Cornerstone Church lead pastor Matt Hagee apologized Thursday for allowing his church to host the ReAwaken America tour event in its sanctuary Nov. 11-13th.
His statement comes after a number of Christian leaders like Southern Baptist president Ed Litton and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Samuel Rodriguez decried what happened. Videos on social media showed participants in the Cornerstone sanctuary chanting “let’s go Brandon” and former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn calling for one religion in the U.S.
Others, like author Rod Dreher, called into question using churches for political activities. “It confuses people on the lines of what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to Christ,” said Dreher.
Hagee said that Cornerstone failed to properly vet ReAwaken America and that it was “not appropriate” to allow its event at the church.
“I deeply regret and ask forgiveness, for what took place in the Cornerstone sanctuary as a result of my oversight,” said Hagee.
Hagee said Cornerstone is not associated with and does not endorse the views of the organization and that it will more carefully vet outside groups going forward.
“In the future, Cornerstone Church will ensure that organizations using our facility are an appropriate reflection of our mission and vision,” he said.
The “Let’s Go Brandon” chant originated after a NASCAR race in which a TV reporter mistakenly said that fans were chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” to support a driver named Brandon. In fact, they were cursing Joe Biden, so repetition of the phrase is seen as a thinly veiled effort to curse the president.
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