Megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes' list of fans ranges far and wide, even going as high up as the White House.
Jakes has a huge supporter in U.S. President Barack Obama, who lauded the Christian preacher for helping make him and other people "better as individuals."
"I am fortunate to count myself among the countless Americans whose lives have been touched by the ministry of Bishop T.D. Jakes," Obama told Variety, adding that Jakes is helping make Americans "more compassionate, and more loving as a country."
"What makes Bishop Jakes special is that no matter your station in life, he's there to speak with you, to pray with you, and to see you as an equal in the eyes of God," he added.
The love and support shown by Obama goes both ways, since Jakes also had the president's back when Reverend Franklin Graham claimed that Obama is not really a Christian because he reportedly has the "seed of Islam" and "the Islamic world sees the president as one of theirs."
Back in 2011, Jakes called on Graham to apologise to Obama for questioning his faith. "We didn't question the Christianity of President Bush when he said he accepted Christ, and I'm disappointed in Rev. Franklin Graham in that regard," Jakes said.
"And I would hope that he would see the rationale in apologising for such statements — because if the president's faith is suspect, then all of our faiths are suspect, because the Bible is quite clear about what it takes to be saved and the president has been quite open about his accepting Christ and him openly confessing it before men. And if it's good enough for the Bible it ought to be good enough for the rest of us."
