Spokane mayor condemned over prayer event with Christian Nationalist and domestic terrorist
Mayor Nadine Woodward is belatedly trying to distance herself from the Christian event
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It wouldn’t normally be news that a mayor attended a Christian event and was prayed over in front of the crowd. But it’s worth mentioning when one of the Christians on stage is a domestic terrorist who once called for the death penalty for men who didn’t bow down to his God.
On Sunday, Christian Nationalist and COVID super-spreader Sean Feucht staged a worship event in Spokane, Washington that was attended by Mayor Nadine Woodward, city council candidate Jessica Yaeger, and failed candidate Natalie Poulson. All three women received prayers on stage from Feucht and former state lawmaker Matt Shea.
“We’ve got an enemy we need to fight. His name is Satan,” Shea proclaimed. “Father God, we pray a blessing over the leaders you have chosen for this time. … Give them courage, your courage, to stand on the foundation—the rock of Jesus Christ. Give them, right now Lord, unwavering ability to speak the truth into the darkness, and no matter what anybody says around them, they will glorify, honor, and praise you in every single thing they do.”
“I’ve had the privilege to pray over many mayors and many governors and even the president,” Feucht then declared. “But not every city in the world has a prophetic history like Spokane. … I pray God that you would give this mayor and her family and her team and the pastors in this region, God, that you give them revelatory wisdom and insight on how to steward what you want to do in this region.”
Right Wing Watch points out that Feucht and Shea have a working relationship. Earlier this year, Feucht accepted an award from Shea on behalf of his On Fire Ministries. Sunday’s event was a reunion of sorts.
But anytime Shea brings up religion, it’s worth mentioning why he’s no longer a politician.
In 2018, after nearly a decade in office, the Spokesman-Review published a four-page document in which Shea discussed the “Biblical Basis for War.” One section listed a penalty for men guilty of breaking “biblical law”: “If they do not yield — kill all males.”
Shea quickly insisted the line was being taken out of context. Somehow. Still, the document led to him losing his role as chair of the state’s Republican caucus. In 2019, he was exposed for being part of a chat room in which he and his buddies discussed violently attacking their political enemies. He was also found to be part of a group that planned and participated in acts of domestic terrorism. He also proposed the creation of a 51st state just for Christians. And he was fined nearly $4,700 for dumping oil at the State Capitol, effectively vandalizing historic masonry, because he didn’t like how The Satanic Temple was protesting outside. Oh, and he’s a fan of white nationalists.
Republicans pushed for Shea to resign, but he never did. Instead, in mid-2020, he simply chose not to run for re-election. Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall that he would’ve been voted out and decided to quit instead.
And now, like clockwork, he’s running a ministry and wrapping himself in even more Jesus so he can keep pretending he’s a martyr for the cause.
That’s the guy that the current mayor of Spokane decided to cozy up to on stage.
Hours after the event, facing immediate criticism, Mayor Woodward claimed the event had been “politicized” in a statement that deflected from her own actions. (This portion of her statement was buried underneath a larger statement about wildfires.)
… I am deeply disturbed that Matt Shea chose to politicize a gathering of thousands of citizens who joined together yesterday to pray for fire victims and first responders. I attended the event with one purpose only and that was to join with fellow citizens to begin the healing process.
Shea didn’t politicize the event. The event, like everything Feucht does, was political. It was a celebration of Christian Nationalism, and the mayor was all too happy to join in. How could you possibly go to any event with either of those two guys, then act surprised when they both do they very thing they’re famous for? The Leopards Eating People's Faces Party only has one item on the agenda.
A second statement came out hours later:
“I did not seek, nor do I accept any support from Matt Shea. I am opposed to his political views as they are a threat to our democracy, and I regret my public appearance with him. I was invited to share in prayer with several thousand citizens out of heartfelt concern for fire victims, first responders and our whole community. I was not aware that he would be at the event last night and it only became apparent as I was walking on stage that he would be leading the prayer. I should have made better efforts to learn who would be speaking at the event.
There will be plenty of time to discuss political positions during the rest of this campaign. Now, as our region is hurting and our focus is on friends, neighbors, loved ones and the response effort, is not the time. All day yesterday not one fire victim or first responder asked me about my political views. But they did ask us to pray for them.”
If she saw him on stage, why didn’t she have the courage to condemn him there? Why not just leave? How do you show up to an event hosted by Shea’s ministry and not realize he might be there? Was she okay with Sean Feucht being there?!
Just so many idiotic decisions that any politician of a big city could have avoided with an ounce of common sense. Furthermore, for someone deeply concerned about wildfires, the last thing that’s going to help the people in her community is a prayer rally. If she wanted to thank first responders, she can have visited a fire department. She chose not to.
You know who else is criticizing her response?
Matt Shea, who says Woodward knew exactly what she was doing.
This is an annual event planned months ago to worship Jesus. https://letusworship.us It wasn't for "fire victims." She was invited and she accepted BEFORE the fires started on Friday. However, we of course wanted to pray last night for all those who have lost everything and be there for them and also pray for our leaders. Praying for leaders, especially during a crisis, isn't political it is Biblical. She is the one that politicized what everyone knows was a worship event. We are praying for Nadine.
I don’t say this often, but the Christian terrorist is correct.
And Woodward is lying. Which could be a problem since she’s currently running for re-election.
Ben Stuckart, the former Spokane City Council President who lost the 2019 mayoral race against Woodward, rightly pounced on her flimsy excuse:
“It’s just so disgusting,” Stuckart said. “If a Christian white nationalist asks you to stand up on stage and be prayed for, you say … ‘No,’ and you leave the room the moment you figure out that person is there.”
“You don’t go to white Christian nationalist events, put on by Christian nationalists and not expect the Christian nationalists to be there,” he said.
Stuckart called on Woodward to resign, saying she had irreparably damaged her legitimacy and sent a dangerous message to vulnerable and marginalized residents.
Woodward’s current opponent Lisa Brown didn’t call on her to resign, but she shared in the condemnation, saying Woodward “should be disavowing Matt Shea, an anti-woman anti-LGBTQ extremist, associated w political violence.”
If you don’t have the courage to denounce white Christian Nationalism and two of the harmful movement’s leading proponents, then you have no business running a big city. The best-case situation for Woodward is that she prioritized public prayer over the people praying alongside her, but even that decision would be utterly pointless during an emergency. A better leader would’ve left the God-talk to everyone else while she took action.
Instead, Woodward chose to pray with people who have spent their careers physical hurting or threatening the people around them. That’s where Jesus led her.
There is no horror that cannot be, and has not been, justified in the name of religion. Few things disgust me more than politicians on a moral crusade. Nothing good ever comes of it. It is NEVER the job of our secular government, at any level, to backstop anyone's religion.
Kill all males who don't submit to your god?
Tell you what, let's try this on for size: Kill all Christian males. How's that taste, eh?