Former Donald Trump adviser and current MAGA podcaster Steve Bannon led a diverse array of critics who found Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell’s nearly three-minute invocation at Monday’s presidential inauguration ceremonies a bit much. “The benedictions, how long did the benedictions take? 19:19, okay. When benedictions take 19 minutes, that’s not acceptable,” Bannon said. Rabbi Ari Berman and Imam Husham Al-Husainy also participated in the inaugural prayer, but it was the charismatic Sewell, 43, who stole the show with his intercession that borrowed heavily from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Steve Bannon and Rev. Lorenzo Sewell (Photos: Getty Images) Sewell, who campaigned with Trump in 2024, thanked God for the incoming administration and prayed “that America would begin to dream again.” He went on to ask that God “let freedom ring” across the nation and fulfill the dream that every American be “free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” Critics felt the King homage was disrespectful, especially since it was delivered at a ceremony celebrating Trump’s return to the White House. Sewell said Trump personally asked him to deliver the invocation. Pastor Lorenzo Sewell's prayer at Donald Trump's inauguration was powerful! pic.twitter.com/wxUKQJXPKO— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) January 20, 2025 He cited the July attempt on Trump’s life, calling it the “millimeter miracle.” “Lorenzo Sewell chose #MLKDay to mock Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on worldwide television at the close of a presidential inauguration,” writer Ken Barnes posted on X. “Not sure I’ve seen a more shameful display, ever.” “That was embarrassingly over the top and very, very coonish……. Wonder how Snoop and Nelly feel about this…,” one X user replied. Baltimore pastor Melech Thomas joined many in his criticism of Sewell’s theatrical flair. “We gotta start putting more Black kids in theater early on so that they can stop growing up and pretending to be a preacher,” Thomas wrote on X. Bannon was more concerned that Sewell might have taken the focus off Trump. “The president’s speech was longer this time, but he had more to go through in a broader audience, the New Golden Age,” Bannon said. “When the Our Father can take 90 seconds, right, or Hail Mary, it didn’t have to be a Catholic prayer, give me the best Protestant, bring it, right?” he continued. “Talk about a buzzkill, just ridiculous. The benedictions were ridiculous.” Love him or not, Sewell’s story is a fascinating one. While he was in high school, Sewell’s father was sentenced to prison, and his younger brother was killed. He descended into a life of drugs and gangs but turned his life around in 1999 following a revelation from God. For seven years, Sewell pastored the non-denominational 180 Church on Detroit’s west side, which has an unapologetically conservative worldview. “The gospel message is a political message,” the married father of three told Fox News in a recent interview. “The Bible is a political book, from Genesis to Revelations. We see that the Bible is a political book.” However, many civil rights leaders were critical of Sewell’s interpretation of both the Bible and King’s message. “Don’t let them hijack what Dr. King was about,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton. “Dr. King was a fighter. Dr. King used economic leverage. Dr. King was a man who stood up for economic justice,” Sharpton argued. “And you can’t celebrate Dr. King without celebrating what he stood for.” Criticism aside, Sewell is already seeking to capitalize on his newfound fame, posting Monday on X that he’s launched a charitable cryptocurrency. ‘Humiliating!’: Black Pastor’s ‘Cringeworthy’ Trump Inauguration Prayer Sparks Backlash from Steve Bannon, Al Sharpton As He Is Accused of Hijacking Martin Luther King’s Speech