Dr. Matthew Tennant, Senior Minister at Charlottesville’s University Baptist Church, has a veracity problem.
In a rambling November 14 sermon—loosely based on a reading from the book of 1 Samuel—Dr. Tennant veered sharply from the truth.
Discussing everything from ivermectin (“horse paste”), to climate change, to racial politics, the Minister was on a roll.
Until he hit a speed bump.
In a virtue-signaling verbal mini-treatise on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, Tennant made two grave errors:
- Tennant claimed the two men whom Rittenhouse killed in self-defense were “black protesters.”
- Tennant claimed that Rittenhouse, “a teenage vigilante,” “traveled from Illinois up to Wisconsin carrying his assault rifle.”
A cursory examination of widely available evidence shows that the men shot by Rittenhouse were not black, but white.
In addition, the New York Times and many other media sources report that Rittenhouse did not “travel” from Illinois with his gun; it was purchased in Wisconsin.
Wantonly spreading racially inflammatory disinformation from the pulpit is a serious injustice not only toward Mr. Rittenhouse, as his trial continues, but also to the community of Charlottesville, which does not need any more “pastors” stirring up racial animosity.
A public retraction and repentance would go a long way toward salvaging Dr. Tennant’s reputation—and is the least that Mr. Rittenhouse and the Charlottesville Community deserve.
A lot of pastors and churches seem to be trying to fit in with the culture rather than trying to have the culture come to Christ. This same church changed the words of the Doxology in order to not have gender in it: no Father or Son! Would they change the words of the Bible in all the places those words are mentioned??
What do these pastors who are completely changing things to conform to the culture have to say about Romans 12:2-3? And that’s not even addressing the outright lies and misinformation in this sermon. . .
Why would the guy lie when people in his congregation who have followed the trial know the truth? That makes no sense. What does make sense is that he was simply mistaken.
“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” — Mt 7:2
That’s a pretty brazen “mistake.” Why would a “pastor” judge someone on trial without having the facts?
Has he issued a retraction?
The answer is obvious. Those on the right lie, the left makes mistakes.
He’s following false prophets.
He needs to get his news from more reliable sources.