A Texas church has issued an apology after an in-law of the Duggars of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting made controversial comments about slavery during a guest sermon last month.
During a June 25 Sunday School lesson at Fairpark Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, Mike Keller, whose daughter, Anna Duggar, is married to the currently incarcerated Josh Duggar, compared protests in modern times to slavery.
According to The Christian Post, Keller delivered a sermon on 2 Chronicles 7, in which God promises to forgive Israel if they repent of their sin.
"A hundred-fifty years ago, or two hundred years ago when the blacks were slaves, did they ever go to Washington, D.C., and have a rally 200 years ago to protest against slavery?" Keller asked. "No. What did they do?
"Well, a lot of good people in the plantations would say, 'Hey, it's wintertime, let us help build a church for you dear folks,' and they loved them and taught them how to read so they can read the Bible," he added.
He then paraphrased 2 Chronicles 7:14 and shared how God answered prayer in the context of slavery in America.
"Here's what the blacks did about 150 years ago. They humbled themselves, they prayed, they sought God's face, and they turned from their wicked ways, and God made slavery illegal through several white presidents, right?" Keller continued. "It worked, didn't it? They didn't protest."
In a statement shared with The Christian Post, Fairpark Baptist Church shared a public apology after Keller's message sparked backlash on social media.
"The comments were hurtful and reflected a misrepresentation of racial and historical issues, and we completely disagree with the statements that were made. Fairpark Baptist Church affirms that racism and slavery are wrong, sinful and violate the Scriptures," the church's statement reads.
"As a part of our faith, we would never condone slavery or tolerate any kind of prejudice against people of color. We seek to follow God's words found in Romans 12:9: 'Let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good."
Photo courtesy: ©Unsplash/Stephen Radford
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.