‘ReAwaken America’ tour stops in Post Falls, local religious leaders speak out

“COVID is treatable, the vaccine is evil, and they need Jesus,” said Stella Immanuel, one of the tour speakers.

The event has also caught the attention of local faith-based leaders in the Inland Northwest. On Friday, some of those leaders held their own event to speak against what they call “Christian nationalism.”

“When we heard that Reawaken America was coming to Post Falls, a lot of us started talking about the challenges that were presented to us as members of the Christian faith and as citizens of the United States,” said Rev. Gretchen Rehberg, a bishop at the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.

The political tour has conservative, Christian speakers who say they are educating attendees about problems they see happening in our country.

“[To] educate people on what’s happening in the country today, it’s to be unapologetic about who we are as a faith-based nation. What we believe in sort of the spiritual and intellectual war that we’re involved in, this is a great opportunity for us to come around and meet people and talk to people,” said Michael T. Flynn, one of the tour organizers.

Sister Pat Millen disputed their claims of being a “faith-based nation.”

“I know there is an emphasis that we should be looking at: we should be one religion, under one nation. and I don’t agree with that,” she said.

Speakers at this rally spoke about rejecting the Covid-19 vaccine, said the last election was a fraud, and also had Christian speakers throughout. But Rehberg says this does not reflect the type of Christianity she follows.

“I would urge anyone who thinks that Christian nationalism is Christianity to go back and read the gospels. Read the words of Jesus himself because the words used by Christian nationalists are words of demonization, division, of violence, of separation. They are not words that Jesus would use,” Rehberg said.

Tour organizers said they didn’t feel impacted by local religious leaders holding an event in response.

“They’re welcome here, I want them to come here and participate if people want to protest that’s fine, but it doesn’t impact what we do,” Flynn said.

The tour will continue through Saturday, the group gathered in opposition is encouraging people to hold a vigil and to pray for others at the rally.

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