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‘Hail, Cae$ar!’ Preacher Prays

GOP prosperity pastor asks God to bless Trump, curse Democrats. No, really, he did

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNhVc5VXB5o&w=525&h=300]

If you don’t have time to watch the short video above, this, via @sullivanamy, is the transcript of the Rev. Mark Burns’ benediction at Monday’s GOP convention:

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Mark Burns proclaims the sham teaching called the “prosperity gospel”:

At a March Trump rally in Illinois, Burns leapt up to the stage, pumping up the crowd in chants of Trump’s name. “Lord, this will be the greatest Tuesday that ever existed, come Super Tuesday Three,” he prophesied in prayer, naming and claiming a Trump victory. He opened his eyes. “There is no black person, there is no white person, there is no yellow person, there is no red person, there’s only green people!” he shouted. “Green is money! Green are jobs!!”

Until Trump plucked Burns out of the tiny town of Easley, S.C., few Christians knew the black pastor’s name. But it is God, Burns says, who has economically transformed his life—before he found Jesus, he relied on food stamps, lived in section 8 housing, went to jail, and faced a charge of simple assault as part of his self-described “baby mama drama” past. Then last year, Burns decided to transition his ministry to a for-profit televangelism business, so he and his followers could achieve economic success.

“Jesus said, above all things, I pray that you prosper, I pray that you have life more abundantly,” Burns, 36, explained to TIME in an interview, quoting a verse not from the Gospels but another New Testament passage. “It was never Jesus’ intention for us to be broke.” All of this is wisdom is now contained in a candidate for President. “I think that is what Donald Trump represents,” Burns says.

At some point, you just have to stop caring, or you’ll lose your mind.

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