(OPINION) A Texas megachurch pastor says he is praying for those who were offended by an illustration he shared in a sermon he gave for which he was criticized for describing a woman’s physique in a moment of temptation.
Jonathan Pokluda, who serves as lead pastor at Harris Creek Baptist Church near Waco, went viral for comments he made while sharing a story about meeting a male college friend for dinner while his wife, Monica, was out of town nearly two decades ago.
In the roughly three-minute clip that was taken from a sermon titled “Fool Proof Love” on Jan. 22, Pokluda described enjoying “chips and queso” with his friend when he says a “physically beautiful” woman propositioned him.
“She was perfect, physically beautiful,” he told the congregation. “Everything was in the right place.” As Christian, we all want to spend our money in a way that supports our beliefs. But it can be hard to find businesses with the transparency or trust that allow us to do that. That’s why we’ve partnered with Medi-Share. Learn More
Them: you just need to try another church!
*another church*pic.twitter.com/6WRWhCPT0t
— Lauren (@laurchastain22) February 16, 2023
After the woman offered to buy Pokluda a drink, he said he responded by holding up his ring finger to show his wedding band. “And she says, ‘Well, is she here? Because I don’t care,” he recalled, citing the proposition to help illustrate a significant point in his sermon.
Pokluda said he immediately thought of Proverbs 5:6-7, which reads: “She does not consider the path of life; she does not know that her ways are unstable. So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.”
“The saving grace in that situation was, I looked at that woman and I thought, ‘Oh, she hates me, she doesn’t love me,’” he said. “She wants my wife to hate me, and she wants my in-laws to hate me, and she wants my parents to hate me, and she wants my unborn children to hate me.”
“For just a few minutes of ecstasy, she wants to take my life and burn it to the ground. And that thought was God’s saving grace in a moment.” One version of the clip posted on Twitter has garnered almost 2.4 million views since Feb. 16.
In addition to his lead pastor role, Pokluda is the author of Welcome to Adulting and is the former leader of The Porch at Watermark Church in Dallas.
In response to a request for comment, Pokluda told The Christian Post that he is “sad that my words have stirred up so much bitterness and controversy” and said he would be “praying for those that have been impacted by my words.”
The sermon wasn’t the first time Pokluda has publicly shared his struggles with lust. In an interview last November with accountability app Covenant Eyes, Pokluda said despite being raised in the church, he struggled with drugs and pornography.
“I was raised in the church, was raised Catholic. Went to Baptist youth group. I was over-churched. I always called myself a Christian,” he was quoted as saying. “[But] I was totally addicted to pornography. (READ MORE)
