Herschel Walker, Christian conservatives blast Warnock at Austell event

Aug. 23—AUSTELL — Former football great Herschel Walker is banking on the support of conservative Christians as he seeks to oust incumbent U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in November's general election.

Walker took questions and received blessings from members of African American Voices of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, the conservative Christian group founded by Ralph Reed, at The Embassy Atlanta Church in Austell on Monday.

Billed as a listening session with Black faith leaders, the event was a Q&A with Walker that touched on his faith and stances on abortion, transgender athletes and religious freedom, but the common theme, or target, Walker and the meeting's participants returned to was Walker's Democratic opponent.

'He's not only voting backwards, he's running backwards'

Walker, in a Museum of the Bible T-shirt underneath his blue blazer, first spoke about religious freedom, a topic that Reed quickly brought back to Warnock.

"I'm confident, Herschel, that when you get to the Senate, you'll be voting for judges that will defend and uphold that First Amendment right to religious freedom, and Raphael Warnock votes the other way, there's no question about that," Reed said.

Walker responded by blasting Warnock's allegiance to President Joe Biden, saying his record supporting Biden's policies "is worse than Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren."

Walker drew a stark contrast between Warnock and himself, comparing people's support for his opponent to a choice between heaven and hell.

B. Dwayne Hardin, pastor of Embassy Atlanta, invoked Martin Luther King Jr. to offer a further contrast to Warnock, saying the former preached unity while the latter espouses a message of division (Warnock is the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King served as pastor at the time of his death).

In response to Hardin's question about how he would promote unity, Walker touched on the racial diversity in his family, offered a criticism of companies' donations to Black Lives Matter and returned to attacking Warnock and what Walker views as his lack of accountability.

"The problem we have is we don't hold people accountable for the action of what they said they're gonna do," Walker said. "He's not held accountable to be a senator. They let him say and do whatever he wants to say and nobody ever calls him on it, nobody wants to call him on anything he says and I'm like, 'Some of that stuff is not biblical.'"

Marc Little, a Los Angeles-based pastor who runs what he describes as an abortion and miscarriage recovery ministry, asked Walker what his response would be "to a culture that's on fire," one that "doesn't honor the sanctity of human life."

Walker answered by reiterating his support for the recent decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"Right now, to say that it is OK for a woman to kill her baby, when they said 'Thou shall not kill,' and I said, you know, I can't get around on that, so I will always vote for what my religious belief tells me," Walker said.

Ralph Reed followed Walker by saying Warnock "voted for abortion on demand, up to the moment of birth, paid for with tax dollars, including repeal of the Hyde Amendment."

Reed's statement appeared to refer to Warnock's support for the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021, which would legally codify a woman's right to abortion and allow for healthcare providers to provide abortions after fetal viability if the pregnant woman's life is in danger.

While voicing his opposition to transgender athletes competing in sports leagues of their choice, Walker criticized Warnock's campaign ad depicting the senator running around a track while discussing his and Walker's different stances.

"He's not only voting backwards, he's running backwards," Walker said to laughter from most in the audience.

'Christians need to stop being intimidated'

After the Q&A ended, the ministers in attendance gathered around Walker on the stage, offering prayers for their chosen candidate.

One of them, Frankie Vega of A.R.C. City Church in Smyrna, a self-described "independent, Christian, constitutional conservative, in that order," told the MDJ he is not a Republican or Democrat but firmly supports Walker over Warnock.

"I came out because I believe Christians need to stop being intimidated from civic responsibility and voicing our values outside of just religious environments and enforce our identity as American citizens," Vega said.

Alveda King, a niece of Martin Luther King Jr. and another minister who offered prayers for Walker, said the event was about bringing together influential leaders who "want true liberty in America."

She defended Walker against attacks that have pegged him as ignorant or uninformed, saying she has known Walker longer than Warnock.

"I believe that the voters of Georgia need to know more about each man," King said.

Vega is firm in his stance on the candidates, echoing criticisms that speakers made of Warnock and praising Walker after the event.

"I appreciate Herschel Walker's warmth, humility ... I appreciate he's not some slick hair, snake oil salesman aspiring to be a polished politician," Vega said.

Vega continued the theme of the listening session, taking further aim at Warnock as he clarified his views on Christian leadership.

"If you claim you're a pastor, you're utilizing the brand of being a respected leader in the Christian community who is aware of Christ's lifestyle and teachings," Vega said. "And if your policies and your worldviews and your stances do not align, but you're using the Bible as your brand to engender Christian or religious supporters, that's hypocrisy."