A well-known Christian pastor was recently caught spewing dangerous rhetoric from the pulpit concerning the LA wildfires.
In his Sunday sermon on January 12th, Pastor Jack Hibbs, Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, California blasted LA Mayor Karen Bass for her response to the LA wildfires and stated that the founding fathers would hang the LA mayor.
As heard in the video clip below, Hibbs stated, "Karen Bass should be removed from office today... she would be hung, according to our colonial fathers."
In 2022, Mayor Bass became the first woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles and the second Black person to hold that position.
Suggesting that Mayor Bass would be "hung" is a rhetorical and visual callback to the nation's history of violence against African Americans.
It's not certain if Pastor Hibbs intended to conjure up racist imagery by using such loaded verbiage. However, given the current political climate and raw emotional circumstances of the LA wildfires, such rhetoric could be viewed as highly problematic, and even dangerous.
In recent days, many have analyzed the response to the fires, given the extent of the devastation; however, popular religious leaders like Hibbs could put civic leaders' lives in danger with extreme, racist rhetoric and ad hominem attacks.
More than anyone, religious leaders should set the example and tone for constructive criticism.
Please keep those impacted by the wildfires in your prayers. Moreover, continue to pray for the leaders in California as they navigate this unprecedented, on-going natural disaster.
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