Reverend Suddenly Resigns From Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board (DETAILS)

Earlier this week, President Trump ended up disbanding his manufacturing council after multiple members resigned in response to a statement he made equating white supremacists with those are opposed to them. The CEOs were the first go, and members of Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board are now starting to follow suit.

On Friday, Reverend A.R. Bernard, who leads the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, announced his resignation with a statement posted on Twitter. In his statement, Bernard explained that for the last few months, he has noticed a “deepening conflict in values” between himself and the Trump administration.

‘In a social and political climate such as ours, it often takes a gathering of unlikely individuals to shape the future of our nation on issues of faith and inner city initiatives. I was willing to be one of those unlikely individuals, and that is why I agreed to serve on the President’s Evangelical Advisory Board. However, it became obvious that there was a deepening conflict in values between myself and the administration. I quietly stepped away from my involvement with the Board several months ago, and submitted my letter of formal resignation as of Tues, Aug. 15, 2017.

‘I am always grateful and honored by any opportunity to serve my country.’

My statement regarding my resignation from the President’s Evangelical Advisory Board. pic.twitter.com/Ocae6SQxjZ

— A. R. Bernard (@ARBernard) August 18, 2017

It’s not entirely clear if Bernard chose to officially step down from the board because of Trump’s Charlottesville statement, but, considering his timing, it seems likely that those remarks were the final straw.

Bernard, as part of the Executive Committee of the Commission of Religious Leaders, also signed a letter on Monday condemning hate groups like the ones who gathered in Charlottesville last weekend. In the committee’s letter, the leaders said that they “will not be silent while neo-Nazis, white supremacists, or any individuals or groups, seek to divide us from one another.”

Many of Bernard’s followers have commented on his statement and thanked him for stepping down from the board; however, some have suggested that he should have never been involved in the first place.