Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., an evangelical advisor to President Donald Trump and senior pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland, died Monday at 66.
The church released a statement after his death, saying, “It is with a heavy heart that we notify you that our beloved Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. has transitioned to be with the Lord on November 9, 2020.”
Jackson was conservative, vehemently pro-life and against same-sex marriage. Though he aligned with the Republican Party in these ways, he was also a prison reform advocate.
“What I believe is that the whole left and right paradigm that politics has chosen to create for itself is fundamentally incorrect because the Bible has both what we call left and right issues,” Jackson told Religion News Service back in 2005.
Read More: Pastor Darrell Scott says Trump is the ‘most pro-Black president in my lifetime’
While introducing him at a White House gathering in April, Trump referred to Jackson as “a highly respected gentleman who is a member of our faith and a person that we have tremendous respect for.”
Jackson attended Trump’s speech at this year’s Republican National Convention. He was also present at the White House garden party in which Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court was announced. The event was deemed a coronavirus superspreader event by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Jackson’s cause of death is currently unknown, but he was not among the many who tested positive for coronavirus after the announcement event, according to his church.
Jackson was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2005, and while he was being treated, he suffered a stroke. In a 2015 interview with The 700 Club, he said he was “24 hours away from dying,” according to RNS.
Read More: Pastor John Gray ‘publicly honors’ wife after cheating again: ‘My wife deserves better’
Though Hope Christian Church was having limited in-person services due to COVID-19, most of the events it held were virtual.
“Please pray for the Jackson family’s comfort,” read its website message, “and respect their right to privacy at this time.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast, “Dear Culture?” Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio today!