Pastor Greg Laurie says God placed Trump in power 'for such a time as this'

'Americans are tired of this crazy woke agenda'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Pastor Greg Laurie delivers a message on Oct. 8, 2023. | Screenshot/YouTube/Pastor Greg Laurie

Pastor Greg Laurie recently delivered a message claiming President-elect Donald Trump received a "mandate" from the American people to lead, and that a Harris administration would have likely led to increased government hostility against Christians.

"Americans are tired of this crazy, woke agenda we've been dealing with for the last four years," Laurie said in a clip he posted Monday to X. "We're done with it: promoting late-term abortions, mutilating our children, men in women's sports, men in women's bathrooms. The list goes on, and I believe that God has placed President Trump in office for such a time as this."

Laurie, founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades, went on to explain that he was referencing what Mordecai told his cousin Esther when she found herself elevated to a position of political power as queen in ancient Persia.

God used the Jewish queen to prevent a genocide against the Jewish people that was planned by Haman, who served as grand vizier to King Ahasuerus, according to the biblical narrative.

"I believe God has placed President Trump in this position for this moment in American history," said Laurie, who is founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades.

"This is a man who has faced incredible challenges, two assassination attempts, and he himself has said publicly he believes that God has spared him, and I believe he's right."

Noting how former President Ronald Reagan spoke openly of God's protection after surviving the assassination attempt against him in 1981, Laurie observed how Reagan would go on to play a pivotal role in the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

"So we're thankful, and we recognize that politics have a place, but politics and politicians will never bring a spiritual awakening to America. That is the work of God, but government has its place," he said.

Laurie went on to suggest that had Democrats prevailed in the most recent presidential election, it would likely have led to increased political pressure on Christian churches.

"I fear if the other party had won, we would be facing a pretty bleak scenario right now, and I fear that some of their anger would have been directed toward Christians and the church in particular," he said. "So I think we've been given a reprieve to get back on track again, and as Christians, we just want the freedom to do what I think we do best, practice our First Amendment rights, and teach the Word of God and proclaim the Gospel and do everything we can to fulfill the Great Commission."

Laurie added that as citizens, American Christians are well within their rights to call their elected leaders to account, but also have a duty to pray for those in authority.

Last month, Laurie prayed at Trump's rally in Coachella, California, after which he released a video explaining his views on the role of American Christians in the political realm. He noted that he would have prayed at a Harris rally if he had been invited. He said the purpose of his participation in any political event is to glorify Jesus Christ.

"My job as a follower of Jesus, and specifically as a pastor, is to represent Christ," he said in the video. "And I understand that when I go into any setting, I’m there as a representative of the Kingdom of God, and my primary objective is to point people to Christ."

Laurie pushed back against those claiming there must be a separation between church and state in the United States, noting how such a phrase emerged from a personal letter written by former President Thomas Jefferson.

"That was in a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to a particular person who asked about this. It was not in any of the documents, the founding documents of our nation," he said. "And the objective of Jefferson in writing on that particular topic was to keep the government out of the Church, not to keep the Church out of government."

"We as Christians must permeate, we must saturate our culture. Our job is to shine as bright lights and function as salt," Laurie added. "Jesus said, 'You’re the light of the world, you’re the salt of the Earth.'"