Megachurch pastor Hope Carpenter caused quite a stir this week on social when she expressed her thoughts about NFL players’ visible protests during the National Anthem prior to games.
Carpenter, the co-founder and pastor with her husband, Ron, at Redemption Church in Greenville, South Carolina, said this in a now-deleted post on Facebook:
If you know me at all …. you know who I am, what I stand for and my fight for equality for all of us as humans! Right??? So do not dog me out for my video/pic I just posted about the silent protest! It’s wrong! Stop thinking about it from your history or race! The NATIONAL ANTHEM IS OUR NATION’s SONG! Yes, there are things in our country that’s wrong, but our country is not to blame! You don’t like it? Move or be a part of the healing of our nation! This only separates and divides more yall!!!!! Rise up church! Where you at??? U hanging out with the complainers??? The mad???? Where u at???
Jesus is our only answer and He promotes faith, love, peace, HONOR and unity and submission! Do things the right way and get a right outcome! Want to protest? Do it differently .. but not not honoring our national anthem! God’s been good to us and these people still are representing a STATE on their jersey! This will not fix racism! Duh!!! Only Jesus!
If you wanna kneel … then u better be praying to the one and only who can heal our land! Do go back n forth on here and make me block u. This is my page. State your opinion on yours.
President Trump’s critical comments about those players who kneel during the National Anthem prior to sports events has caused a national firestorm this week. Trump said anyone who participates in the protests should be fired.
After removing the post, Hope Carpenter issued an apology in which she stated:
I absolutely love our church people! We are all very different with very different upbringings but we all love Jesus and want to be respected and appreciated! I do not ever want to hurt people. I want to help … I’m sorry if I hurt anyone. Let’s all be careful what we post and say. Thanks for telling me when I hurt you. Never want to do that. I love my family.
In February 2016, The New York Times wrote a piece about the Carpenters’ church titled, “South Carolina Church Bridges Racial Gap, but Not Political Divide.” Redemption is a multi-cultural church that one Charisma reader described as “65 percent black.”
What do you think about Hope Carpenter’s comments and her apology? Sound off! {eoa}
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