s going on here? What’s going on?”
It did not take long for the saints to come marching in and go in on Swaggart and his paternalistic chastisement of the Black Church and Black people. Two of those sharing comments are Houston-area pastors and community leaders Dr. Timothy Sloan, senior pastor of The Luke Church (2380 S Houston Ave, Humble, TX 77396) and Dr. Charles Turner, pastor of New Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church (3221 Bain St, Houston, TX 77026).
On Swaggart’s rebuke of the Black Church
Long story short, if you study the history of this country, the reason there is a Black church is because of the racism from the white evangelical church. The Black church has been perhaps one of the purest forms of Christianity in this world because we never discriminated against, we never had those types of issues. So, he’s just continuing a long trajectory of white supremacy that is pervasive in all institutions: church, education, politics. So, I’m glad he spoke out because sometimes we fall asleep and think that these types of ideologies and thought patterns are done away with because they’re not as overt. But he’s a reminder that we have to stay vigilant. He’s a reminder that we need to go out and vote because if that type of thinking is coming from the pulpit, just think about what’s happening from those who are not supposedly preaching the word of God. I stand as a minister of the gospel and really want to condemn that type of language, and ideology. It is not simply racist, it is sinful. He’s all the more reason that we need to vote. (Turner)
Somebody tell Donnie “damn fool” Swaggart I said shut the hell up. To hell with him and his ancestors, like his daddy Jimmie Swaggart. ‘I’ve sinned before God and man.’ Shut up. Because if you don’t know or love the Black Messiah and have never had love for Black folks then you don’t have any standing to speak about the Black Church. (Dr. Earle Fisher, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, known as “The Blackest church in Memphis”)
What we’re not going to have is white theology trying to articulate to the Black Church our morals, our culture, our history, and our faith. You are racist. It is about white nationalism. I’m a pastor, member of this board, own a newspaper, a radio station, and our Black newspaper, over 1,000 Black pastors in the state of Florida have endorsed Kamala Harris to be the next president of the United States of America. Now, to get thousands of Black pastors to sign off, to say “I’m not afraid of Trumpism. I’m not afraid of what they may say about me.” The Black Church was born in slavery. The Black Church understands the power of Black Theology and Liberation Theology. And he cannot lecture me. If you wanna talk about demons and dragons what Trump represents is anti-Christ. And they’re against everything that we stood for. When you try to tell us Project 2025 is from the Lord, I’m telling you it’s straight from hell. (Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes, pastor, Bethel MBC, Tallahassee, FL)
I think that it’s important for us to not be distracted and to remember that Jesus stood on the side of the oppressed, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. And, we don’t let outside voices that are uninformed cause us to be distracted from the purpose that we have in this election. (Sloan)
I was trained as a church historian. I am revolted and disgusted by the son of a man who condemned other folk and then did the same thing himself. I will not be lectured by the great, great grandsons of white preachers that told Blackfolk slavery was ordained by God and you ought to be happy to be a slave. I will not be lectured and taunted and dismissed by white preachers who refuse to understand my dignity and my culture and only want to recognize me when I emulate them (Rev. Dr. Edward Wheeler, board of trustee, Edward Waters University)
