'Stupid White People' Think God Supports Racism, Pastor Says in Viral Sermon
Glen Berteau, senior pastor of The House church in Modesto, California, became an internet star this week after a clip from his church service Sunday in which he declares only "stupid white people" think God supports racism, went viral after his church posted it online Monday.
The clip, which had racked up more than 4 million views on Facebook Thursday morning, shows Berteau venting during a baby dedication ceremony in the wake of Saturday's deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists and neo-Nazis clashed with anti-fascist counter protesters.
James Alex Fields Jr., 20, an alleged Nazi sympathizer, reportedly plowed his car into a crowd of activists in Charlottesville killing one person and injuring 19 others.
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"For anybody to use the word of God and say you're gonna use the word of God to hate somebody of a different color, you've got to be the dumbest person on this earth to go ahead and say something like that," Berteau said to cheers.
"There's a bunch of stupid white people, I'm just telling you, that are stupid and telling people that God is into this, and God is not into this at all. There is not one person better than another person, I don't care what color you are, that is not the Word of God. That is not what Heaven is like, that is not what this church is, and that's not gonna happen," he told his multi-racial congregation.
"Bunch a stupid white folks doing that, what's wrong with them. Acting like that's God, I take offense to that. Using our Bible to go ahead and use to hate people is wrong. It's wrong, it's wrong, it will always be wrong. It will never be right, it's gonna be horrible and I totally detest that what they did," he continued.
He then walked up to a black father holding a young child and declared while touching his arm: "We both bleed red."
He further added: "He's got the same heart I got, he's got the same mind I got, there's nothing different about us. This is my brother. Will always be my brother, I'll die for my brother. I'll stand with my brother..."
Speaking with FOX40 on Wednesday, Berteau reiterated that it is ignorant for anyone to think God supports racist ideology.
"If you're going to believe that God is a God that ordains hate and do hateful acts, then yeah, that's ignorant. That's not right," he said.
Gary Montoya, communications director with The House church, said he posted the video to Berteau's Facebook page because he felt it was a message America needed to hear in light of the Charlottesville unrest.
"I mean the people are standing up, it was everyone just felt it and it was during child dedications so it was totally unexpected," Montoya said.
In one of the more popular comments on the video that received more than 1,400 reactions Eric Brown-Datcher, a black man from Maryland said he was moved by Berteau's declaration especially because he is white.
"Pastor, you don't know how those word touched my heart. Particularly because it came from a person not of color. If we had more people like you in the world, people like me would have a bit more hope and joy in their hearts. God bless you," he wrote.
