“While the church is waiting for Jesus to come down, Jesus is waiting for the church to stand up,” says the NHCLC/CONELA President and author of BE LIGHT.
Dallas, TX — The leader of America’s largest association of Hispanic, evangelical churches noted that he now feels like a “double minority” as a Hispanic, christian in America in a time he called one of “the darkest hours our nation has experienced.”
Speaking not just to his hispanic community, he called on “white, black, yellow and brown” Christians everywhere to “be light” for “silence is not an option, our generation may be selling out the future of America on the altar of political and cultural expediency…we must reconcile Billy Graham’s message with Dr. King’s march”
Rev. Rodriguez noted, “while the church is waiting for Jesus to come down, Jesus is waiting for the church to stand up.” He said, “the number one issue in America is a lukewarm church…a party label is diluting their Christian fortitude and strength…Christians are selling truth at the altar of political expediency.”
“White, black, yellow and brown Christians must stand up and build a firewall against hatred, bitterness, and bigotry….there is a lot of anger out there…a segment of the electorate is filled with anger, and that’s OK … Jesus turned over the tables in the temple…[but] when does anger become hatred and hatred become acceptable? That’s sin…It behooves of us to ‘turn on the light.’ We do it by sharing love, being truthful, repudiating complacency, and by removing the bowl of apathy.”
For those who look with skepticism toward the hispanic community in America, Rev. Rodriguez responded with total sarcasm, sure we’re very dangerous, “our community believes in Biblical values, is committed to the family, and hard work.”
The national, hispanic leader noted that part of his motivation is personal, “I’m a young granddaddy and I have had moments where my eyes welled up in tears as I asked myself, ‘what is the future of America?’ … We care more about how many people follow us on Facebook than about the one we follow.”
This weekend, Rev. Rodriguez will take his message to Washington, D.C. to address two events, the Colson Center’s Wilberforce Weekend, and a national rally occurring at the Lincoln Memorial deemed United Cry.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez made his remarks in Dallas in an extended live interview with radio and television personality, Glenn Beck.
REV. SAMUEL RODRIQUEZ is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, which serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and another 500,000 congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora. He has been named by CNN and Fox News as “the leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement” and Newsmax included him in the “Top 100 Christian Leaders in America.”
For more information, visit www.pastorsam.com and www.belightbook.com
NHCLC/CONEL is the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization. It serves as a representative voice for the more than 100 million Hispanic Evangelicals assembled in over 40,000 U.S. churches and another 500,000 congregations spread throughout the Spanish-speaking diaspora. For additional information, visitwww.nhclc.org.
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