Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interrupted by a United Methodist pastor who implored Sessions turn away from his actions, which have harmed so many people.
“Brother Jeff, as a fellow United Methodist, I call on you to repent,” the pastor said at a religious liberty even in Boston.
The pastor called for repentance after reciting several verses from the New Testament’s book of Matthew.
“I was hungry, and you did not feed me. I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me,” the pastor said, standing up and looking straight at Sessions. “I was naked, and you did not clothe me. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. I was in prison, and you did not visit me,” the pastor said before calling on Sessions to repent.
The moment religious leaders interrupt Jeff Sessions’ speech:
“Brother Jeff, as a fellow United Methodist, I call upon you to repent, to care for those in need.”#WellDoneThatManpic.twitter.com/yV1lwVu0Sw
— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) October 29, 2018
After calling on Session to repent, the pastor did not stop, imploring Sessions to care for those in need. “Remember,” he said, “when you do not care for others, you are wounding the body of Christ.”
Sessions, who identifies as a Christian and a member of the United Methodist church, thanked the man for sharing his opinion before calling the literal words of Jesus an “attack.”
Sessions has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s cruel family separation policy, where immigrant children are ripped from the arms of their parents and hauled off to baby jails. Sessions proudly defended the policy as a bargaining chip, using the pain caused to some families as political leverage to get funding for a border wall Trump said Mexico would pay for.
Earlier this year, Sessions sought to restrict the eligibility of refugees to seek asylum, hoping to prevent those who were fleeing domestic abuse in their home country from finding solace here in America.
It is difficult to see how these actions can be construed as either “welcoming the stranger” or “feeding the hungry.”
This pastor is not the first Methodist leader to call out Sessions for ungodly behavior.
In June, hundreds of Methodists signed a letter issuing a formal complaint against Sessions for offenses such as child abuse, immorality, and racial discrimination.
In the letter, leaders in the denomination wrote, “As his denomination, we have an ethical obligation to speak boldly when one of our members is engaged in causing significant harm in matters contrary to the Discipline on the global stage.”
When one pastor did “speak boldly” directly to Sessions, Sessions viewed the words of Jesus as an attack.
If that’s the way Sessions feels, perhaps he can take it up with his God when the time comes.
Published with permission of The American Independent.
