Pastor Tells Bernie Sanders to Either Apologize or Quit for Imposing 'Religious Test' On Trump's Christian Nominee
As far as this pastor from Texas is concerned, Sen. Bernie Sanders has two choices: apologize or resign.
Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, blasted Sanders for imposing an "unconstitutional religious test" on Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and also for arguing that Vought's Christian beliefs disqualify him from serving in the government, Faithwire reported.
"Because of this assault on the Constitution and on fully 41 percent of the American people, there are only two responsible courses of action for Senator Sanders," Jeffress said in a statement. "Apologize to the country for his foolhardy attempt to introduce an unconstitutional litmus test that would exclude 41 percent of the country, or resign."
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Jeffress was referring to Sanders' grilling of Vought during a hearing on Wednesday where the senator questioned the nominee over an article he wrote in January 2016 about the contentious debate over Islamic and Christian theology.
Sanders attacked Vought for saying in the 2016 article he wrote that Muslims stand "condemned" because they reject Jesus.
Jeffress defended Vought, saying that what the nominee said are "historical Christian beliefs ... that affirmed the words of Jesus Himself who said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me' (John 14:6)."
Sanders then went on to impose a "religious test" when he rejected Vought's nomination.
Jeffress said the words spoken by Sanders "are not only unconstitutional, but unconscionable by a public official."
He said Sanders "effectively said that evangelicals, who make up 41 percent of the population of our country, are not qualified to serve in public office, and 'not what this country is all about.'"
Dr. Michael Brown, the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program, also castigated Sanders in an open letter he wrote for The Christian Post, saying that the senator must have misunderstood Vought's statement.
Brown said that if Sanders did not misunderstand and deliberately attacked Vought for his faith, finding him unfit to serve because of that, "you would then be advocating for an American that would become tyrannical and oppressive. And you would be declaring war on some of our most precious and fundamental freedoms."
"Is that really the America that you want, Mr. Senator?" Brown asked.
