Pastor Gary Hamrick says he won’t be intimidated and has vowed to continue teaching the word of God in the face of threats he and his Cornerstone Chapel received from the far-left Loudoun County Democrats after he weighed in on a new pro-trans policy targeting school children and being considered by the county’s school board.
Appearing on the Family Research Council’s Washington Watch segment with Tony Perkins, Hamrick refused to give in to Democrat demands that he “recant” his statements in opposition to the new radically left-wing policy. Doubling down on his remarks from the pulpit, Hamrick reminded the far-left that they stepped into his arena when they began attacking the family unit and the basic concept of humanity as laid out in scripture, not the other way around.
“Whatever happened to reading, writing, and arithmetic?” Hamrick asked. “Once [the school board] stepped into the arena of sexuality and gender identity they cross into an arena that we as pastors are supposed to be faithful about because those are god ordained categories, sexuality, gender identity.”
“Those are God-ordained issues,” Hamrick continued. “I felt the need to speak out because there’s so much confusion with all of this, but there is no way I can recant because you can’t turn your back on the truth. You have to be truthful and loving at the same time, but we have to rise up in this day and declare what is right.”
“Peace is possible, but truth at all costs,” Hamrick said, quoting theologian Martin Luther.
In response to those who say he’s overstepped his bounds, and that pastors and politics don’t mix, Hamrick responded with the story of 18th-century pastor and Continental Army officer John Peter Mullenberg, a fellow Virginian, and told critics that he is carrying on a proud tradition of pastors involvement with community and national issues.
“[Mullenberg] removed his black clerical robe to reveal his Continental Officer’s uniform,” Hamrick said. “He led men from his church to form the 8th Virginia Brigade in the Revolutionary War.”
“This is just in the longstanding tradition of the involvement of the church,” Hamrick said, also reminding viewers that devout Christians were the driving force behind the abolition of slavery across the Western World.
Hamrick says his congregation is excited to “reclaim the land for the glory of God” from the radical left, anti-Christian forces that have sunk their teeth into the county’s public school division and encouraged Christians nationwide to take up the fight to protect their children, their families and their communities.
“Please pastors, rise to the occasion and be loving, truthful leaders.”
As previously reported by National File, Hamrick and his congregation came under attack from Loudoun County’s far-left Democrat Committee, including a member of the County’s governing Board of Supervisors, after the pastor spoke out in support of physical education teacher Byron Tanner Cross, a member of his congregation who was placed on administrative leave after voicing his opposition to the new pro-trans school policy in the form of a passionate speech to school board members, citing his Christian faith.
Additionally, Hamrick spoke in favor of recall efforts against 6 far-left members of the Loudoun County School Board, all of whom support the new pro-trans policy enforced on children, which encourages and codifies the use of “gender-expansive” and so-called trans-affirming pronouns in schools.
Watch the full interview below: