Christian singer unapologetic about accepting White House invitation to perform at tree lighting ceremony

Christian artist Matthew West will be performing at this year's national tree lighting ceremony

The 41-year-old "Do Something" singer is expected to be the only Christian music artist to perform at the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony Wednesday night. He said he was invited after traveling to Washington, D.C. several times for various events such as performing at the National Prayer Breakfast.

During a recent interview with Faithwire, West admitted that he's received backlash from a few of his followers on social media for taking past invitations to perform at White House events and "aligning" with President Donald Trump. For the Christian singer, however, he sees each invitation as an opportunity to spread hope.

"I don't care, regardless of which president is in office, if I'm invited to be a part of an event at the White House, that holds a special place in history and my family would be honored to be a part of any event we're invited to," he said.

"People read into it what they want. For me, I just unapologetically accepted the invitation to sing at the Christmas Tree lighting. I'm excited to be a part of it," he added, explaining that he's "thankful for the open door."

"That's a chance for me to have a voice and impact people on a greater level," West continued.

Although he's expected to be the only faith-based singer on the bill, West said he was asked to perform a non-religious song, "Run, Run Rudolph" at the holiday festival. "I was really curious which songs they would ask me to perform, and sure enough, I was asked to perform the deeply spiritual 'Run, Run Rudolph," West joked. "Of course, I said I'll sing whatever you want me to sing."

"Excited to tell you guys that I'll be performing at the 96th annual @TheNationalTree Lighting at @PresParkNPS on November 28th! Tune in to @ovationtv & @reelzchannel on Dec. 2 to catch my performance. Honored to have this opportunity & be part of this holiday tradition," he tweeted.

Courtesy of The Christian Post

News
Faith leaders in Wales unite against assisted suicide
Faith leaders in Wales unite against assisted suicide

Faith leaders in Wales have united to express the opposition to the legalisation of assisted suicide, and have urged the Senedd to vote against implementing it in the country.

New Catholic head says lessons must be learned from abuse failings
New Catholic head says lessons must be learned from abuse failings

The newly installed Archbishop of Westminster has said the Church must learn from victims of sexual abuse.

Young adults abandon marriage as pensioners overtake under-25s - report
Young adults abandon marriage as pensioners overtake under-25s - report

The institution of marriage has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five decades - particularly among young adults.