Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas and an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, tweeted a picture of himself with Kid Rock during the church’s “pickleball outreach” on Friday.
“Playing pickleball with [Kid Rock] at [First Dallas] live on [Fox News],” Jeffress posted to X.
“Sporting one of my favorite hats!” Jeffress added, referencing the rock star’s red “Trump 2020” hat and tagging the former president.
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Playing pickleball with @KidRock at @firstdallas live on @FoxNews. Sporting one of my favorite hats! @realDonaldTrumppic.twitter.com/h5KA4EutcY
— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) May 17, 2024
Kid Rock was attending First Baptist Dallas during the segment about the church’s pickleball outreach that aired Friday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
“Our mission at First Baptist Dallas is to transform the world with the truth of God’s word, but we use different ‘hooks in the water’ to get people interested in church and so forth,” Jeffress explained to host Steve Doocy.
“Church shouldn’t be something that’s just one hour a week on Sundays. We believe it ought to be a family activity, something you do every day of the week, and we found pickleball is a way not only to win new people, but also to help build community among members,” he continued.
Brent McFadden, the church’s sports and recreation minister, made permanent pickleball lines at the church gym in 2022 after a hiatus of the church’s leagues during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Southern Baptist Texan.
“I truly want [participants] to get more out the experiences [at the church] than just to play sports,” McFadden told the outlet, adding that the church also provides weekly devotional videos for pickleball league teams to watch.
“I don’t want to provide a way for people just to connect physically, but also to connect with Jesus spiritually,” he added.
During the Friday segment at First Baptist Dallas, Fox News also interviewed attendee Gracie Hunt, daughter of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, about the controversy over Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s recent commencement address at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.
Not the best response but I will take it.
pic.twitter.com/PGpuYwacow— Waterboy (@GMRench) May 17, 2024
Butker, a practicing Catholic, referenced abortion, LGBT issues and President Joe Biden during the speech that critics denounced as “discriminatory remarks.”
Butker has faced a petition signed by more than 180,000 people demanding he be dismissed from the team for his remarks, during which he accused some Catholic leaders of “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.” He also suggested young women should be “most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
“I can only speak from my own experience, which is I had the most incredible mom who had the ability to stay home and be with us as kids growing up,” Gracie Hunt said in response to a question from Doocy about Butker. “And I understand that there are many women out there who can’t make that decision. But for me in my life, I know it was really formative in shaping me and my siblings to be who we are.”
“I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field,” Hunt added.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]
