Update (06/15/2020;7:26 PM): After this report was published, pastor Rod Parsley uploaded a new statement to his YouTube channel addressed to “the entire Black community.” Parsley stated that he could admit his mistakes that “hurt, disappoint, or confuse” those that he loves and is called to serve. He described slavery as a “blight on our nation and the world” and an “egregious, heinous, despicable sin that grieves my heart and the heart of God.” Parsley went on to say that he would “never attempt to defend the indefensible atrocities inflicted upon people of color by our founders and generations after them,” however Parsley did not apologize for his prior controversial message in the two-minute video. The original article appears below.
Rod Parsley, a prosperity preacher and Pentecostal pastor popular among African-American Christians, has recently been accused of “minimizing” the racism of America’s Founding Fathers in a message meant to inspire unity.
Black gospel artist Ted Winn II shared a video of one of Parsley’s recent messages on racism on June 14 on his Facebook page.
“Share this!!!! In this video, Rod Parlsey [sic] sterilizes and minimizes racists. He falsely claims, all the framers of the country freed their slaves. Jefferson did not! They were racists! The history of America should not be forgotten because that history informs the present,” Winn wrote on his personal Facebook page.
“I am so exhausted listening to white evangelicals defend, support and perpetuate white supremacy. The ways in which they masquerade racism as Christianity is disgusting! This video should come as no surprise as Rod Parsley, and many other white evangelicals are avid Trump supporters. If you support a racist then you are either racist or complicit,” Winn added.
The award-winning recording artist suggested that Black people should not support Parsley, who is White, “or anybody else who is not clearly anti-racist and working to deconstruct systemic racism!”
