A black pastor is defending a sign outside his Alabama church that asserts voting for President Trump is a mental illness or "pure racism."

Michael Jordan, pastor of New Era Baptist Church outside of Birmingham, placed a sign outside his sanctuary that on one side says "A black vote for Trump is mental illness" and "A white vote for Trump is pure racism" on the other side.

"God motivates me to take a stand for what's right," Jordan said. "Read the Bible. And look in the White House. If they're calling me a racist, look in the White House."

Some locals are pushing back against Jordan's sign, saying that a church is not a place to engage in political attacks.

"You should not come into a building and feel like you are hated … just because you came here to worship the Lord," Daxton Kirk said.

Jordan's church has posted controversial messages before. Last year, Jordan put up a sign that Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said contained "a spirit of racism."

"Black folks need to stay out of white churches," the sign said on one side. "White folks refused to be our neighbors," the other side said.

"There is a spirit of racism and division that is over this city. It must be brought down. We have to change the conversation to what we need it to evolve into," Woodfin said in a social media post calling for the sign's removal.