Singer's upcoming performance controversial

Winnipeg Free Press

14 hours ago

As of this writing, Sean Feucht — the controversial right-wing and pro-Trump evangelical Christian worship leader — is still slated to perform in Winnipeg on Aug. 20.
Originally, he was scheduled to play and preach in Central Park. But the city refused to issue him a permit after determining it was not feasible due to the large number of people (2,000) Feucht claimed would be there.
In denying him a permit, Winnipeg joined other cities across Canada that either refused him a permit or cancelled previously-issued permissions to play in public parks and other settings due to his anti-COCID lockdown, anti-Black Lives Matter and anti-LGBTTQ+ rhetoric.
Jose Luis Magana / The Associated Press files
Christian musician Sean Feucht sings during a rally at the National Mall in Washington, Oct. 25, 2020.
In those other locations, Feucht found private places to play and preach — which is his right, just as people in this country have a right to invite him to perform. He might do the same in Winnipeg, too.
While his visit has prompted a lot of media attention, this is not the first time the controversial singer has been to Canada. He sang and preached in Edmonton in 2022 and Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa in 2023. But his presence back then didn't generate much in the way of media attention.
There are a number of worrisome aspects to Feucht's visit, including how some might be tempted to lump Canadian evangelicals together with his brand of evangelical Christianity. In fact, he is quite unlike the majority of evangelical Christians in this country.
Although it's true that most Canadian evangelicals lean towards the Conservative Party, many others vote Liberal and NDP. They are not at all like their co-religionists in the U.S., where about 80 per cent of evangelicals voted for Donald Trump.
In fact, I suspect most Canadian evangelicals would be very uncomfortable with Feucht's in-your-face style. That's not how the vast majority would conduct themselves in public.
It's also worth noting that, as far I can tell, Feucht was not invited to Canada by any Canadian group. He says he was 'sent' to Canada to bring his message, although he doesn't say who sent him. He seems to have decided to come here all on his own.
Before deciding to come, it might have helped if Feucht had done some homework about Canada. If he had, he would have discovered that Canada's culture and context is not at all like the U.S. While his Fox News style views may be acceptable to many in the U.S., they are not welcome by most people here — just like Trump's talk of Canada being the 51st state is off-putting to the vast majority of Canadians.
What Feucht also gets wrong is assuming what's true for him as a Christian in the U.S. must be true all over the world. It's the worst kind of American hubris, the kind that drives the rest of us crazy.
If he had done a bit of research, Feucht would realize his not being persecuted for his faith or beliefs. It's because of how he shares them. That's not how Canadians like to talk to each other over difficult and challenging subjects.
For proof, consider that many religious groups are also opposed to abortion and have views on LGBTTQ+ that are different from the majority of Canadians. But nobody calls for their services to be cancelled or prevents them from holding public rallies, even though they might attract protestors.
And why is that? It's because unlike Feucht, most religious groups in Canada that hold positions contrary to public opinion are respectful in sharing their views (even if a few on the fringe might be shrill in trying to force those minority views on others).
So where does this leave us? First, the uproar over Feucht should remind Canadian religious groups about the importance of respectful dialogue and active listening when it comes to difficult and controversial issues. Everyone has a right to our opinions, as long as they don't venture into the area of hate, but we also have an obligation to hear each other and find ways to live together peacefully in this land.
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Second, Feucht may believe he is coming to bring 'revival' to Canada, but the opposite will likely happen. Sure, there may be a few Christians who like what he says. But research consistently shows that one of the main reasons people leave Christianity is due to the harsh, judgemental, anti-LGBTTQ+ and pro-Trump positions taken by many evangelical Christians in the U.S. — the same ones that Feucht touts and represents.
His coming, in other words, may cause more people to decide against Christianity than to be interested in it.
But maybe Feucht's coming to Canada will end up being a gift to Christians in this country, in a backwards sort of way by causing them to reflect on the best ways to show faith to others. Is it to be loud and brash, or is it best to quietly be of service in their communities? I think most will choose the latter.
And his visit could prompt Christians in Canada to ask if Feucht doesn't represent what faith looks like to them, then what does a Canadian version of Christianity looks like? If that happens, then maybe his visit, and all the negative media attention it produced, will be worth it.
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John LonghurstFaith reporter
John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.
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