Paula White, one of the six religious leaders announced to be part of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, has hit back at her critics who labeled her as a “trinity-denying heretic.”
In a statement shared with The Christian Post, White denied criticisms describing her as a heretic and a charlatan, among other things. The televangelist, who will be one of the prayer speakers during Trump’s inauguration, maintains that she believes in the Holy Trinity and in Jesus Christ’s virgin birth, death, resurrection, saving grace and second coming.
“I have read a great deal of false information being reported about me, my theology and my past. I have been called a heretic, an apostate, an adulterer, a charlatan, and an addict,” White said in the statement. “It has been falsely reported that I once filed for bankruptcy and — my personal favorite — that I deny the Trinity!”
White’s statement comes in the wake of conservative Christian leader Erick Erickson’s December article on The Resurgent which accused her of being a “trinity denying heretic” who rejects the Council of Nicaea’s creed. According to him, it is better for a Hindu to pray on Trump’s inauguration and not lead other Christians astray rather than a preacher who rejects the core belief of Christianity.
Last year, Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore also posted a message on Twitter calling White a “charlatan.” He also described her as a person known by all orthodox Christians as a heretic.
According to White, she initially hesitated to respond to the “patently false accusations” but has recently felt the need to set the record straight. She thinks the criticisms against her would be detrimental to the upcoming momentous national event.
Aside from that, White denied the claim of her being a prosperity preacher. She said she believes that God is present in both suffering and prosperity and that Christians ought to learn from the lessons that trials and abundance bring.
Addressing the criticism over her marital history, she confessed that she committed some mistakes in the past. Now that she is a 50-year-old grandmother, she has already learned her lessons from her two divorces and other positive and negative experiences.
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