Free Republic

His final Sunday morning sermon in Jacksonville will be this weekend. He's been pastor of First Baptist Church for 23 years. First Baptist is one of the ten largest churches out of 39,00 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. His hottest controversy came during a pastors conference in which he made comments about Mohammed. For months after the story spread around the world he wouldn't comment except for an official statement read at church. But during our interview he made new statements on the issue. We'll broadcast those in our 11:00 story Sunday night. His sermons always have ended with...

I want to let everyone know that tonight my pastor is going to have special prayer for the troops and our nation. I don't know what length or format this may be, whether at the beginning of service or when during it. You can listen to our church service live via the church website http://www.fbcjax.com/ This is the church where Dr. Jerry Vines is pastor. He has been in the news since last year when he stated some facts about Islam that weren't "pc". The service starts at 6:45 EST using Real Player.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 25 — Disavowing President Bush’s pleas not to blame mainstream Muslims for terrorism, the Rev. Jerry Vines of Jacksonville’s powerhouse First Baptist Church calls the Prophet Muhammad a “demon-plagued pedophile” and preaches that Islam is a religion of hate. The sentiment runs so strongly that few clergymen are willing to confront Vines. NBC’s Bob Faw reports from Jacksonville.

<p>Muslims and Christians alike said yesterday they were hurt and saddened that the pastor of Jacksonville's largest church publicly attacked Islam and called the prophet Muhammad a "demon-possessed pedophile."</p> <p>Muslims, however, also said they were encouraged by people of other faiths who have rallied behind them.</p>