Former US President Donald Trump agrees that the US is in need of a saviour, but that saviour is someone "much higher up" than him.
Trump spoke about the state of the nation in an address delivered from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, just before Christmas.
The megachurch has 14,000 members and is led by Dr Robert Jeffress, a longtime supporter of Trump.
In his 10-minute address, Trump said that the past year since his departure from the White House had shown America to be "in trouble".
"We're in trouble. I think our nation's in great trouble," he said.
"I don't think we've ever had a time like this with what happened in Afghanistan, the way that was done so badly."
The answer to the situation, he said, is a "saviour", but that saviour is not him.
"Our country needs a savior right now, and our country has a Savior, and that's not me – that's somebody much higher up than me, much higher up," he said.
"The life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ forever changed the world."
He looked back over America's history and said that it was impossible to consider its development over the centuries "without the influence of [Jesus'] example, and of His teachings".
As examples, he pointed to America's "miraculous founding" and other major events in its history, like "overcoming Civil War, abolishing slavery, defeating communism and fascism, reaching boundless heights of science and discovery".
He added, "The United States ultimately becoming a truly great nation, and we're going to keep it that way. We're going to keep it that way. We're not going to let it go."
