No Place for Hate
Coronado residents stand strong against prejudice and hate coming to their community...
Scores of Coronado residents turned out at the Hotel del Coronado on Sunday, January 28, to protest a "preview service” staged by Awaken of San Diego.
Awaken’s leader, Jurgen Matthesius, has vowed to “take territory” in Coronado and run people out of town, demonizing those who stand in his way.
During his speech at the Coronado event, which was mostly attended by Awaken followers from across the bridge, Matthesius included these messages:
“For those of you who don’t know, Coronado means the crown, or crowning, a coronation… And we’re taking the crown away.”
Referring to a biblical verse about a prophet being anointed to save a community from the Philistines, he added, “The culture, the climate, the spiritual condition over the city was faithless … Wherever faith drops, perversion increases.” Coronado News
“This is such a wonderful confirmation that HOLY is coming to bring heaven’s freedom to the beautiful people of Coronado,” Matthesius wrote on Instagram, “and the UNHOLY tormented, destructive, unclean spirits are manifesting! It’s time for Coronado’s deliverance!” Coronado Times
And Then There Are the “Miracles”
Matthesius has a history of making fantastical claims about his ability to perform miracles, including stopping the tanks during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre by chanting in mock-Asian tongues from 1,000 miles away and healing an infant dying of cancer with a laying on of his hands.
More such miracles were mentioned at the Hotel del Coronado event, where Katy Yeager, who has been leading the efforts to secure an Awaken foothold in Coronado, suggested their “amens” stopped a suicide on the Coronado Bridge.
Ironically, as protesters were denouncing the hatred of Awaken toward the LGBTQ+ community, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky as if to make the point that anyone can claim divine affirmation for what are simply random events.
The Dark Side…
On social media, Matthesius shares an endless stream of hate, grievance, conspiracy theories, and disinformation, including calls for torture and public executions.
It’s hate and prejudice such as this that triggered the protest at the Hotel del Coronado.
Here’s My Take…
Awaken is not coming to Coronado to serve the community. It’s coming in hopes of imposing its agenda, which includes seeking control of school and library boards while supporting national groups that favor overthrowing democracy in favor of a rigid, authoritarian autocracy.
Threatening that you will take the crown away from the Crown City of Coronado, calling those who see through you perverted, unholy, and unclean, while claiming that God has sent you here to take over, is preposterous, self-aggrandizing, delusional, and absurd.
It’s also antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who urged us to love our neighbors, not condemn them, control them, or try to take their territory as yours.
Coronado, thank you for speaking out and please stay awake as we do everything possible to protect our community.
Of Note: A new documentary on the radical movement that Awaken is part of, and its threat to our democracy, is being released this month.
Resources
It’s No Big Deal, We Just Want to Take Over the World
Awaken Pastor Vows to Drive Coronado Residents Out of Town
What is Christian Nationalism and Why it Raises Concerns About Threats to Democracy, PBS