A video has emerged showing an American pastor admitting that he punched a young boy because he was "pushing his buttons" and "not taking the Lord serious".
"I punched him in the chest as hard as I could," said Pastor Eric Dammann of the Bible Baptist Church in New Jersey in the video clip.
The clip of the sermon, which was given in July 2014, was originally uploaded to the Church's website but has since been deleted.
Speaking to the congregation Pastor Dammann said the young boy, named Ben, was a "smart aleck" so he "walked over to him and went, Bam! Punched him in the chest as hard as I could".
"Then I leaned over and said, 'Ben, when are you going to stop playing games with God?'"
The pastor then claims the incident led the boy to God: "I led that man to the Lord right there."
Premier has approached the pastor for a reply but has yet to hear back.
He told the New York Daily News his actions were "inexcusable" and he feels "deep sorrow."
"I do not endorse child abuse or the punching of children," he said. "My intention in the sermon was to make a point of how God can use our mistakes. The viral clip does not show the whole sermon, where I say what I did was wrong," he said.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
