Megachurch Pastor Who Lied About Slavery Responds To Critics

THERE was outrage after pastor Rod Parsley, above, of the World Harvest Church in Ohio falsely claimed in a recent sermon that America’s founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, all freed their slaves either in their lifetimes or after their deaths.

This is was a flat-out lie, according to the Jefferson Monticello plantation, which says on its website:

Thomas Jefferson enslaved over 600 human beings throughout the course of his life. 400 people were enslaved at Monticello; the other 200 people were held in bondage on Jefferson’s other properties. At any given time, around 130 people were enslaved at Monticello.

Slaves at Monticello were treated much like enslaved people at most other plantations in the upper south during the time period. Slavery was an inherently violent and coercive system, although Jefferson wrote that he wished to mitigate the violence.

Stopping short of an apology, on June 15 Parsley uploaded a statement to his YouTube channel addressed to “the entire Black community”, according to Faithfully Magazine. He 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.”

He 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.

The pastor lie was exposed by black gospel artist Ted Winn II, above, who shared Parsley original video on his Facebook page, saying:

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.

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.

The award-winning recording artist suggested that Black people should not support Parsley:

Or anybody else who is not clearly anti-racist and working to deconstruct systemic racism!

Tennessee pastor Terrence Chandler-Harrison tweeted at the @RealRodParsley account:

Racism IS this country’s chief, most vicious, and most egregious sin. It is the deliberate and systemic subjugation of all non-whites that extends beyond mere bias and preferential treatment.

And no, we can’t move on because the toxic tentacles of racism are still far-reaching. Racism STILL impacts: funding, housing, education, zoning, legislation, representation, distribution, and policing – just ask your black and brown members.

Dr Yolanda Pierce, dean of the Howard University School of Divinity tweeted:

Rod Parsley’s latest message was historically inaccurate, insensitive, and patronizing. When you know better, as he does, you should do better.

Parsley founded World Harvest Church in 1977 as a Bible study with 17 people and now, according to to his website:

More than 12,000 people in central Ohio will tell you World Harvest is their church home

The megachurch pastor, once called a “raging prophet of prosperity”, has been likened to Paula White-Cain, head of President Trump’s evangelical advisory board and special advisor to the White House’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative. Both Parsley and White-Cain teach prosperity messages that suggest giving financially to their ministries will result in earning God’s favour.