Robert Jeffress

Robert James Jeffress Jr. (/ˈdʒɛfrəs/; born November 29, 1955) is an American Southern Baptist pastor, author, radio host, and televangelist. He is the senior pastor of the 14,000-member First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, and is a Fox News Contributor. His sermons are broadcast on the television and radio program Pathway to Victory, which is broadcast on more than 1,200 television stations in the United States and 28 other countries, and is heard on 900 stations and broadcast live in 195 countries.

Jeffress has frequently engaged in political activity, in sermons and on national news. He has endorsed Republican candidates for president, including Donald Trump, and has spoken at Republican conventions, although he doesn't identify himself as a Republican. He has also been critical of Democratic politicians, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The extent of this activity has been controversial.

He opposes same-sex marriage and LGBT rights, and has repeatedly targeted homosexuality in his sermons, saying that gay individuals are involved in "filthy" and "degrading" practices, and "so much more prone to disease". He identifies with the evangelical wing of Christianity and has claimed that Roman Catholicism is influenced by Satan .

Robert Jeffress, Jr. was born to parents Robert Jeffress, Sr. (1925–1990) and Julia Caroline "Judy" Fielder (1931–1986). Jeffress and his wife, Amy Lyon Renard, have two daughters. Jeffress received a B.S. degree from Baylor University; a Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary; and a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In May 2010, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree from Dallas Baptist University.

In 1986, Jeffress was a contestant on the syndicated nighttime edition of the popular game show Card Sharks, hosted by Bill Rafferty, winning $4,550 over four days. Jeffress grew up under pastor W. A. Criswell of First Baptist Dallas, citing him as an influence on his ministry. Like Criswell, Jeffress teaches dispensationalist theology.

On August 12, 2007, he was elected pastor of First Baptist Dallas, a megachurch of 14,000 members, succeeding Mac Brunson. Previously, Jeffress had been the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls since 1992. He had been the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Eastland, Texas, from 1985 to 1992. In 2006, Jeffress received the Daniel Award from Vision America. In 2011, the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary awarded Jeffress a distinguished alumni award for the impact of his ministry in Texas.

On January 20, 2017, Jeffress preached the sermon at a private service at St. John's Episcopal Church, attended by President-elect Donald Trump the day before his inauguration.

Jeffress oversaw the construction of the First Baptist Church's 3,000-seat pavilion.^[when?] The $130 million church campus officially opened for Easter Sunday worship on March 31, 2013.