Organizer defends controversial Sedra appearance in Garching

David Rotärmel, board member of the association ‘Reviving The World’, has defended the decision to host Australian preachers Martin and Millicent Sedra in Garching, near Munich. This follows the couple being uninvited from the ‘Holy Spirit Night’ youth festival in Stuttgart due to concerns regarding their rhetoric toward homosexuals, Muslims, and dissenters.

Rotärmel addressed criticisms by stating that a sermon can be passionate, direct, and challenging without being inherently aggressive or unloving. He noted that he specifically invited the Sedras to Garching to provide a platform for their message after the Stuttgart cancellation. Rotärmel emphasized that the Sedras represent biblical truths directly and that ‘fearlessness on the pulpit’ is a necessary quality in modern preaching, though he added that it remains important to treat all people with dignity.