Although Rudy Giuliani has become one of the most disgraced of the 2020 election deniers, he got a warm welcome last Sunday at a Pentecostal church in Tulsa, Okla.
The former mayor of New York, who has gone bankrupt due to judgments against him for defaming two Georgia election workers, was the guest of honor at Sheridan Church, where Donald Trump admirer Jackson Lahmeyer is pastor.
Lahmeyer was the first pastor to publicly support Trump in his bid for the White House in 2024, creating a group called Pastors for Trump even as other prominent faith leaders remained silent about the second coming of Trump.
Artwork displayed at the Sheridan Church event with Rudy Giuliani. (Photos via Facebook)
Giuliani spoke at a gala fundraising dinner for the Tulsa church Saturday evening, Dec. 7, then was guest of honor at Sunday morning worship the next day. Both Lahmeyer and Giuliani posted photos of the events on social media.
Lahmeyer said in one post: “Great honor to have Mayor @RudyGiuliani attend service today at Sheridan Church where we had the opportunity to pray over him and for him.”
Giuliani posted: “I love Pastor Lahmeyer and the people of Oklahoma!”
Video is not yet publicly available of either the Saturday night or Sunday morning events.
Giuliani appeared at the Oklahoma church two days after Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss asked a federal judge to compel him to cooperate with court orders regarding his surrender of assets to the former Georgia election workers.
One year ago, Giuliani was found guilty of defamation and ordered by the court to pay the women $148 million in compensation. He has yet to do so. Further, the Georgia women claim Giuliani continues to defame them in new comments as well.
Now the judge presiding over the case has threatened Giuliani with imprisonment if he doesn’t pay up and stop spreading lies about the two women. President-elect Trump cannot pardon Giuliani because he was found guilty of civil charges, not criminal charges.
Leaders at Sheridan Church in Tulsa, Okla., pray over Rudy Giuliani last weekend.. (via Facebook)
Observers of some of Giuliani’s recent public appearances have called him “insane” and noted his erratic and irrational behavior. Last month, he was ditched by his own lawyers.
In a state that is redder than red, Lahmeyer and his church consistently turn up the volume on far-right evangelical politics. This is not the first time Giuliani has appeared at the church. Previous guests also have included Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Roger Stone and Oklahoma’s controversial superintendent of public education, Ryan Walters.
Lahmeyer preaches against same-sex relations, says America was founded as a “Christian” nation, believes people can be demon-possessed and connects the MAGA agenda with Christianity seamlessly.
Lahmeyer is a charismatic pastor who is a graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. He gained some notoriety as a COVID vaccine denier who offered to sign religious exemption forms for anyone desiring to avoid workplace or school vaccine mandates. That offer still stands on the church’s website.
He ran in a Republican primary in an attempt to unseat Sen. James Lankford, a conservative Republican and Southern Baptist pastor, whom Lahmeyer accused of “betraying” Trump on Jan. 6 when the Senate met — after being attacked by insurrectionists — to ratify the factual results of the 2020 presidential election. One of Lahmeyer’s stated priorities if elected to the Senate was to “investigate the 2020 election.”
On Monday, Dec. 9, Lahmeyer tweeted that Trump in his controversial cabinet selections is “assembling the equivalent of the ‘92 Dream Team,” a reference to the 1992 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, considered “the greatest sports team ever assembled.”
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