Harris Creek Baptist Church lead pastor Jonathan Pokluda is facing criticism about a recent sermon in which he talked about a woman flirting with him just after he was married.
In the viral video, Pokluda, the author of Welcome to Adulting, tells a story of a weekend when his wife, Monica, went out of town, and he joined a friend for dinner.
“[Monica] went out of town for a weekend to see a friend, and I had a friend coming through town from college,” Pokluda begins. “So, he says, ‘hey, do you want to grab dinner?’ And so, he and I went to dinner. We’re catching up over chips and queso, having a great time… and this woman walked up to us, and she was perfect,” the Texas pastor said. “Physically beautiful. Everything was in the right place, and she turns to me and says, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’”
Pokluda said he told her he was married, but the woman responded, “‘Well, is she here? Because I don’t care.’”
Pokluda then noted that his “saving grace” was the thought that the woman “hated him.”
“She wants my wife to hate me. She wants my in-laws to hate me. She wants my parents to hate me, and she wants my unborn children to hate me for just a few minutes of ecstasy,” he continued.
“She wants to take my life and burn it to the ground.”
Raise your hand if you don’t think this really happened ✋Also, what a bizarre and disturbing reaction he had… pic.twitter.com/L99nGOnMSp
— Christian Nightmares (@ChristnNitemare) February 16, 2023
The video has received more than 2.4 million views and has more than 4,000 likes.
The original post from Twitter user Christian Nightmares wrote that he didn’t believe the story and that Pokluda had a “bizarre and disturbing reaction.”
Others wrote that Pokluda seemed to be “blaming” the woman and possibly made up the story for his sermon.
“He’s projecting the entire story, blaming her for his sinful thoughts,” one Twitter user wrote.
Said another: “If this did happen, it’s likely the opposite of what he said and his guilty rewriting of events to make himself out to be the hero.”
David Burrows, a Texas entrepreneur, joked in a tweet that the sermon was sponsored.
“This video has been brought to you by … Hobby Lobby and L.L. Bean.”
Comedian Sooz Kempner said the woman was “made up.”
Another, CEO Rob Szczerba, also said the story wasn’t true, joking, “I was there… all she did was ask him for directions to Walmart.”
Few online seemed to jump to defend Pokluda, but in one tweet, a supporter said that Pokluda’s story was a “reaction of a real man, in control of his emotions, thoughts, and life.”
Photo courtesy: Ben White/Unsplash
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.