Bishop T.D. Jakes, the founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House, a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, has stirred up a lot of controversy and backlash after his Father’s Day sermon.
In his message titled ‘It’s Worth the Wait,’ Jakes spoke about the challenges and joys of being a father and a husband, and how God has a plan for every family.
However, what caught the attention of many people on social media was his rant against women who try to tell men how to be fathers. He said:
“If another childless person tells me how to be a father, I’ll scream.”
“If another woman tells me how to be father, I will open my mouth and flat out scream. You can no more tell me how to be father, then I can tell you how to birth a baby. I don’t know nothing about birthing a baby. I don’t know nothing about nursing a child. You have to know what you don’t know. Shut up being the teacher and just be the wife.”
“But just because you outtalk me,
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doesn’t mean you’re gonna change my mind.”
His remarks were met with applause and laughter from some of his congregation members, but also with criticism and outrage from others who found them disrespectful and insensitive. Some of the reactions on Twitter were:
“TD Jakes is so out of touch with reality. He needs to stop preaching misogyny and start listening to women who have been raising children without fathers for generations.” [@AngelaDavis]
“I used to respect TD Jakes but after hearing his Father’s Day sermon, I’m disgusted. How dare he tell women to shut up and be wives? He doesn’t speak for God or for real men who value their partners.” [@JamesWilson]
“TD Jakes is right. Women need to stop trying to emasculate men and let them be fathers. Men have a God-given role and responsibility in the family that women can’t understand or replace.” [@DavidJohnson]
“TD Jakes is preaching the truth. They think they can do everything by themselves and don’t need men. They need to humble themselves and submit to their husbands as the Bible says.” [@SarahSmith]