Pastor Charlie Dates of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago has come under fire from local sports talk radio host Laurence Holmes for praying at a press conference for the Chicago Bears announcement of plans for a new $4.7 billion stadium on the Chicago lakefront.
In a scathing takedown of Dates on 670 The Score, Holmes accused Dates, who took over as leader of the 10,000-member church just over a year ago, of choosing to side “with the billionaires that are trying to take from the people of Chicago.”
A recording of the press conference, posted by the Chicago Bears on YouTube, shows Dates opening the event, framing it as “a day that our city desperately needs your help with” mixed with a tongue-in-cheek appeal to God to help the Chicago Bears win more games.
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“We thank you for all of the people who will benefit by the Bears staying in Chicago. I don’t know that you play football, but I am asking you to help us, help us to win some games. Help us to get a Super Bowl here. Help us to play in the Super Bowl and bring back the 1985 roaring, cheering fans we had for Your glory and for our good,” Dates prayed as some in the audience chuckled while their heads were still bowed.
“On a more serious note, for all the people who will work here, who will thrive here, who will come to experience significant family memories here, we give You glory and thanks,” Dates added. “And if I’ve asked you for too little, I pray You do something even bigger than what I just asked You for, in Your precious name.”
The Bears then announced their plan to build a state-of-the-art, domed lakefront stadium with both public and private money.
About $2.3 billion in funding is expected to be provided by the Bears, including a $300 million loan from the NFL for the $3.2 billion cost of the stadium. Some $900 million in public funding for the stadium would come from an existing 2% hotel tax that already goes to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
“We are excited to invest in the greatest city in the world to a stadium project and site improvements that will benefit Chicagoans and visitors,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said.
Holmes argued that it is the billionaires who stand to gain the most from the new stadium and not the people served by Dates’ church.
“The neighborhood where his church resides is the neighborhood where I grew up. There are plenty of people in that neighborhood and in neighborhoods around Chicago that need prayer. And you chose to ask for God’s grace today for a stadium?” he asked.
“You should be ashamed, pastor. And your congregation should be ashamed, too, that they followed you. If that’s what you’re giving out at Salem Baptist, shame on you. You need to repent. … I’m offended as a citizen of Chicago. I’m offended for people who try to serve and worship a God that you’re hoping shares His grace on the poor and the downtrodden,” he continued. “If we’re going strictly from Scripture on this, that is not where you need to be today, pastor. You don’t need to be with the billionaires that are trying to take from the people of Chicago.”
Holmes then further questioned Dates’ relationship with Scripture.
“The fact that you thought it was a good idea tells me everything that I need to know about you and your relationship with Scripture, your parishioners and God. This is ridiculous,” he said.
“What are we doing? I am so tired of people using God to put their hand in someone’s pocket. This is the worst possible example of this. If we’re talking about raising money for the church so you can inspire other people to hear the word of God and act accordingly, then so be it. That is not what this is. You are using the word of God to try and fleece the flock for billionaires.”
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