An evangelist and social media influencer claims she was subject to “spiritual warfare” having been kicked off a plane for a short preach to her fellow passengers, made during a delay to take-off.
Whitney Lynn was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight, travelling from Orlando International to San Diego on Thursday, being told she made the crew feel unsafe.
In a video posted to Instagram, Lynn stands up to get the attention of those around her: “I know we’re all waiting. It’s kind of frustrating, right?”
“But I want to tell you that God’s timing is perfect and God knows everything. And maybe he’s sparing us from danger today. So I want you to rest and know that Jesus Christ loves you so much that he died on the cross for your sins.”
Lynn went on to share a gospel message, finishing by saying “I pray protection over this flight in the name of Jesus.”
In another video, a member of airline staff tells Lynn to take her baggage out of the overhead lockers and then escorts her off the plane. He tells her that the crew don’t “feel safe” with her as a passenger.
She responds: “Oh my gosh. I didn’t know the message of Jesus Christ was unsafe. Wow, do I have any guns or anything like that? No, I don’t. So freedom of speech is not safe? If I said something else, would that be okay?”
“I’ll tell you what this is, it’s called spiritual warfare. Do you know why? Demons don’t like the name of Jesus … It’s the last days, you can’t talk about Jesus any more.”
In a statement, Alaska Airlines said: “our flight crew became increasingly concerned about a guest’s behavior on board the aircraft, which was also affecting other guests. The passenger was asked to deplane the aircraft for safety reasons. For the foreseeable future, the guest will not be permitted to travel on our flights.”
Social media comments were divided over Lynn’s actions. Some encouraged her to keep preaching, with one user stating that “instead of appreciating this people are bothered by it. What a sad world we live in.”
Others were more critical: “a commercial flight isn’t your church, your pulpit, or your personal ministry stage. Nobody paid for a ticket to be trapped in your sermon for the duration of the flight.”
One flight attendant commented: “I don’t doubt that your intentions were kind and that you genuinely wanted to comfort people. But on an airplane, it’s important to recognize that not everyone shares the same beliefs, and some people may feel uncomfortable when they’re approached with religious messages in a confined space where they can’t simply walk away.”
Lynn believes that the airport experience was still full of “divine appointments”, having prayed for a shuttle bus driver and hotel employee. She also shared videos of her blessing pilots and the police officers who met her after she was removed.