T.D, Jakes Interview With Larry King:
Usually he’s with us by satellite, so it’s great to have him here in person. In Los Angeles, Bishop T.D. Jakes, founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, best-selling author. His new book “The Memory Quilt” — it’s a novel — “A Christmas Story for Our Times.” There you see its cover. It’s been almost a year since you were with us. It’s good to have you back.
T.D. JAKES, PASTOR: Thank you.
KING: While you were then talking about the president president- elect — and that was almost a year ago, how do you think he’s doing?
JAKES: Well, you know, I think he’s up against a tough job. I think he’s — I’ve been seeing some progress. I think America is hungry and (INAUDIBLE) much, much more. But it’s not just him alone. And it’s Congress. It’s everybody working together to bring about the change that we need in this country.
KING: Do you think we expected too much too soon?
JAKES: Those of us that did, I think, were really unrealistic. When I think about…
KING: Do you consider yourself one of them?
JAKES: Not — not really. Not really. I’m very — very pragmatic in my thinking about this country. I thought that he inherited a very complicated, complex dilemma. He came into the presidency at a time that our nation was fighting two wars simultaneously, economic depravity breaking out everywhere. I knew that there would not be a simple solution. I did not expect, a year from now, to have pie in the sky. KING: Now, there was some — there was some reporting earlier in this show — I want to make sure that we’re right — that you were one of a handful of pastors President Obama has turned to for private prayer sessions on the phone and discussions of religion in general. “The New York Times” said that in March.
True?
JAKES: Fairly true. We had prayer with him, more accurately, when his grandmother passed. And a circle of ministers were asked to come together and pray with him during that time.
KING: What was that like?
JAKES: It was just different people taking turns praying in their own way, lifting up his needs and the needs of our nation up before God. I was there from a very nonpartisan perspective. It really wasn’t a political thing at all.
KING: It was right before the election, though, wasn’t it?
JAKES: Yes. But it was prayer, you know. It was really just praying for — for somebody who was facing a really tough time.
KING: And she was very close to him.
JAKES: It seemed like he was really deeply affected by it, really deeply touched by it and affected at a time that you couldn’t afford to be affected, you know…
KING: Yes, the election in a couple of days.
JAKES: Exactly. Death is not always convenient.
KING: You — you also counseled George W. Bush, did you not, prayed with him, too?
JAKES: Prayed with him, known him. He was our governor, obviously, there in Texas before he ran for the presidency. And I had the privilege of being invited to the White House off and on throughout his presidency.
KING: Now, politics aside, he’s a man of deep faith, correct?
JAKES: He is — and very open about his faith, very, very open about his faith. And that’s — that’s something that has — we’ve seen quite a bit in recent presidents and even in candidates. It’s interesting to see that more and more people are starting to talk about their faith.
KING: Do you think it’s important that a president have faith?
JAKES: I think he’s going to need it. You know, the presidency is a very tough, tough job. And because our nation is primarily filled with people of various degrees of faith, I think that the American people, many are comforted when they feel it — so that the president has faith. The bad thing about it is that the president lives in such a fish tank that when you promote yourself as a person of faith, you’re scrutinized on every issue and evaluated not only by your political policies, but how does this line up with the tenets of your faith?
KING: You — we have reverends, bishops, priests, fathers.
What is a pastor?
JAKES: To me, a pastor is somebody who has direct access to the membership, cares for their day to day needs, is able to provide ministry, insight, compassion and counsel.
KING: Well, then all religious leaders — rabbis are pastors in a sense, are they not?
JAKES: Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely.
KING: Do you feel that — and back to Obama — that there’s anything he should be doing he’s not doing?
JAKES: Well, I think there’s so much to do, you know? I’m — I’m not sure that I’m qualified to be the one to tell him what he ought to be doing. I think that he’s got his hands really full. I mean both abroad, as he begins to grapple with our relationship with China, which I think it’s imperative that we begin to mend the international view of our country. It has really deteriorated. And I’m glad to see him move around internationally and solve some of those problems.(Source)
The Memory Quilt
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