The First Baptist Church in downtown Dallas is a major institution within the Southern Baptist faith, long powerful and influential. Its senior pastor, Robert Jeffress, made headlines in 2007 with a Sunday sermon calling Willard Romney a member of a religious "cult." Specifically, he said this:
"Mitt Romney is a Mormon, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Even though he talks about Jesus as his Lord and savior, he is not a Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. Mormonism is a cult."
Just before President Obama's reelection day in 2012, Jeffress stood in the pulpit and let fly this gem (audio here):
I want you to hear me tonight, I am not saying that President Obama is the Antichrist, I am not saying that at all. One reason I know he's not the Antichrist is the Antichrist is going to have much higher poll numbers when he comes. {a laugh line, congregation responds accordingly} President Obama is not the Antichrist. But what I am saying is this: the course he is choosing to lead our nation is paving the way for the future reign of the Antichrist.
I'm no Doogie Howser, but isn't this medically certifiable in the real world? If the guy at the corner bar, or at the table next to you, says such nuttiness, don't you move away? I know I do. Weirdos bother me. Call me old-fashioned.
So here we are on October 24, 2014, and Jeffress is a guest on O'Reilly's show. The host says to him that the pastor no doubt spiritually counsels big and powerful people, to which the man of God nods approvingly. He's treated with great respect by O'Reilly. He then says bluntly that Islam is a "false religion," and O'Reilly says nothing in reply. Bill is "looking out for the folks," as he puts it.
This is Fox News, 2014, stirring the pot. It's what they do.
Barack Obama attended a popular mega-Christian church in Chicago for years before becoming president, and the Christian pastor was a firebrand who later raised the ire of Republicans. This radical Christian from Dallas doesn't elicit a peep. Romney wisely ignored the guy (Texas was always in the bag for him), and Republicans say nothing about him, yet Fox News still has him as a frequent guest on its shows. This is sheer crackpottery!
Romney and his family have continued to show up on Fox News for glowing interviews since 2012. Regular viewers should be more discerning. The joint is half-baked.