A pastor from Waco, Texas is apologizing to his congregation for a sermon in which he admits he "objectified" a woman he encountered almost two decades ago, The Christian Post reported on Monday.
"Jonathan Pokluda apologized during services on Feb. 26 at Harris Creek Baptist Church near Waco after he went viral last month for comments he made while sharing a story about a dinner with a male college friend while his wife, Monica, was out of town 18 years ago," reported Ian M. Giatti. "Pokluda told The Christian Post that he is 'sad that my words have stirred up so much bitterness and controversy' and said he would be 'praying for those that have been impacted by my words.'"
“Lately, I’ve hurt some people," he said. "In a message on adultery, I described an experience 18 years ago where I objectified a woman in my description of her beauty."
Just last week, Pokluda offered some additional context to the anecdote, explaining that he is a "recovering pornography addict."
In the sermon that caused the controversy, Pokluda said that he was approached during a meal with his friend by a "perfect, physically beautiful" woman. "Everything was in the right place" on her, he said. He went on to continue this woman propositioned him, and said she "didn't care" he was married. “The saving grace in that situation was, I looked at that woman and I thought, ‘Oh, she hates me, she doesn’t love me,’” Pokluda continued. “She wants my wife to hate me, and she wants my in-laws to hate me, and she wants my parents to hate me, and she wants my unborn children to hate me. For just a few minutes of ecstasy, she wants to take my life and burn it to the ground. And that thought was God’s saving grace in a moment.” A clip of that sermon gathered over 2.4 million views on Twitter.
Pokluda has previously shared other struggles with his former ungodly behavior, telling his congregation, “I’ve wrestled with drugs: cocaine, ecstasy, I smoked weed every day of my life for a season, alcoholism. All of that is part of my journey. Nothing enslaved me like porn.”
In right-wing Christianity, depicting women as temptations to be resisted is a common theme. Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he refuses to take meetings alone with women other than his wife, a rule he considers virtuous but which is potentially illegal discrimination in a work setting.
