The Devil has a Foothold in Bonner County
by Shari Dovale
Commissioner Steve Bradshaw is pastor/owner of the Cocolalla Cowboy Church. He is known for spending more time on politics than on the Bible in his sermons. Much of that is local politics.
Mentioning politics is not all bad in churches, as history records. However, most preachers don’t go much beyond letting people know there is an important vote coming up and reminding the parishioners to be diligent in their research.
During the last election cycle, Bradshaw spent multiple “sermons” telling his congregants how to vote, why particular candidates were bad, and who were the best candidates. This was all his opinion, of course, as he was proven wrong on countless occasions. Yet as the leader of a church he is looked up to and expected to know what he is talking about. Therefore, his congregants are likely to take his word for it and vote like he solicits.
Some have called this electioneering.
However, Bradshaw takes this diatribe to new levels. He brings his opinions and hyperbole to county meetings where he sits as a Commissioner of Bonner County.
He has yelled at his colleagues, as well as his constituents, and showed his contempt with insults, swearing and blame.
Most recently, Bradshaw gave a sermon at the Cocolalla Cowboy Church that included the following (transcript below):
I’m going to give you an idea of what spiritual warfare looks like.
On January 9th, we swore in three new commissioners – two new commissioners.
We went back upstairs. One of them came into the room, turned their back to the rest of us and said there’s a demon in this building.
That was not a statement. That was an announcement of an arrival.
That was not the person who spoke but the demon that is on or within that person. And that county building has been hell for seven months now because of it.
Bradshaw could have been talking about one of two commissioners that were sworn in on January 9th, either Asia Williams or Luke Omodt.
I have information that Bradshaw actually apologized to Commissioner Williams through email and said, “Please forgive me and let’s proceed forward.” It would seem that he is trying to overcome his hateful rhetoric and has come to terms with his female colleague.
To be on the safe side, I asked Commissioner Williams if she ever said, or heard anyone else say, “There’s a demon in this building.” She assured me that she never heard anyone speak it, nor has she ever said it. I did try to ask Commissioner Omodt the same question, but he refused to allow me to do so, and he walked away with no other response.
This leaves just one reasonable response as to who Bradshaw was referring, that would be Luke Omodt.
It is curious that Omodt would announce his presence as a demon, or at least Bradshaw thought so. I wonder how Omodt feels about being the subject of one of Bradshaw’s political sermons? I wonder how he feels about being labeled a “demon”?
Either way, I also wonder how the congregants at Cocolalla Cowboy Church feel to have their lead Pastor going around calling his political opponents demons? They have put up with his disrespect. They have put up with Bradshaw opening them up to liability with their hosting of his potentially defaming trash-talk.
To continue to tolerate it would seem they value Bradshaw’s word over the Bible. I wonder how they feel about that? After all, the Bible says in Ephesians 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
More important, I wonder how they would feel if Omodt decided to hold them accountable for their Pastor’s words? After all, didn’t Bradshaw call him a demon?
One of Bradshaw’s favorite Bible verses is Romans 2:6: God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done’. I hope Bradshaw begins to see the irony of his repeated sermonizing on this verse.
