Robert Jeffress on Obama and ISIS: He Needs to Get Off His High Horse and Acknowledge Radical Islam
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, joined Father Gerald Murray of New York on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" Tuesday night to encourage Americans of all faiths to contact the White House and demand that the Obama administration call out radical Islam and take action to defeat the Islamic State terrorist organization.
"This is a part of a disturbing pattern," Jeffress said when asked by Bill O'Reilly what he made of Obama's initial refusal to call the ISIS beheading victims Coptic Christians [until he publically acknowledged that the 21 Egyptian men were Christians and not just "citizens" in a Wednesday LA Times op-ed].
Jeffress continued, "This president is continually lecturing us that we're not in a religious war against Islam, and while that's true, it's time for the president to get off of his high horse and acknowledge that radical Islam is in a religious war against us. Until we understand that, we won't understand where this is headed."
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"These Islamists will not rest until they've exterminated every Jew and every Christian from the face of the earth," he asserted. "And if you think that is hyperbole, listen to what they said on that Libyan beach after they butchered those 21 Christians. They said, 'We are headed to Rome next,' and while Rome may be their next stop, I guarantee you it won't be their final stop. They are coming after every one of us as well if we don't stop them now."
After O'Reilly reviewed many of the president's previous comments about ISIS, the host noted that Obama has been "downplaying" the threat, and asked Jeffress why he would do such a thing.
"Well, I think part of it is the influence of Islam on his own life. He sees radical Islam as a tiny minority, and while that's true, a powerful minority is much more potent than a passive majority, and I just don't think he can acknowledge this branch of Islam, and I think he's taking the Neville Chamberlain approach — if we can contain or ignore this threat, it will go away. This is not going away," Jeffress responded.
Jeffress is not the only one comparing Obama to Chamberlain. U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), made the assessment after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he called "the Winston Churchill of our day."
"Benjamin Netanyahu is the Winston Churchill of our day, warning the world about Iran," Pittenger told reporters. "President Obama is the Neville Chamberlain of our day, in seemingly total denial of the enormous risk and … (how vulnerable) we are to their nuclear capabilities."
Jeffress also noted that he believes in the prophecies of the Bible and that things will indeed get worse before they get better and before the Lord returns but issued a dire warning.
"That is no excuse for fatalism," the pastor said. "And I believe that Christians ought to be on the forefront of fighting this evil, and this is unmitigated evil … burning people alive … and that is why tonight, I am calling on Christians everywhere, Catholics and Protestants together, to join with our Jewish friends and demand that this president do whatever is necessary, including boots on the ground, to eradicate this cancer of ISIS and radical Islam before it destroys us."
O'Reilly adamantly agreed and urged viewers to call and contact the White House to make moves against ISIS. He said he would make a call for every cleric next weekend to address this in their congregations and to say "enough" and to tell Obama to "get in gear."
"We're with you, Bill," Jeffress said.
