Warning. This is nasty.
One would think after all the churches had closed and reopened and closed again due to COVID, that keeping your hands (and saliva) to yourself was an unspoken rule. Pastor Mike Todd, however, broke all unspoken rules of basic decency by wiping his spit across someone’s face ‘in the name of Jesus’.
The point of his sermon, according to The Independent, was to show that “receiving God’s vision can sometimes be nasty.” Unfortunately, the only message he got across was that HE is nasty and instead won himself a spot on the Bad Preacher Clips Twitter page.
From The Independent:
To illustrate his point, the pastor had a man stand next to him as he snorted and coughed out saliva. Churchgoers in attendance let out a loud gasp as he cupped the saliva in his hand.
“And this is where most people would not face Jesus anymore,” Mr Todd said while holding his saliva in one hand and putting his other hand on the shoulder of the man on stage.
“What most people would do would [be to] turn away,” he said as he again coughed and spat out mucus and phlegm.
The pastor said that the man was physically standing next to him knowing what was coming and to show that a person must stand strong physically, emotionally and spiritually even when “receiving vision from God gets nasty”.
He then mixed the saliva in his hand and rubbed it all over the face of the parishioner.
The Independent reported that the disgusted reactions from the audience were expected by Todd. “How you just reacted, is how the people in your life will react when God is doing what it takes for the miracle,” he’s heard saying to the audience in the video of the incident.
Of course social media shredded him, accusing his actions of being a publicity stunt. “The Mike Todd situation is exactly why we need more faithful Bible teaching churches, not entertainers who seek to go viral every Sunday,” read one tweet.
To be fair, some pastors have made their point while being a bit flashy. Pastor Brandon Washington of New Jersey went viral for preaching while power walking on his treadmill and Pastor Bartholomew Orr of Mississippi flew onto the pulpit like an angel falling from heaven. They entertained but made their point. A spit facial? Outrageous.
More people accused Todd of being irresponsible as coronavirus cases have spiked. The Independent reported by Sunday the US had 800,000 COVID cases and over 1,900 deaths. Ironically, local Tulsa news reported he previously connected with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt for a state-wide prayer against the coronavirus. Even though some sanctuaries have opened again, this virus doesn’t care to spare anyone and safety measures must be taken.
Todd posted a video on Twitter apologizing for being “extreme” and “disgusting.” He wrote, “It was never my intention to distract others from God’s Word and the message of Jesus.”
Well, Pastor Todd, mission failed.