The “Shea” mentioned here is the most foul Christofascist the PNW has to offer. The Spokane mayor, Woodward, is in tight with him (and Republican C. McMorris-Rodgers, and of course Trump) though being a little more discreet these days after catching general hell for attending one of his wingnut moneymaking events.

Ginny Applington’s testimony Monday night would have felt at home spoken in front of any number of evangelical congregations. “In the body of Christ,” she said, “we pray for all of our leaders. We pray for all of humanity. We pray against biblical sin and repent for our own.”

But Applington wasn’t at church. She was speaking in front of the Spokane City Council, and quickly into her 2-minute turn during open comments, those comments grew ominous.

“Darkness is about to fall,” said Applington. “God is taking back Spokane and He is taking back all the nations. … God is raising up the church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against Him.”

Applington was one of at least eight people who spoke during the council’s open comment period to protest a proposed resolution to censure Mayor Nadine Woodward for her appearance at a Christian nationalist concert, where she accepted a prayer from the fiery local pastor Matt Shea.

Not everyone who spoke Monday night identified as a Christian, but those who opposed the censure resolution echoed similar sentiments, believing the proposed censure – which the council has discussed in committee but has not voted on – wasn’t just about Woodward. It was a step down a slippery slope toward the widespread persecution of the Christian faithful.

“If the city council wants to stop her from doing that, do they want to silence all Christians?” Rebecca Murakami told RANGE just before the meeting. “What is the plan behind that? One thing leads to the next.” Murakami is a member of On Fire Ministries, the church far-right former legislator Matt Shea, who prayed for Woodward at the concert, founded in 2021. Applington is as well.