Mark Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise & Worship Center in South Carolina and board member of Pastors for Trump, lashed out after a golden statue of President Donald Trump erected in Miami was criticized for ignoring biblical messaging about "idol worship."
The statue, titled “Don Colossus,” portrays Trump with his fist raised in the air—a pose reminiscent of the gesture he made following the failed 2024 assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally—and was commissioned by a group of cryptocurrency investors.
Burns was among a group of evangelical leaders present when the statue was erected at Trump National Doral golf course.
The images reminded critics of the story of the Golden Calf in the Bible, a story that begins at the same time as Moses' experience on Mount Sinai, while he was receiving the Ten Commandments.
As impatience grew among the Israelites during Moses’ absence, they sought a new object of worship. They gathered their gold jewelry, melted it down, and crafted a Golden Calf, proclaiming it as their god. God, seeing their betrayal, was prepared to destroy them in his wrath, but Moses pleaded on their behalf.
Descending from the mountain with the stone tablets inscribed by God, Moses witnessed the Israelites celebrating around the Golden Calf. Overcome with anger, he shattered the tablets at the mountain’s base. He then burned the idol, ground it into powder, scattered it over the water, and made the people drink it as a symbol of their wrongdoing.
God instructed Moses to continue leading the Israelites to the promised land of Canaan, where He would meet them again. However, as a consequence of their idolatry, a plague struck the people before their journey resumed.
Burns had a defensive response to these criticisms, writing the following in a post on X:
"One of the greatest honors of my life was leading the dedication of President Donald J. Trump’s statue to the world. What amazes me is how quickly some people have compared this beautiful statue, created and made possible by more than 6,000 patriots, to a golden calf or idol worship."
"Let me be very clear. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. The Word of God says, 'You shall have no other gods before Me.' Exodus 20:3. It also says, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' Matthew 4:10. That is the line. Honor is not worship. Respect is not idolatry."
"Celebration is not bowing down to a false god. Romans 13:7 says, 'Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.' Giving honor where honor is due is biblical. Bowing down and worshipping an idol is sinful. There is a major difference."
"This statue was not created for worship. It was created as a symbol of resilience, patriotism, courage, and gratitude. It was created to honor a man whom many may disagree with, but millions of Americans believe has done extraordinary things to make this nation stronger."
He went on to say that "People celebrate athletes, musicians, entertainers, and cultural icons while they are still alive," adding:
"Michael Jordan has a statue in Chicago. Cristiano Ronaldo, Taylor Swift, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, and many others have been honored publicly in different ways. Yet Christians were not screaming 'golden calf' over those moments. So why now? You may dislike President Trump. That is your choice. But you are in gross error if you think for one second that I worship this magnificent statue or anything made by human hands."
"Acts 17:24 says, 'God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.' My worship belongs to God. My gratitude can still honor people. My faith is in Christ. My respect for a leader does not replace my reverence for the Lord."
"Before you judge, condemn, or spread false accusations, use spiritual discernment. 1 John 4:1 says, 'Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.' Some of you know the voice of the Holy Spirit. Listen to that voice before you give room to the devil through lies, slander, and false judgment."
"Ephesians 4:27 says, 'Nor give place to the devil.' We can disagree politically and still tell the truth spiritually. This was not idol worship. This was honor. This was gratitude. This was patriotism. And above all, Jesus Christ is still Lord."
You can see his post, accompanied by a picture of him at the ceremony, below.
@pastormarkburns/X
People were not buying it.
You might want to open up your Bible again, Pastor.
