Reaction to pastor giving thanks for ‘smokin’ hot wife’

[EKIMEEZA RELIGION] – A Baptist preacher giving thanks to God for a “smokin’ hot wife” in a prayer that opened a NASCAR race last weekend has generated reams of online commentary, with one religion blogger summing up some Christian reaction: “Shocking, I tell you, that a pastor might have a little fun.”

The prayer came from Tennessee Pastor Joe Nelms, who told CNN he was taking a line from the Will Ferrell movie “Talladega Nights.” In addition to the way it gave thanks for his spouse, Nelms’ prayer was noteworthy for invoking NASCAR sponsors:

Thank you for the Dodges and the Toyotas. Thank you for the Fords. Thank you for Sunoco racing fuels and Goodyear tires.

Nelms told CNN that the prayer wasn’t officially sponsored. “There were no endorsement deals,” he said. “But I’m not against them.”

The pastor ended his prayer by quoting NASCAR Hall of Famer and Tennessean Darrell Waltrip: “In Jesus’ name, boogity, boogity, boogity, amen.”

“It means ‘Go get after it, boys,” Nelms told CNN. “It’s Southern for ‘Get to it.’”

Reaction to the prayer has been mixed. From the twitterverse:

@ChrisElrod: I don’t (get) what the rub is with this …I thank God for MY smokin’ hot wife every day.

@brandonreagor: Pretty sure this is not how you approach the God of the Universe: NASCAR Pastor’s Head-Turning Prayer

@MorgannSpicer: Okay, so that was a powerful prayer. Wow. Never heard a man say a thank you for his “smokin’ hot wife” LMAO

“We should definitely pray for the safety of our soldiers and public officials,” Nelms told The Christian Post, explaining his prayer. “But nobody seems very interested in it. We wanted to do something to get their attention.”