A Pastor from Tulsa has been criticized for disregarding Covid-19 norms after he spat on his hand and smeared the saliva in the face of a parishioner.
Michael Todd, who leads the Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, got literal while explaining an analogy during a sermon titled: “Receiving vision from God might get nasty”.
The pastor in a bid to illustrate his point had a man stand next to him and he snorted and coughed out saliva. Churchgoers in attendance let out loud gasps as he cupped the saliva in his hand.
Mr. Todd while holding his saliva in one hand and putting his other hand on the shoulder of the man on stage then said: “And this is where most people would not face Jesus anymore”.
“What most people would do would [be to] turn away”, Pastor Michael Todd noted as he again coughed and spat out mucus and phlegm.
The pastor explained 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 people in the audience let out loud ‘ewwws’ in disgust at the stunt. Mr. Todd then quickly responded to the audience and said: “How you just reacted, is how the people in your life will react when God is doing what it takes for the miracle”.
Even though some reports claimed that the man in the video is Michael’s brother, that didn’t stop social media users to heavily backlash the pastor.
The video of the act at the sermon was recorded on camera by churchgoers and has been widely circulated on social media. Many have called it a “publicity stunt” and criticized the pastor.
One Twitter user said: “The Mike Todd situation is exactly why we need more faithful Bible-teaching churches, not entertainers who seek to go viral every Sunday”.
Several others criticized him for ignoring Covid-19 protocols at a time when the US has continued to record a spike in Covid cases. On Sunday, the country reported 800,000 Covid infections and 1,964 deaths.
The pastor previously worked with Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt, to hold a state-wide day of prayer to protect the state against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Michael Todd serves as lead pastor at Transformation Church based in Tulsa, Oklahoma since 2015. He was entrusted with his wife Natalie Todd, also lead pastor at the church, by the founder Gary McIntosh after 15 years of operation.
Per information on the church’s website, it has hosted the sermon series: Relationship Goals, which spanned for over two years and gained 6 million views.
Michael published a book under the same name, which became the number-one New York Times bestselling book, before releasing his new book, ‘Crazy Faith’ in 2021.
The Pastor has spoken at many churches and different events both in the United States and other countries. The Pastor has amassed a huge following on his Instagram profile where he regularly shares snippets from events he has attended.
It is worth noting that Mr. Todd is on Instagram under the handle @iammiketodd and currently has 1.8 million followers.
Meanwhile, Mr. Todd hasn’t come out to comment or apologize to the public for what transpired.
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