An Alabama pastor suggested that lawmakers should turn to the Old Testament and follow instructions to indiscriminately “destroy” all Syrian refugees.
Ted Sessoms, a pastor at Arbor Springs Baptist Church in Northport, AL, published a letter in the Alabama Baptist newsletter, implying that every refugee was a terrorist who aimed to “destroy our way of life” and called for all refugees, including their “women, children and animals” to be killed.
Sessoms wrote:
At the risk of being an outcast or considered a narrow-minded bigot, I must express my disagreement and disappointment with out Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders in regards to the Syrian refugee crisis. I am against allowing the refugees the rights to America’s soil and my neighborhood. These are the same people that hate America, hate Christians and have vowed to take over the world by destroying our way of life. Perhaps our leaders should study the Old Testament when God gave specific instructions to destroy these people (even their women, children and animals). Why would He give such instructions? Because He knew the impact these idol worshippers of false gods would have on His people. It is not a matter of loving your neighbor. My neighbors are the people that value the same standards of life and way of life that I value.
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to make good decisions for their future in America. And opening up our country to ten of thousands of refugees with their unknown background but known hatred for Christianity and America will destroy any future our children may have.
These are the same people that are willing to give their lives to carry out their commitment to Allah. They don’t have to be considered terrorists to hate Christians. Their religious conviction cause them that hatred.
What we will see is not more SBC churches being established but more mosques. What we will see is their way and their customs being forced on us to either observe or make way for us to give up our rights to observe their rights. They are victims of a more powerful force of Muslims within their own country but they are not victims when it comes to their lifelong hatred of us and our belief in Christ. It makes no sense to say to them, “I know you hate us and I know you want to destroy our country and way of life, and I know you will eventually find a way to kill us, but come on it anyways and live among us until you gain the strength and power to overcome us.” Has the SBC been turned over to a reprobate mind?
Dr. Daniel Akin, president of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina, called Sessom’s letter “an embarrassment to the gospel and the one who told us to love our neighbor and our enemies.” Other Baptist pastors and parishioners spoke out against Sessom’s hateful letter.
Can't believe @AlabamaBaptist would even publish this garbage. "His people," are Americans? Wow. pic.twitter.com/sodndJe2B6
— Dean Inserra (@deaninserra) January 26, 2016
Although many of his fellow Christians were disgusted by Sessoms’s call for biblical violence, Alabama and other parts of the country have a deep distrust of the refugees. Alabama governor Robert Bentley has sworn to block any attempts to place refugees in the state. On a national level, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are using their base’s paranoia and distrust of the refugees to their advantage during the 2016 election.
Featured image via Twitter
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