Pastor Greg Laurie, founder of the Harvest Crusades and senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside and Irvine, California, responded to chaos and violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, by revealing the Bible verse he’s pondering in the wake of the deadly events: Galatians 3:28.
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“In a weekend marked by a form of violence and hatred seemingly more reminiscent of 1967 than 2017, I am reminded of the words from scripture: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus,'” Laurie said.
He continued, “As a Christian and as an American, I am heartbroken by what took place in Charlottesville.”
In addition to sharing his sadness over clashes that unfolded in the city during white supremacist protests, the evangelist encouraged people to cling to unity and to fight back against racism and other societal ills.
“We must be united against racism in all its forms especially against anti-Semitism, white-supremacy and all associated ideologies,” Laurie said. “Above all, we must pray that faith, hope and love will win the day in our country.”
He said it is essential for those in the church to condemn “vile and evil thinking” and to help lead society toward a world free from “fear, bigotry and hate” by appealing to the gospel as the blueprint toward instilling love.
“May God grant us the strength to be a church marked by hus love for all people, in all corners of our country and the world, in all situations and at all times,” Laurie said.
The evangelist issued his statement as he is gearing up for the SoCal Harvest 2017 event on Aug. 18-20 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Laurie’s Harvest America event held in Glendale, Arizona, on June 11, attracted 38,000 people, with 2,904 people indicating “their decision to follow Jesus Christ” at the event.