Concord Promoting Controversial Hillsong and Bethel Concert

City of Concord CA@CA_Concord: The iconic Spirit West Coast is coming to the @ConcordPavilion on June 12....
[https://twitter.com/CA_Concord/status/1491876266781261825?cxt=HHwWgoCqpe7jmrQpAAAA]

Hillsong and Bethel will be at Concord Pavilion this summer for their collaborative 'Spirit West Coast' event. The Pavilion itself is city owned property, with LiveNation contracted to manage any given concert season. There is oversight and input through the city's Pavilion Community Outreach Committee. There are only 11 slots for concerts in the 2022 season, and one of those slots was allotted to a concert organized by the controversial organizations Hillsong and Bethel.

Hillsong originates in Australia, where the leadership has violated Australian tax law. As a church, the organization is tax-exempt, but the leadership in their own private lives had been avoiding paying their taxes. There are many Hillsong franchises in various countries, and the organization has been called a corporation disguised as a church. Hillsong has also been compared to Scientology, due to abusive and cult-like behavior being used to drive what is essentially a pyramid scheme. At its core, Hillsong preaches prosperity gospel, asking members to keep giving (beyond what is a reasonable Christian tithe) while the leadership grows richer.

Hillsong has a history of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community. There have been repeated incidents of Hillsong members being denied leadership positions due to their status. There have been repeated allegations of racial bias when choosing leadership roles as well.

Bethel is headquartered in Redding, California. Their church was the vector for multiple mass Covid outbreaks in Shasta County. According to Shasta County Supervisor Leonard Moty, Bethel's leadership and congregation "don’t really care" about the pandemic guidelines and health recommendations. The church is politically aligned with the far-right. The have preached that Donald Trump was chosen by God, and fear-monger about socialism in their sermons. Members of the leadership and congregation have supported far-right rallies such as the 'ReAwaken America tour'. They have political allies in people like Roger Stone and Michael Flynn. Despite their fear of socialism, and despite their insistence that Covid isn't a concern, Bethel had no trouble taking $1.7million in Covid relief from the government.

Similar to Hillsong, Bethel is a organization based on prosperity gospel teachings. They push their membership to keep giving more than a reasonable tithe. They also merchandise, selling music, t-shirts, books, DVDs, etc. In 2018, it was reported that Bethel made $60million in that year alone.

Bethel promotes conversion therapy. They operate a program called Changed, which pressures LGBTQ+ people to leave their sexual or gender identity. They tell vulnerable LGBTQ+ people that if they don't go through conversion they will live a life of suffering. Bethel unsuccessfully lobbied against anti-conversion therapy bills here in California. In 2018, Bethel told their membership to contact state legislature in support of conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is not backed by science, is considered dangerous and people who are exposed to these types of programs are more likely to commit suicide.

Bethel has changed Redding both socially and politically. Redding had already been conservative leaning, but Bethel has taken than community further into the extreme-right. Through their sermons and financial power, they directly influence who is on Redding city council, and the organization holds major influence over the Chamber of Commerce. Long time residents of Redding have shared in various news reports and social media posts that the city is not what it used to be before the the church's influence took over the city. The situation in Redding has been described as a cult taking over the city.

The city of Concord has used its Twitter and Facebook accounts to promote the Hillsong/Bethel concert at a venue which the city owns. The city's official statement calls the concert "iconic", and encourages residents to buy tickets. Conversely, the same official city social media accounts haven't been used to bring attention to the Tears for Fears concert at the Pavilion which takes places a month and a half prior to the 'Spirit West Coast' event.

The city of Concord has a history of uneasiness with the LGBTQ+ community. In 1989, the city of Concord codified discrimination against AIDS sufferers. In 1991, Concord's Measure M was drafted to allow job and housing discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. To this day, the city of Concord maintains their official slogan as "Family Comes First" - a relic of this time of moral panic when Concord was known as a 'hotbed of homophobia' and the community leadership was actively political organizing against LGBTQ+ people. For LGBTQ+ people, Concord is still a place to tread carefully and quietly. Todos Santos Plaza, in the heart of the city, is a hotbed of evangelism. Bethel likely sees Concord as a place where it can gain membership, and perhaps shape discourse.

With only 11 slots available in the 2022 concert season at the Concord Pavilion, the city of Concord and LiveNation could have chosen anything for the date of June 12. There was a deliberate decision made to put 'Spirit West Coast' on the calendar.