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Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress defends Trump's Iran threats, says presidents aren't held to "Sunday school" standards

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Marvin Hurst
Marvin Hurst
Marvin Hurst is fascinated with writing more than speaking, but he figured out how to combine the two on television. CBS News Texas welcomed him aboard our digital team in January 2024 before making him a full-time member of our 10 p.m. news team.
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Marvin Hurst

/ CBS Texas

Dr. Robert Jeffress has a lot to manage in the coming months. In June, First Baptist Dallas will break ground on a new sanctuary to replace the historic walls scattered to ashes by flames in July 2024.

It hasn't stopped his congregants from seeking out the Lord or worshipping since the fire.

"Our church is not built on a de91³Ô¹ÏÍø or on tradition. It's built on the unchanging truths of God's word, and that's a solid foundation on which to build a church," he said.

Jeffress hasn't stopped making time for a special friend at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He said right after the war with Iran started, he was there talking to Donald Trump.

"A couple of days after the war began in Iran, I was in the Oval Office with him, and I thanked him for his courage in confronting an evil that posed an existential threat to the survival of America, Israel, and the entire world," Jeffress said.

went in on the Iranians, threatening Tuesday as "Power Plant Day and Bridge day, all wrapped up in one." The president punctuated his message with expletives when some believed it was a Christian holiday; his tone should have been seasoned with peace.

"If President Trump were a third-grade Sunday school teacher in our church, that might be a problem, but he's not a third-grade Sunday school teacher," Jeffress said. "He's the president of the United States, and presidents sometimes have salty language. Every president we've had, Republican or Democrat, has had salty language."

The Iranians seemed unbothered by Trump's post.  In a report with Reuters, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, "Iran's reaction would be one of reciprocating any such attack."

In an interview with the Associated Press, the country's  cultural minister called Trump "A unstable, delusional figure."

Jeffress would beg to differ, saying the caricatures of the president as erratic and incapable of carrying out his duties are not true, in his opinion. He said the president was as sly as a fox.

The First Dallas senior pastor said it seems people overlooked Trump's  on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is a  on the White House's site as well.

"And it was the strongest and clearest expression of what the resurrection of Jesus Christ means that I've seen any president, Republican or Democrat, give," he said.

In the meantime, FBD has a resurrection goal of its own. Jeffress expects their new $130 million sanctuary to be done by Easter 2028.

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