Awes said that Stedfast Baptist Church has been getting threats from people saying they want to murder Pastor Shelley’s family, rape his wife, and kill Christians with AK-47s. Alluding to people who have been protesting outside Stedfast, Awes said this opposition is a sign that Stedfast is being faithful to God’s Word. People are not protesting at Joel Osteen’s or Todd White’s churches, said Awes, but outside of Bible-preaching churches like Stedfast. In fact, the same morning Awes was preaching, pro-abortion protestors did disrupt the Sunday morning service at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.
“I’m angry this morning because our entire country is celebrating the worst sin in the Bible,” said Awes, referring to Pride Month. “You know, a lot of pastors have this stupid idea where it’s just like, Oh, you know God loves everyone and God hates the sin but loves the sinner. But people have taken this to such an extreme where they’re saying, celebrate the sin.” Awes encouraged the congregation to react with disgust as he does when he sees a gay person in public.
Awes rejected the idea that he was pulling his ideas about God out of context from the Old Testament and ignoring the New Testament. He spent some time in the book of Jude, which references Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of sexual immorality. Verse 7 says, “They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”
“It’s not my problem if you don’t believe the Bible,” said Awes.
Taking language from Jude, which uses the phrase “brute beasts” in the King James Version, Awes continued, “The Bible says that these sodomites are dumb, stupid animals, brute beasts.”
Someone can be heard in the audio saying “Amen” to this statement. Awes said, “I didn’t come up with that. That’s what the Word of God said right in front of your face.” Another claim the preacher made in his sermon that received affirmation from some present was that “All homosexuals are pedophiles.” Such people have no hope of salvation from God and need to be put “to death through the proper channels of the government.”
“Elsewhere in the Bible it says that they are made to be taken and destroyed,” Awes continued. “Not to be loved. Not to be brought into the house of God.” Awes said that when Christian preachers refuse to preach against such people, they are conveying, “I am more afraid of a dumb animal than of God.” According to Awes, the only reason the “sodomites” aren’t murdering Christians today is because in the U.S., “They’re still afraid of the police a little bit.”
Regarding pastors who are “sodomites,” Awes said, “Put them to death. We’re not standing with someone just because they call themselves a pastor.”
The service concluded with the congregation singing, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.”
When ChurchLeaders reached out to Stedfast Baptist Church for comment, Pastor Jonathan Shelley responded with a lengthy statement. He explained that “Dillon Awes is the Administrative Assistant of the church who preaches for Pastor Shelley when out of town.”
