Mark Burns (pastor): Difference between revisions
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In August 2016, Burns was criticized after he retweeted a digitally manipulated image of Hillary Clinton in blackface. Burns later stated, "I prayed that those who I offended really receive ... a sincere apology," adding that he believes that the Democratic Party uses black people for votes.<ref>{{cite web |first=Nick |last=Gass |title=Trump surrogate apologizes for Clinton blackface tweet |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/mark-burns-apologizes-clinton-blackface-227534#ixzz4IpY6wd3L |work=Politico |date=2016-08-30 |accessdate=2016-08-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pro-Trump pastor regrets cartoon of Clinton in blackface, but "not the message" |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-supporter-pastor-mark-burns-hillary-clinton-apology-tweet-cartoon-blackface/ |work=CBS News |date=2016-08-30 |accessdate=2016-08-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Eric |last1=Bradner |first2=David |last2=Wright |title=Trump backer apologizes for blackface tweet, but stands by message |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/29/politics/mark-burns-clinton-blackface-cartoon-trump/ |work=CNN |date=2016-08-30 |accessdate=2016-08-31}}</ref> |
In August 2016, Burns was criticized after he retweeted a digitally manipulated image of Hillary Clinton in blackface. Burns later stated, "I prayed that those who I offended really receive ... a sincere apology," adding that he believes that the Democratic Party uses black people for votes.<ref>{{cite web |first=Nick |last=Gass |title=Trump surrogate apologizes for Clinton blackface tweet |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/mark-burns-apologizes-clinton-blackface-227534#ixzz4IpY6wd3L |work=Politico |date=2016-08-30 |accessdate=2016-08-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pro-Trump pastor regrets cartoon of Clinton in blackface, but "not the message" |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-supporter-pastor-mark-burns-hillary-clinton-apology-tweet-cartoon-blackface/ |work=CBS News |date=2016-08-30 |accessdate=2016-08-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Eric |last1=Bradner |first2=David |last2=Wright |title=Trump backer apologizes for blackface tweet, but stands by message |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/29/politics/mark-burns-clinton-blackface-cartoon-trump/ |work=CNN |date=2016-08-30 |accessdate=2016-08-31}}</ref> |
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Burns was presented before the Republican National Convention as a former Army Reservist and college graduate, but he admitted in August 2016 that he had fabricated those credentials.<ref name="CNN-Tatum">{{cite web |first=Sophie |last=Tatum |title=Trump surrogate admits falsifying biographical claims |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/03/politics/mark-burns-donald-trump-interview/index.html |work=CNN |date=2016-09-03 |accessdate=2016-09-03}}</ref> Burns insisted that his website was "obviously" hacked, but website host [[Wix.com]] responded that there was no evidence of a hack.<ref>{{cite web |first=Sophie |last=Tatum |title=Trump surrogate admits falsifying biographical claims |url=http://www.clickorlando.com/news/trump-surrogate-admits-falsifying-biographical-claims |work=[[WKMG-TV]] |date=2016-09-03 |accessdate=2016-09-03}}</ref> |
Burns was presented before the Republican National Convention as a former Army Reservist and college graduate, but he admitted in August 2016 that he had fabricated those credentials.<ref name="CNN-Tatum">{{cite web |first=Sophie |last=Tatum |title=Trump surrogate admits falsifying biographical claims |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/03/politics/mark-burns-donald-trump-interview/index.html |work=CNN |date=2016-09-03 |accessdate=2016-09-03}}</ref> He also claimed membership in [[Kappa Alpha Psi]], a national historically black fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|http://www.inquisitr.com/3479551/pastor-mark-burns-leaves-cnn-interview-trump-speaker-busted-over-kappa-alpha-psi-college-degree-and-army-claims-full-video/|title=Pastor Mark Burns Leaves CNN Interview: Trump Speaker Busted Over Kappa Alpha Psi, College Degree And Army Claims}}</ref> Burns insisted that his website was "obviously" hacked, but website host [[Wix.com]] responded that there was no evidence of a hack.<ref>{{cite web |first=Sophie |last=Tatum |title=Trump surrogate admits falsifying biographical claims |url=http://www.clickorlando.com/news/trump-surrogate-admits-falsifying-biographical-claims |work=[[WKMG-TV]] |date=2016-09-03 |accessdate=2016-09-03}}</ref> |
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== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
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Revision as of 13:11, 5 September 2016
John Mark Burns | |
|---|---|
| File:Pastor Mark behind Master Control Room 2015.png | |
| Born | September 21, 1979 |
| Occupation(s) | pastor, entrepreneur, televangelist |
| Known for | supporter, surrogate for the Donald Trump presidential campaign |
| Children | 6 |
John Mark Burns (born September 21, 1979) is a Evangelical Christian televangelist[1] and pastor[2] of The Harvest Praise & Worship Center from the United States, and supporter of Donald Trump as the 2016 US Republican Party nominee for the U.S. presidency. Burns is the co-founder & CEO of The NOW Television Network,[1] a Christian television network based in South Carolina.[citation needed]
Early life
Burns was born in Anderson, South Carolina on September 21, 1979 as John Mark Burns, to parents Otis and Debra Burns. At an early age, he began playing the keyboard and singing gospel music with his family group, The Burns Brothers of Belton, SC, traveling extensively around the country. In 1995, at the age of 16, Burns was licensed as a minister of the Gospel under his father at The Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Pelzer, SC. While preaching, he attended Belton-Honea Path High School and in 1998 received a South Carolina GED from the South Carolina Board of Education. He later attended North Greenville University for one semester.[3] On February 19, 2005, Burns was catechized and ordained at The Traveler's Rest Baptist Church in Seneca, SC.[citation needed]
Burns claimed to have held a bachelor of science degree; claimed he was a member of the historically African-American fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi; and claimed to have served six years in the U.S. Army Reserve. But in August 2016, those longstanding claims in his biography were disproved after CNN fact-checked them.[4] When questioned about his participation in the Army Reserve, Burns, who had served from 2001 to 2005 in the South Carolina Army National Guard, stated that, "The Army South Carolina National Guard is Reserves."[5] When questioned by CNN about his attendance at Andersonville Theological Seminary, also mentioned in his biography, Burns was unable to clarify.[6] Initially Burns claimed that falsehoods were added to his biography by a hacker.[6] Later he admitted that he had not been truthful and said he was attacked because he is "a black man supporting Donald Trump for president."[3]
Televangelism
Burns, along with his wife, Tomarra Burns, founded The NOW Television Network,[1] a Christian television network based in South Carolina, on March 1, 2015. He is also executive producer and host of the Lift Your Voice Gospel Show.[7]
Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
Burns is a Trump supporter[8] who has appeared on news channels such as CNN,[9] MSNBC,[10] FOX News,[11] Al Jazeera-America, BBC, CBS News[12] National Public Radio (NPR)[13] to give interviews about his support for Trump.[14] Burns has traveled extensively on the Trump campaign trail praying and introducing Trump.[15]
Controversies
At a North Carolina Trump rally, he said that Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, "Gotta Get Saved".[9] Later, he backtracked and said that he hadn’t intended to criticize Judaism and that his remarks “had nothing to do with [Sanders’] faith or religion or conversion to Christianity.”[16]
Burns offered the benediction on the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Before the prayer, he addressed the convention, calling Trump a man of God and calling Republicans not to attack each other, labeling Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party the "enemy." Critics of the message, including the Interfaith Alliance, accused Burns of inserting God into partisan politics. Later, he said "If I could go back and use different wording I wouldn’t have said ‘enemy,' I would have said, 'political opponents.'"[17]
In August 2016, Burns was criticized after he retweeted a digitally manipulated image of Hillary Clinton in blackface. Burns later stated, "I prayed that those who I offended really receive ... a sincere apology," adding that he believes that the Democratic Party uses black people for votes.[18][19][20]
Burns was presented before the Republican National Convention as a former Army Reservist and college graduate, but he admitted in August 2016 that he had fabricated those credentials.[4] He also claimed membership in Kappa Alpha Psi, a national historically black fraternity.[21] Burns insisted that his website was "obviously" hacked, but website host Wix.com responded that there was no evidence of a hack.[22]
Personal life
Burns is married to Tomarra Burns and together they have 6 children residing in South Carolina.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c "The NOW Television Network". thenownetwork.org. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ "The Harvest Praise & Worship Center of Easley, SC". theharvestpraise.org. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ a b Morin, Rebecca (September 3, 2016). "Trump surrogate admits to falsifying biographical claims". Politico.
- ^ a b Tatum, Sophie (2016-09-03). "Trump surrogate admits falsifying biographical claims". CNN. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
- ^ Flores, Reena (September 3, 2016). "Pastor Mark Burns, Donald Trump supporter, "overstated" biography details". CBS News. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
- ^ a b Blake, Aaron (September 3, 2016). "Trump backer Mark Burns's painfully bad attempts to defend his inflated resume". Washington Post.
- ^ "The Impact Network » Lift Every Voice Gospel Show". watchimpact.com. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ "'Pro-Faith' or 'Profane?' Trump Surrogate Gets Heckled at Faith and Family Forum". The Blaze. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ a b "Pro-Trump pastor: Bernie Sanders 'gotta get saved' - CNN Video". CNN. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ "Inside Trump's private meeting with pastors". MSNBC. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ Fox News (2015-12-02), Trump reaches out to coalition of African American pastors, retrieved 2016-03-19
- ^ "Why some African-American evangelicals are playing the Trump card". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ "New York Public Radio Popup Player". www.wnyc.org. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ "Trump's Liberty University speech inspires laughs, cheers". CNN. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ Right Side Broadcasting (2016-03-15), Pastor Mark Burns Introduces Donald Trump Victory Party/Press Conference (3-15-16), retrieved 2016-03-19
- ^ "Pro-Trump Pastor Backtracks on Claim That Bernie Sanders 'Gotta Meet Jesus'". Retrieved 2016-07-22.
- ^ Barnett, Ron. "SC pastor Mark Burns' delivers benediction at Republican National Convention". The State. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
- ^ Gass, Nick (2016-08-30). "Trump surrogate apologizes for Clinton blackface tweet". Politico. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ^ "Pro-Trump pastor regrets cartoon of Clinton in blackface, but "not the message"". CBS News. 2016-08-30. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ^ Bradner, Eric; Wright, David (2016-08-30). "Trump backer apologizes for blackface tweet, but stands by message". CNN. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ^ "Pastor Mark Burns Leaves CNN Interview: Trump Speaker Busted Over Kappa Alpha Psi, College Degree And Army Claims".
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://www.inquisitr.com/3479551/pastor-mark-burns-leaves-cnn-interview-trump-speaker-busted-over-kappa-alpha-psi-college-degree-and-army-claims-full-video/" ignored (help) - ^ Tatum, Sophie (2016-09-03). "Trump surrogate admits falsifying biographical claims". WKMG-TV. Retrieved 2016-09-03.