Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
After the June 2016 Orlando Nightclub shooting, in which 49 people were killed, Roger Jimenez preached in a few sermons about how he was not upset and nobody else should be that these people were killed. In contrast – because they were in a nightclub known to cater to homosexuals, Jimenez concluded that all the people killed were unsaveable. He also said they all were pedophiles. Here’s some of the statements he made:
“Hey, are you sad that fifty pedophiles were killed today? Um, no, I think that’s great. I think that helps society. You know, I think Orland Florida is a little safer tonight, now that fifty – You know, the tragedy is that more of them didn’t die. I mean the tragedy is I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m kind of upset that he didn’t finish the job! Because these people are predators, they are abusers!”
“I wish the Government would round them all up, put them up against a firing wall, put a firing squad in front of them and blow all their brains out!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha7WQ8GX_6w
He preached an entire message called “The Christian Response to the Orlando Murders”, where he teaches the same theology:
“I want to just give you several points tonight in regards to that, number one, if you’d like to write these down, I’d appreciate it, as a Christian, we shouldn’t be mourning the death of fifty sodomites, Let me just go ahead and start right there. As a Christian, we shouldn’t be sad, or upset…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khVHtDf5nLY
Understandably, there was a large media coverage and outrage about his statements. Jimenez, Anderson, and others in the New IFB have framed all of this as persecution for following the word of God, but in reality, much of it is rightful criticism for Jimenez preaching things that the Bible does not say, and instead preaching that he wishes eternal hell on people that God wants to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Not only do true Baptist churches call out Jimenez for being wrong here, but even the world can see that he’s wrong.
Steven Anderson came to Jimenez’s side on the issue, saying essentially the same thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aly0GANK-bw
