Pastor John Gray of the Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina and other members of the clergy have come under fire recently because they attended a meeting with President Trump at the White House.
Pastor Gray, Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and others met with President Trump Wednesday. Some are upset about the remarks of one Pastor in particular Darrell Scott who said,“This is probably the most pro-active administration regarding urban America and the faith-based community in my lifetime,” Scott told the group (in the video above), adding, “This is probably going to be … the most pro-black president that we’ve had in our lifetime.”
Pastor Gray responded to his critics on social media and said he prayed about whether to attend the meeting.
“I asked the Lord when I was asked to be present in this initial meeting about potential prison reform – that could greatly end up benefitting many people who look just like me – ‘Lord, do You want me in that room?'” he shared in a post on Instagram.
“My first mind was no. The pain of so many is too real. The hurt. The isolation. The sense of disenfranchisement. The real hate that has bubbled to the surface of the national discourse. I myself have been vocal about my personal disagreements with key policy decisions of this administration,” Gray continued. “I have everything to lose. Credibility. Reputation. Every natural inclination says stay home. Don’t get played. But I did the one thing I can’t shake: I prayed again and asked God, ‘Do You want me in that room?’ My attendance gives the answer. My heart was pure as was my motive and intention.”
See his message above:
Pastor Gray and the others came under harsh criticism even from other Pastors like Jamal Bryant of Baltimore. He called Gray a friend, but he didn’t have a problem blasting Gray and the others, calling the meeting nothing more than a publicity stunt. He posed this question to the pastors:
“Preachers, when you all went around that table, and after you stopped uncle tomming, and thanking him for the privilege to be there, did any of you ask him how it is that he has separated brown and black children and put them in cages like pit bulls?”
Check out Pastor John Gray's prayer below: