Self-proclaimed evangelist and Christian fundamentalist Lincoln Russ has made a habit of yelling his god’s word in the streets of Aotearoa. On Christmas Eve, Russ took on Cuba St to tell Wellingtonians to repent. He brought a mic and a portable speaker and yelled at innocent Wellingtonians with his preaching. He claimed to preach the word of God.
Russ claims “God has withdrawn his hands from this nation” because of the “disgusting stuff” in this country. The “disgusting stuff” in this country just happens to be people going about their lives, like being gay, a woman prime minister, people accessing abortions or sex workers doing their job.
Russ repeatedly yelled that it is a “curse for a woman to rule over a nation”. It has been a blessing that Jacinda Ardern has led Aotearoa in recent times. Ardern, although not my ideal prime minister, has done an excellent job keeping our country together through a terrorist attack and a global pandemic. Russ blamed Ardern for allowing other “disgusting stuff” like same-sex marriage, something that was legislated long before Ardern’s leadership.
Russ claimed that “homosexuality is a sign of the end times”. The only issue is that homosexuality has existed longer than Christianity in Aotearoa. Using Russ’ logic, the end of times began before the missionaries launched his god in Aotearoa. Common sense aside, Russ says “God sent down fire on two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah”, because of the things parliamentarians “now allow to take place in this land”.
Russ believes that if people “keep living a homosexual lifestyle, God will continue to curse this nation”. “We rebuke the spirit of homosexuality that is manifesting itself right now in Jesus’ name,” Russ told a man protesting his preaching. He argues that marriage is only between a man and a woman, despite the laws saying marriage is between two consenting adults irrespective of gender.
