Preacher Sparks Backlash for Praising 'Good People' on Slave Plantations

A recent church sermon by missionary Mike Keller has caused an angry outcry from social media users after clips of his comments were posted online.

The remarks made by Keller that drew the negative response were about "good people" he claimed were on American slave plantations, along with other comments people said do not accurately reflect what slaves experienced.

Much of the attention surrounding Keller has to do with him being the father of Anna Duggar, who starred on the TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting. The show was put on pause in 2015 after Anna's husband, Josh Duggar, was accused of sexual molestation when he was a minor. In 2022, Josh was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography.

Keller's sermon took place on Sunday at Fairpark Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. He was introduced by Pastor David Weller, who is married to Keller's daughter Priscilla.

About midway through his sermon, Keller touched on the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. That led to his comments on slavery.

"One hundred and fifty years ago, or 200 years ago, when the Blacks were slaves, did they ever go to Washington, D.C. and have a rally—200 years ago—to protest against slavery? Did they? No," he said. "What did they do? Well, a lot of good people in the plantations would say, 'Hey, it's wintertime. Let us help build a church for you, dear folks.' And they loved them and taught them how to read so they can read the Bible.

"And here's what the Blacks did about 150 years ago: They humbled themselves. They prayed. They saw God's face, and they turn[ed] from their wicked ways, and God made slavery illegal through several white presidents, right? It worked, didn't it? They didn't protest. Maybe there's a place for protests. I don't know."

Katie Joy, host of the podcast Without A Crystal Ball, shared a clip of Keller's sermon on her Instagram channel.

"Slaves were not free to go where they pleased & they couldn't just up and leave to go to Washington to protest," Joy wrote in the caption. "Slavery was not abolished because slaves turned away from their wicked ways....

"This is so disturbing - but completely representative of many of the people within the IBLP [Institute in Basic Life Principles, a nondenominational Christian organization] and their views on anyone that isn't white."

Investigate journalist David Heath shared a clip of Keller's sermon on Twitter, calling it "stunning."

"The gaslighting in his speech is top tier sick and evil," one person wrote in response to Heath's post.

Fairpark Baptist Church later apologized for Keller's sermon in a statement emailed to Newsweek.

"Fairpark Baptist Church apologizes for the comments that a guest speaker, Mike Keller, made during a Sunday school lesson on June 25 that referenced the issue of slavery. The comments were hurtful and reflected a misrepresentation of racial and historical issues, and we completely disagree with the statements that were made," the statement read.

The message continued, "Fairpark Baptist Church affirms that racism and slavery are wrong, sinful and violate the Scriptures. As a part of our faith, we would never condone slavery or tolerate any kind of prejudice against people of color. We seek to follow God's words found in Romans 12:9: 'Let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.'"

Update 07/04/23 4:40 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Fairpark Baptist Church that was obtained after the story was originally published.