Jeffress is no stranger to controversy. He has said in the past that former President Barack Obama paved the way for the antichrist and drew wide attention for calling Mormonism a cult during the 2012 Republican primaries. Jeffress knows his comments on North Korea could be considered controversial, even among fellow evangelicals. His megachurch in Dallas is a prominent Southern Baptist church, one where famed evangelist Billy Graham had membership for many years. In 2016, the church reported an average weekly attendance of about 3,700.