Rep. Luiz Gutierrez had heads exploding over on Fox "News" when he blasted Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen as a liar during a House Judiciary Committee meeting on Thursday, and compared Trump to King Herod, saying thank God there wasn't a wall that stopped Jesus, Joseph and Mary from seeking refuge in Egypt.
Fox continued their attack on Gutierrez during Trump's favorite morning show this Saturday, and brought on wingnut pastor Robert Jeffress to defend the indefensible, telling hosts Pete Hegseth and Jedediah Bila that there's nothing wrong with Trump's border wall because God just loves them.
HEGSETH: Pastor, help us out here. So... we laugh and we do, but, he was trying to make what he thought was a serious point that Jesus would have never been born had there been a wall.
JEFFRESS: Look, his comments were ludicrous for so many reasons, but let me just mention two. First of all, the bible says it was God through an angel who told Joseph and the family to flee to Egypt. And I'll guarantee you, had there been a wall in Egypt, God would have obliterated it or he would have sent the family some place else. God wasn't about to allow his son be murdered prematurely before his appointed time on the cross.
But also, Jesus when he was adult said render under Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Jesus was saying God has given government unique authority and responsibility, and that chief responsibility is to protect citizens from evildoers.
You know, I had the privilege of preaching the sermon before president Trump's inauguration, and I chose the Old Testament story of God telling Nehemiah to build a wall around Jerusalem. And I said, Mr. President, God is not against walls. Walls are not un-Christian. The bible says even heaven is going to have a wall around it. Not everyone is going to be allowed in.
BILA: Pastor, what do you think of the larger issue of politicians using religion, using Jesus, invoking Jesus, to score political points at pivotal times like this? How does that feel for someone like you in a leadership position in the religious community?
JEFFRESS: Well look, I'm not one that believes that the bible doesn't inform political decisions. It does. But I think people like this congressman and others may be sincere but they are sincerely wrong because they confuse the role of government with the role of the church.
Look, we have a church, tomorrow morning we're going to open our doors to everyone. We don't check people's green cards at our doors. But government has a different responsibility. Romans 13 says government is to maintain order and to protect its citizens. And look, when president Trump is insisting on a wall, he is fulfilling not only his constitutional but his god given responsibility and he should not be demonized for doing that.
HEGSETH: Good stuff. You mentioned wall in heaven. Revelation 21:17 said the angel.. the angel measured the wall. Using human measurement it was 144 cubits thick. I don't know what that is in inches but probably pretty thick.
And, as usual, there was no mention of the fact that Mexico, not the American taxpayers, were supposed to pay for Trump's ridiculous wall.
A church in Dedham, Massachusetts, decided to make the point of how the nativity would look if Trump and Jeffress got their way.
