Robert Jeffress

Robert Jeffress (b. 1955) became senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas — one of the oldest, largest, and historically most influential Baptist congregations in the United States — in 1997. Under his leadership, First Baptist built a new $135 million campus (opened 2013) and expanded its media presence, including a national television program and radio broadcasts. Jeffress has been one of the most explicit articulators of Christian nationalism in the evangelical establishment: 1. Church-state separation: Jeffress has repeatedly stated that the separation of church and state is a 'myth,' that the founders intended America to be a Christian nation governed by Christian principles, and that Christians have both the right and the obligation to govern the nation by biblical standards. 2. Anti-LGBTQ positions: Jeffress has called homosexuality 'a perversion,' has stated that AIDS was 'the ultimate result' of homosexual behavior, and has been one of the most vocal opponents of same-sex marriage in the evangelical establishment. 3. Anti-Mormon and anti-Catholic statements: In 2011, introducing Rick Perry at the Values Voter Summit, Jeffress described Mormonism as a 'cult' and Mitt Romney's faith as disqualifying. He has also made derogatory statements about Catholicism. 4. Trump relationship: Jeffress was among the earliest prominent evangelical leaders to support Trump (2015) and has been a consistent public defender. He delivered the invocation at the opening ceremonies when the U.S. Embassy moved to Jerusalem in 2018, and he has preached at White House church services during Trump's first term. He stated that Trump was chosen by God and that Romans 13 (which commands submission to governing authority) justified Trump's use of force at the Southern border. 5. Explicit Christian nationalist statements: In 2017, Jeffress appeared on Fox News stating that Trump has 'the God-given authority to stop evil-doers through the use of the sword,' citing Romans 13 — in the context of military action against North Korea. Jeffress represents the explicit Christian nationalism that had previously been confined to fringe movements (Rushdoony, Gary North) now operating within the mainstream Southern Baptist establishment and major Republican political circles. His First Baptist Dallas platform, Fox News presence, and White House access made him one of the most visible articulators of the merger of evangelical faith and Trumpist politics.

Documented themes

• Christian Nationalism
• Anti-LGBTQ
• Political Strategy
• Gender & Patriarchy

Connections from Robert Jeffress

• influenced → Trump Evangelical Advisory Board (2016) (2016) — Robert Jeffress was among the earliest (September 2015) and most consistent evangelical clerical supporters of Trump, and was a core member of the Trump Evangelical Advisory Board formed in June 2016. His First Baptist Dallas platform, Fox News appearances, and willingness to articulate explicit Christian nationalist rationales for Trump support ('God gives rulers authority to stop evil') made him the most visible clerical voice for the merger of evangelical identity and Trumpist politics.
• influenced → 2016 Election: The Machine Delivers (2016) — Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas, was among the earliest high-profile evangelical endorsers of Trump, giving the candidacy credibility with Southern Baptist and megachurch audiences at a moment when many evangelical leaders still hesitated. Jeffress explicitly argued that Christians should vote for the 'strong, immoral man' over the 'weak, moral man' — a formulation that encapsulated the transactional theology that would define evangelical support for Trump. His platform of 12,000 members and prominent media presence made his endorsement a signal to the broader evangelical leadership class.

Sources

• Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation — Kristin Kobes Du Mez (2020), pp. 260–280
• Robert Jeffress: Pastor to the President — Texas Monthly (2017)
• The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism — Katherine Stewart (2020), pp. 25–50