In a recently resurfaced video of Church leader and Georgia Democratic candidate, Rev. Raphael Warnock, promised that he would “dismantle” the American Empire and its systems of values.

The resurfaced video dated back to 2017. At the time, Warnock preached from the Ebenezer Baptist Church’s pulpit, saying that he would “dismantle” the system of values by the United States and even refer to the country as an “empire.” The minister began by saying that Americans can get too caught up in several political issues most of the time. However, Warnock claimed that oftentimes, the most important issues such as poverty were left behind.

Warnock claimed that prioritizing the poor had always been the forefront of the church. “Jesus is saying you will always have the poor with you, not because God ordained it,” the church minister said. He also likened the U.S. to an evil Roman emperor, Herod. To resolve this, Warnock believed that God had sent him to serve and protect the poor from the excesses of the “empire.”

“And I came to dismantle the value system of the empire,” Warnock said. He continued by saying that he was destined to share the “good news” to the poor and free those who remained captive. However, Warnock claimed that one of the biggest problems is that the religious people who should be helping him take down the so-called “empire” are the ones who are in “cahoots” with the oppressor.

Watch:

Link to original video

This is not the first time that Warnock merged his own political beliefs into his own preachings. In 2016, Warnock claimed that the early Christian Church first started with a “socialist” concept. He then argued that the Church was far more closer to the socialist principles than it was to capitalism. The Christian minister concluded that the Bible coincides with socialist beliefs, that everyone must have the right to access to food, water, and even healthcare.

While the minister had issued several controversial statements, his most problematic stand is with abortion. Back in August, Warnock claimed that abortion remained consistent with his Christian beliefs. He then explained that he sees abortion as healthcare and should, therefore, be accessible to any woman who needs it. Warnock also claimed that religious organizations must not interfere with women’s rights to make their own choices, especially since abortion involves an agreement between an individual and a doctor and not with his minister.

In another social media post, Warnock declared himself a “pro-choice” pastor who continued to fight for reproductive rights.

Unfortunately, several members of the black religious community were not too happy with Warnock’s preachings. On Friday, over 25 black pastors sent an open letter to the Senatorial candidate. They argued that the minister’s stand on abortion is largely founded on racism.

Based on their letter, church leaders shared that they ”applauded’ the minister’s progressive socialist agendas. However, they remained adamant in their stand against abortion. They asserted that Warnock had made a “lapse in judgment” and that his support for the evils of abortion is a “scandal” to the black community.