Trump supporter Robert Jeffress urges Christians to pray for President-elect Biden

A Texas evangelical pastor who was one of President Trump’s most vocal backers is calling on Trump supporters to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, calling it a “chance to show that Christians are not hypocrites.”

The Dallas-based Robert Jeffress said in a Fox News column Wednesday that the former vice president’s victory is “a bitter pill to swallow” for “millions of Christians across our nation.”

However, Jeffress went on to argue that the “fact that God has established authorities means that by obeying the government, we obey God.”

“It’s always easier to submit and to pray for someone when he was our preferred candidate. But the rubber really meets the road when the person who takes office is not the one we supported,” he wrote.

“Here is our chance to show that Christians are not hypocrites. We serve a God who remains on His throne, sovereignly reigning over every square inch of this vast universe,” he added. “We serve a God who loves us and will never leave or forsake us. And now we have the chance to show the consistency and constancy of our Christian witness to this world.”

Jeffress has a history of offensive and controversial statements.

“Islam is wrong, it is a heresy from the pit of hell. Mormonism is wrong, it is heresy from the pit of hell,” he said during a 2011 interview. “Judaism — you know you can’t be saved being a Jew.”

Jeffress has also said “it’s hypocritical” for Trump critics such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to say they pray for the president.

The White House has refused to acknowledge the results of the election since Biden was projected as winning over the weekend, with Trump making baseless claims of fraud and the General Services Administration declining to sign off on beginning the transition process.

Republican allies and appointees of the president have also refused to accept Biden as president-elect. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the department would “transition into a second Trump administration,” and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday called for the president’s legal challenges to play out while declining to congratulate Biden.

A handful of Republicans have acknowledged Biden’s victory and called for the transition process to begin, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Pat Toomey (Pa.), Ben Sasse (Neb.) and Mitt Romney (Utah).