The lead singer of the band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Ronnie Winter, had to quickly backtrack after triggering a backlash by banning people from his shows over their political beliefs.
It came just days after telling Christian supporters of President Donald Trump they were “not invited” to his shows.
Winter said Trump supporters would need to get refunds for tickets because they are “not allowed” to attend his shows.
On June 14, Winter posted a video that said:
“If you’re a Christian and you’re watching this and you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you.
“You are not allowed to come to my shows.
“I don’t want you there.
“Don’t come to my shows.
“It’s awesome that you love [2006 hit] ‘Face Down,’ but it’s not for you. It’s not your song.”
He went on: “If you voted for Donald Trump, do not come to my shows ever.
“Don’t come to my shows because you’re going to hear a lot of woke propaganda, and you’re gonna hear the actual words of Jesus, you’re gonna hear a lot of acceptance from all areas of life and races, and you’re gonna see a lot of harmony.
“That’s not what you’re about, ‘kay, don’t come. Refunds available.”
“Forever don’t come,” he concluded.
Just two days later, however, he was singing a different tune.
He posted,
“God’s invitation of love into its heavenly kingdom is open to everyone.
“Let’s stop trying to manipulate the Heavenly Father’s invitation.
“For a second didn’t it feel weird to not be invited to our events? Let it sink in guys.
“Obviously, everyone is invited to our events, but leave the dividing topics out.”
According to the Daily Mail, Winter received “an onslaught” of abuse and even death threats over his attacks against Trump supporters.
The backlash was so severe that he was even forced to reschedule some tour dates.
Winters’s online declaration obviously showed him that far more of his fans support Trump than he might have thought, at least those fans who still want to be fans after his harsh comments to them.
Was it worth losing a significant percentage of Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’s fan base (which has already shrunk since almost 20 years ago when they actually had hits) just to hate on Trump?
Seems like Winters decided that it wasn’t.
And is hating on Trump really a Christian thing to do, no matter how much you think he is antithetical to Christian values?
Would Jesus hate Trump? No.
Seems like Winters has been forced to rethink whether hating your president is consistent with “actually” following Jesus, as he claimed he does.
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