Pastor criticized for meme coin push after inauguration prayer

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Wednesday, January 22, 2025

After delivering a standout prayer throughout President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Monday, invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church in Detroit, Michigan, has sparked a heated debate about his type and sincerity.

Sewell, who welcomed Trump at his church final June for a roundtable whereas the previous president was on the marketing campaign path, was one in all 4 non secular leaders chosen to ship a benediction in the course of the inauguration.

As he delivered an animated prayer, throughout which he thanked God for miraculously saving Trump from assassination makes an attempt, the criticisms got here rapidly.

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In an obvious dig at Sewell’s supply, former NFL participant and outspoken Christian Benjamin Watson referred to as the 180 Church pastor “an entire shame.”

“He needs to be ashamed of himself. What a humiliation,” Watson wrote in a submit on X.

When activist missionary worship chief Sean Feucht replied that he thought Sewell’s prayer was “sensible and anointed,” Watson shot again, “Ensure you purchase a few of his crypto too when you actually imagine that.”

Watson was referring to Sewell’s promotion on X of a risky meme coin bearing his identify referred to as $Lorenzo shortly after his prayer for the president.

“The crypto neighborhood was form sufficient to ship me $Lorenzo, so I’ve completely locked my tokens right into a Liquidity Pool, in order that I’ll by no means promote on the neighborhood however reasonably simply earn charges as our token continues to flourish! Superb day, all of the Glory to God!” Sewell tweeted.

Sewell inspired followers to buy the coin to “assist us do what we have to do within the ministry.” 

“I would like you to do me a favor to go and get that coin for us to perform the imaginative and prescient that God has referred to as us to do on earth,” Sewell mentioned. “I give God glory for what He has finished. We all know that King’s dream can solely be fulfilled if we acknowledge that individuals are residing in a nightmare.” 

Different critics, resembling Tennessean Democrat Christopher Hale, who labored on the Obama-Biden marketing campaign and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress in 2020, accused Sewell of robbing the poor by means of the meme coin.

“Stealing from the poor is an affront to the gospel,” Hale wrote in a touch upon Sewell’s Monday video. 

Some Christians and Trump supporters who supported Sewell’s prayer, like Angie M, expressed disappointment over the meme coin.

“I loved your prayer on the inauguration greater than I can specific. However someway … I do not assume Jesus would approve of this. You understand … he turned over the tables of cash changers. This wants to vary in our church buildings. Extra serving to others not creating wealth. Time to reverse the path,” she wrote on X.

Meme cash, in accordance with America’s largest cryptocurrency trade, Coinbase, “are a sort of cryptocurrency which are typically impressed by web memes, characters, or traits. They’re sometimes supported by enthusiastic on-line communities and are typically supposed to be light-hearted and enjoyable.”

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu are examples of meme cash, which aren’t typically purchased for his or her usability. They are often thought of “dangerous and risky buying and selling property” or only a joke. Merchants have proven curiosity in meme cash, nevertheless, as a result of it’s doable to realize excessive returns from them.

President Donald Trump and first woman Melania Trump have additionally not too long ago launched their very own meme cash, The Related Press stories, however critics of this transfer say it seems to be like a money seize that might undermine efforts to legitimize cryptocurrency. 

“I actually was sort of bummed out once I noticed it,” Tom Schmidt, a companion at a crypto enterprise capital agency Dragonfly, informed the information company. “It simply felt very grifty and low-cost.”

Trump launched his meme coin often known as $TRUMP final Friday for practically $6.50 per token. The meme coin value hit a excessive of $73 on Sunday earlier than falling to $45 as of Tuesday. The meme coin is now value billions, in accordance with Quartz.

The sale of Trump meme cash was organized by CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Group, in accordance with the AP. The web site promoting the Trump meme coin states that they’re meant as expressions of help and never an funding alternative.

Some 200 million Trump meme cash are reportedly out there, however some 1 billion cash are anticipated to be issued over the subsequent three years.

Amid considerations raised by Sewell’s critics, conservative Christian preacher Rev. Damien Jones, the writer of Black Voters Purple Wave: Decoding the Rise of Donald Trump’s Black Assist, was crucial of the negativity directed at Sewell. 

“He’s a husband and father of three. Whereas in highschool, his father went to jail and his youthful brother was killed. In consequence, Lorenzo grew to become closely concerned in medicine, drug dealing & gang life, in the end turning into a gang chief. Just a few years later he gave his life to Christ and made a 180 in his life,” Jones tweeted.

“He’s now one of the vital influential voices in his neighborhood. I do know people need to have one thing damaging to say in regards to the brother or criticize his type of prayer, however I believe we ought to present God reward for the way God has reworked Pastor Lorenzo’s life into one thing particular.”