First Baptist McKinney Lead Pastor Sam Holm is said to be planning to apologize Sunday morning following a guest sermon about biblical truth, false teaching and the dangers of compromising Christian faith that included criticism of Islam, according to a source with direct knowledge of the plans.
The source said several staff members believed guest preacher Warren Samuels had suggested whom congregants should vote for. But the sermon transcript reviewed by The Dallas Express contains no named candidate endorsement or instruction to vote for a particular person or party.
Preaching from Revelation 2, Samuels focused on the church at Thyatira and its tolerance of false teaching. He called on Christians to remain faithful to Scripture while loving people whose beliefs differ from their own. Later in the message, he addressed Islam and the mosque project in McKinney, urging a response through prayer and evangelism and explicitly rejecting violence.
The church’s archive identifies the October 4 message as part of its Revelation series. Its published summary emphasizes the distinction between treating people with patience and love and accepting teachings incompatible with the gospel.
A warning against compromise
Later in the sermon, Samuels applied that distinction to the conflict in McKinney, identifying the mosque project as one part of what he described as a spiritual battle.
Samuels said he was vehemently opposed to building the mosque and asked listeners to hear his full explanation.
He described Islam as primarily a system of political ideas wrapped in religion and warned about the consequences of its growing influence.
“Islam is absolutely totally incompatible with the message of the cross,” Samuels said.
Earlier in the message, he warned that churches could become more concerned with avoiding offense than remaining faithful to Scripture.
“Churches that are more concerned with not offending the world than they are not offending God,” Samuels said.
He also acknowledged political differences within the congregation and said those differences did not excuse withholding love or respect.
“But I still love you regardless of whether or not you have ideas that are different than mine,” he said.
‘Muslims aren’t our enemy’
Samuels repeatedly distinguished his opposition to Islamic teachings from how Christians should treat Muslim people.
“You’re going to have to get to the point where you love the Muslim people more than you hate what they teach,” he said.
Later, he stated: “Muslims aren’t our enemy.”
“That means violence is never the answer,” he added.
He called for prayer, sharing the Christian faith and the conversion of Muslims to Christianity. He ended by praying that congregants would continue loving their neighbors and pointing them to Jesus.
Support for the sermon
An October 10 letter to Holm reviewed by DX expressed support for Samuels’s message and concern about discussions of an apology.
The writer said he attended the first service and watched the second online. He defended the sermon as a call to remain faithful to Scripture while treating Muslim neighbors with love, kindness and compassion.
The letter also thanked Holm for allowing Samuels to preach and urged the church to maintain its biblical convictions. It does not establish what Holm intends to say Sunday.
A local flashpoint for Christian churches
The sermon follows DX reporting on Muslim cleric Uthman ibn Farooq’s September 18 appearance in McKinney, where he called for Islam’s spread in America and urged Muslims to remain uncompromising in their faith.
That October 2 report also examined Muslim voter organizing and what Dallas-Fort Worth churches were doing to encourage civic participation. Former Round Rock ISD Trustee Mary Bone raised a pointed question: “Where are the Christian churches?”
Separately, DX has covered the recall campaign that followed McKinney City Council’s August 4 approval of a mosque site plan. Organizers say their concerns extend to spending, infrastructure, transparency and representation, and reject characterizing the recall as a religious grievance.
What happens Sunday
The wording and scope of Holm’s reported apology have not been provided to DX.
First McKinney lists Sunday services at 9:15 and 10:45 a.m. at 1615 W. Louisiana St. The sermon remained listed in its online archive when DX checked Saturday evening.
Readers can watch Samuels’s message through the church’s sermon archive.
