Fire Destroys Historic Dallas Church of Pro-Trump Pastor
By Carole Hornsby Haynes July 21, 2024
Speculation about the cause of the four alarm fire at a prominent Dallas church led by Trump supporter, Dr. Robert Jeffress, began circulating wildly even as the blaze sent thick black clouds of smoke throughout downtown Dallas and miles beyond. (see video)
The day after the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, Pastor Jeffress told his congregation that divine intervention saved Trump’s life and urged them to pray for Trump. He added that Christians must not remain silent. Five days later, flames engulfed the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas. Did Jeffress’ remarks trigger another far left fringe lunatic?
With Democrat Party leaders desperately trying to shut down Republican political rhetoric, this is not a message they want broadcast by a highly visible Christian leader of a nationally prominent church. First Baptist Dallas, with its 16,000 members, is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is the second-largest Christian denomination after Catholicism. Dr. Jeffress has appeared publicly with Trump at events since 2015 and attended meetings with him at the White House. He’s seen frequently on Fox News.
Church leaders report the library and museum where all of the church records were archived have been destroyed completely. Although First Baptist Dallas was organized in 1868, the red brick building with its historic sanctuary was not built until 1890. Worship services continued in the beautiful sanctuary with its ancient polished wood pews and original stained glass windows until about 12 years ago when a much larger adjoining sanctuary was built. First Baptist remains the only downtown Dallas church that is still located on its original site.
The destruction of the cultural landmark is a deeply painful loss for the community. There is a special bond among church members – they are a large family. Many have posted on social media about how important the church has been in the lives of generations of their families – births, marriages, memorials. Thechurch’s history shows a people working closely together to construct the first building in 1871, a one-room frame structure that was financed by members “weaving rugs, making hominy, preserves, and cheese to sell at fairs near Dallas, then a frontier town of 2,500.”
So much history, so many memories – gone up in smoke. Over the past one and a half centuries, the church has welcomed thousands of visitors and hosted visits from four American presidents -- Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Reverend Billy Graham was a member and attended services whenever he was in Dallas.
Although no cause – or motive – has been identified in the tragic fire at First Baptist, there is much reason to be highly suspicious, given the facts above and that attacks on churches are on the rise in the United States. Tracking by Family Research Council shows that at least 915 hostile acts occurred between 2018 and 2023, including vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, and bomb threats. The number of attacks in 2023 was double that of 2022 and more than eight times the number in 2018.
Catholic Vote reported more than 400 attacks on Catholic churches since 2020, including “arson which damaged or destroyed historic churches; spray-painting and graffiti of satanic messages; rocks and bricks thrown through windows; statues destroyed (often with heads cut off); and illegal disruptions of Mass.” Although a federal statute requires the Attorney General to investigate and prosecute such crimes, the Biden adminstration has done nothing to protect the Catholic church and stop the acts of domestic terrorism.
Attacks on churches are on the rise in other Western countries – Germany, Scotland, England, France, Poland, Spain, Italy, and Austria -- with vandals setting fire, smashing or decapitating statues, and smashing windows. Historic churches are key targets. In 2019, people across the globe watched in horror as a massive inferno destroyed the 12th century Notre Dame Cathedral, France’s most emblematic place of worship and one of the most renowned examples of Gothic architecture.
The goal of the American Cultural Revolution is being accomplished at a rapid pace: obliterate Western civilization with all of its churches, heritage, artifacts, historic documents and buildings, traditional families, whites, schools, classical music – the entire culture. In just a few years, the far left radical element has removed statue after statue, destroyed churches and religious artifacts, removed the pew nameplate of George Washington in his Anglican church, discredited founding fathers, vilified the Christian South, replaced great classical music with inferior quality repertoire, renamed military bases and ships, and removedthe 109-year-old Reconciliation Monument in Arlington National Cemetery with its sole purpose of healing the wounds of the Civil War and restoring national harmony.
Our Constitution is based on the rule of law, premised on natural law and Nature’s God, so it must be destroyed to make way for rule by will – making up rules on the fly by a lawless regime. Since Christianity is the bedrock of the rule of law, it must be destroyed. Then the rule of law and the Constitution will fall and totalitarianism will reign supreme.
The message is clear. Demonic far left radicals will not stop their destruction of Western civilization until the American people, who want to live by the rule of law, stop them. There will be more attempted assassinations on Trump and likely on those who support him, as being the “solution” to stop Trump. There will be more violence to discourage MAGA supporters from speaking out and taking action. If this country is to survive as a free land, Americans must learn to play hardball like the left. This is not a game for nice guys who think they can negotiate with terrorists or wait for the Rapture. Unless Americans are willing to go all the way to stop this communist takeover, we will find ourselves standing in long toilet paper lines and foraging in garbage cans for food for our families as people do in Venezuela.