Who is Lorenzo Sewell, Detroit pastor who spoke at Trump inauguration?
During Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, Rev. Lorenzo Sewell gave a passionate prayer.
Washington (AP)—On the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., President Donald Trump paid tribute to the civil rights leader’s legacy in his first benediction. A Michigan pastor’s prayer included the Declaration of Independence, gospel hymns, patriotic anthems, and King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Rev. Lorenzo Sewell commended God for the Trump administration and prayed “that America would begin to dream again” during his animated, about three-minute invocation on Monday.
At points, the remarks were almost an exact replica of King’s 1963 speech. In order for Americans to be “free at last,” he prayed to God to “let freedom ring” across the country. Finally free. We are now free, thank God Almighty.
Trump’s campaign for president in 2024 relied heavily on Sewell. He spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, welcomed Trump at his church in June, and went to a number of conservative Christian rallies and roundtables with religious leaders during the campaign.
Trump personally asked Sewell to pray during the inauguration, he recalled at an inaugural event on Sunday night.
In reference to the July assassination attempt on Trump, Sewell said Monday, “Heavenly father, we are so grateful that you gave our 45th and now our 47th president a millimeter miracle.”
More about Sewell and the response to his benediction can be found here:
Who is Lorenzo Sewell?
Sewell, 43, has served as pastor of the nondenominational 180 Church on Detroit’s west side for seven years. He claims that a spiritual revelation from God led him to Christianity in 1999.
Sewell does not shy away from politics in his ministry and follows a charismatic, conservative Christian teaching.
“The message of the gospel is political. From Genesis to Revelations, the Bible is a political text. “We see that the Bible is a political book,” Sewell stated in a January interview with Fox News. “It is impossible to be politically neutral.”
Sewell prayed for Trump’s protection at the Black Conservative Federation’s Legacy of Freedom Ball on Sunday night, using passages from the Bible and gospel songs.
“Would you surround him with angels, powerful angels, ministering angels, battling angels, and fiery flames? And tonight, we declare and pronounce that no weapon created against him will succeed,” Sewell added.
Sewell announced the birth of a cryptocurrency on social media shortly after giving his energizing benediction, and he urged fans to purchase it in order to support his humanitarian endeavors. Trump and other prominent right-wing leaders have recently introduced cryptocurrency.
Reaction to Sewell’s benediction
GOP politicians, conservative activists, and the president’s loyal followers praised Sewell’s prayer in large numbers both online and at the Capitol One Arena, where a presidential rally was held in conjunction with events at the U.S. Capitol.
However, Trump’s allusions to King and Sewell’s prayer caused some civil rights activists and Black religious leaders to feel uneasy.
The Rev. Al Sharpton remarked, “Don’t let them hijack what Dr. King was about.” “Dr. King had a fighting spirit.” Dr. King made use of financial power. Sharpton contended that Dr. King was a man who championed economic justice. “And you can t celebrate Dr. King without celebrating what he stood for.”