Pastor Robert Jeffress, White House Ally, Warns Evangelicals Not Voting Is 'Sin Against God'

Pastor Robert Jeffress--a White House Faith Initiative member and ardent supporter of President Donald Trump--warned evangelical Christians and people of faith that not voting on November 3 is "a sin against God."

The senior pastor of the massive 14,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, told Fox Business Friday that Republican lawmakers aren't guaranteed to win with the support of U.S. evangelicals, who make up about 22.5 percent of the country's population. But, he cautioned, "they are guaranteed a loss" as former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney "learned" in 2012.

Trump previously tapped Jeffress to speak at White House events as well as the U.S. embassy in Israel, after the president controversially moved it from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018. The megachurch pastor warned the country's millions of pro-Trump evangelicals that failing to vote in this week's elections could push the "moral and spiritual direction" of America toward liberal policies and away from the values of "this Christian nation."

"God has given us the privilege in this Christian nation of choosing our leaders," Jeffress, who is also a Fox News contributor, told host Lou Dobbs. "By our vote we are choosing the moral and spiritual direction of our country and not to vote is a sin against God and a sin against this country."

"The good news is, people of faith are turning out in this election at unprecedented levels," Jeffress said. In 2019, the pastor declared that all evangelicals not supporting Trump are "spineless morons."

Jeffress criticized now-Utah Senator Romney for losing against Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election, which he said was a result of evangelicals making up about one-half of the total Republican Party vote across the country. Romney joined other conservatives in accusing the Texas pastor of being a "religious bigot" in 2018, which prompted Jeffress to say the Mormon senator is a "member of a cult."

Just months after calling Trump a Christian "warrior," Jeffress' First Baptist church in Dallas was among a handful of Trump-tied megachurches that received millions in top-tier PPP loans. Jeffress hosted Vice President Mike Pence for a Trump-Pence presidential campaign event in June.

Jeffress and Dobbs on Friday highlighted that more than three-quarters of white evangelicals, or 77 percent, support Trump's re-election, according to Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) data from March of this year. A recent Pew Research Center survey of 2020 voting trends found 57 percent of evangelicals are plan to vote "for Trump" and not "against Joe Biden," as was the partisan split four years ago.

Jeffress told both Fox News and Fox Business in separate TV appearances last week that he is being challenged by people who say the Bible does not have any teachings that encourage people to vote. He explained that is because in Biblical times people did not vote, "emperors and kings were imposed on you."

Given this modern benefit of elected officials and democratic processes, Jeffress said, evangelicals must get out and vote for conservative lawmakers on November 3.

Jeffress said the evangelical vote will provide a "huge tailwind" for Trump, who he said will ultimately win a contested election process over the coming days or weeks.

Asked by Dobbs for his prediction on how the coming election will play out, Jeffress replied: "This pandemic is like a fog that gives us very little visibility about what's going to happen. But if we've learned anything in the last four years it's that betting against Donald Trump is typically a losing proposition. I believe this election is going to be close, it's going to be contested, and I believe in the end the president is going to prevail."

Jeffress and Dobbs discussed a recent letter from Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, a former Vatican ambassador to the U.S. and an outspoken critic of Pope Francis' so-called "liberal" beliefs within the Catholic Church. The letter's message has been tied to the far-right conspiracy theories collectively referred to as "QAnon."

Jeffress said he agreed with the ominous message that lashed out at a laundry list of figures who many Trump supporters see as voraciously opposed to the president. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, the "mainstream media" and the omnipresent yet elusive "Deep State" are all mentioned in the former Vatican ambassador's remarks ahead of Election Day.

"I would just encourage your listeners and viewers right now to pray as if the results of this election depend completely on God and then get out there and vote as if they completely depend upon on you. And if we'll do those two things, I think we'll have a victory Tuesday night," Jeffress continued.

Dobbs said he was certain that the vast majority of people watching his Fox Business program are joining him in saying: "We sure do hope you're right and we'll be praying to make it so."

Newsweek reached out to Jeffress' Dallas church Sunday morning for additional election remarks.