China's First Home- Grown Aircraft Carrier; Controversial Pastor To Attend Embassy Opening
BLACKWELL: The Chinese Navy has just taken a historic step with the trial of its first home-grown aircraft carrier.</s>PAUL: Yes. The maiden sea voyage is a milestone for the Chinese communist party which wants to build a-- quote -- "a world class Navy." Now military experts tell CNN while it will certainly boost China's naval presence in Asia its technology still lags far behind from that of the U.S. Here's an example for you. It uses conventional rather than nuclear propulsions. One of the big things we're watching here the U.S. is going to officially open its embassy in Jerusalem tomorrow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, it is a -- quote -- "truly historic happening."</s>BLACKWELL: President Trump will not attend the grand opening but Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, you see here, they just arrived moments ago. We're joined by special envoy to the Middle East. Now Pastor Robert Jeffress he told "FOX News" the he will also be there and will make the opening prayer. If that is true is he the right man for the job? I want you to listen to some of his, let's call them controversial statements.</s>DR. ROBERT JEFFRESS, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DALLAS: Here is the deep dark dirty secret of Islam. It is a region that promotes pedophilia, sex with children. Mormonism is not Christianity. It is always been considered a cult by the mainstream of Christianity.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hindus and Buddhist, Islam, cult?</s>JEFFRESS: Yes, absolutely. Mohammed was nothing but a blood thirsty warlord who beheaded 600 Jews who would not follow him in the battle.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is not true.</s>JEFFRESS: Israeli is wrong. It is a heresy from the pit of hell. Mormonism is wrong. It is a heresy from the pit of hell.</s>PAUL: We want to talk about this with pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland, Pastor Alvin Gwynn. Pastor, thank you so much for being with us.</s>PAUL: After hearing some of what we just heard there do you think that he is the right person to give this opening tomorrow?</s>ALVIN GWYNN, PASTOR, LEADENHALL BAPTIST CHURCH: No, indeed. It's shocking and amazing that we would be hearing from -- quote -- "a Baptist minister" who espouses anti semanticism throughout his conversation and to think that he is going to the most holiest place in the world along with the president is the most immoral leader of this nation and they are going to defile a holy place with their presence is astounding to me.</s>BLACKWELL: Pastor, I also want you to listen to -- this is mega Pastor John Hagee, founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel. He will deliver the benediction at the opening ceremony tomorrow, now. For people at home who recognize the name, in 2008 then Republican candidate for president John McCain had to reject his endorsement for these comments made in 1990 suggesting that Hitler and the holocaust were part of God's plan. Listen to Pastor Hagee here.</s>GWYNN: OK.</s>JOHN CHARLES HAGEE, FOUND AND SENIOR PASTOR OF CORNERSTONE CHURCH SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: God says in Jeremiah 16 -- "Behold, I will bring them the Jewish people again unto their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, and after will I send for many hunters. And they the hunters shall hunt for them" -- that would be the Jews.</s>BLACKWELL: Now we want to read that he said, "To assert that in any way I condone the Holocaust or that monster Adolf Hitler is the biggest and ugliest of lies. I have always condemned the horrors of the Holocaust in the strongest of terms." But is what he's saying here is that the Holocaust is -- was part of God's plan for this man to go to Jerusalem, of all places in the world. Your reaction?</s>GWYNN: You know, I've heard Pastor John Hagee down through the years along with Jerry Falwell and many others who espoused that fundamental belief -- fundamental disbelief, rather, that the Jews -- God brought the holocaust to punish the Jews. That's not true. Nazi Germany brought the holocaust to punish the Jews. The second of all that the Jews are -- the founders really of our Christian faith because we Judeo-Christian, the first Christian church was made up of 3,000 Jews on a day of Pentecost so why is it that they feel they are so separate from the Jews when they are really Judeo- Christians?</s>BLACKWELL: Well, Pastor, let me ask you this, John McCain had to reject Hagee's endorsement, had to repudiate the comments. We all remember what President Obama said about Jeremiah Wright and his comments. Why does there appear to be most response, no consequence for President Trump?</s>GWYNN: Right. You know, it has amazed me because, number one, President Trump has some moral issues of his own. And the thing that the fundamentalist, Southern Baptist Convention, which is one strict fundamentalist now are adopting and embracing individual with moral deficiencies is amazing to me. They were once very strict construction is when it came to religious doctrine and now they have become apostatized (ph), very lukewarm in their doctrine of teaching. They seem to espouse the fact that the end justify the means no matter how evil a person might be after the results seem to be OK then we can accept that individual.</s>PAUL: All right. Reverend Alvin Gwynn, we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you for being with us.</s>GWYNN: You're welcome.</s>BLACKWELL: A survivor of sexual abuse is on a mission to protect children across the country. Next, how her story is helping change laws in more than two dozen states. You'll want to see this.