{"id":13463,"date":"2025-07-25T09:56:37","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T13:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=13463"},"modified":"2025-07-25T09:56:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T13:56:37","slug":"evangelist-shares-powerful-gospel-encounters-at-pagan-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2025\/07\/evangelist-shares-powerful-gospel-encounters-at-pagan-convention.html","title":{"rendered":"Evangelist Shares Powerful Gospel Encounters at Pagan Convention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Adobe Stock | Inset: Jenn Nizza \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When most Christians think of evangelism, they probably don’t picture walking into a pagan spirituality convention filled with witches, Druids, and self-professed satanists. But for apologist Don Veinot, that’s exactly where God has called him to shine the light of Christ.<\/p>\n

In a recent episode<\/a> of Ex Psychic Saved<\/em>, hosted by former medium-turned-Christian Jenn Nizza, Veinot, president of Midwest Christian Outreach<\/a>, shared his experiences ministering at Paganicon \u2014 an annual gathering for pagans, Wiccans, New Agers, and spiritual seekers in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

“We’re going to their house,” Veinot explained. “We’re a guest in their environment. Which means we have to be respectful.”<\/p>\n

That respect, paired with humble persistence and Gospel-centered truth, has led to some remarkable conversations \u2014 and even a few life-changing encounters. Veinot shared how a former satanist once confessed to casting spells against him during a previous Paganicon. Years later, the man returned \u2014 not to curse, but to confess.<\/p>\n

“He comes running over and he goes, ‘Are you OK?'” Veinot recalled. “He said, ‘I was so angry at you, I cast spells on you. But I needed to tell you \u2014 I have become a Christian. You impacted me just by your demeanor.”<\/p>\n

For Veinot, it confirmed a simple truth: “You can’t beat people into the Kingdom.”<\/p>\n

Raised by an atheist father and a spiritually curious mother who dabbled in astrology, Veinot came to Christ through books his wife recommended. “I thought, I’ll go with the guy who raised Himself from the dead instead of the guy who just thinks he knows stuff,” he joked.<\/p>\n

That journey launched a ministry first focused on reaching Jehovah’s Witnesses, but it soon extended to New Age and pagan communities, where Don and his wife Joy now focus much of their outreach.<\/p>\n

“You need to grow in your faith,” he said. “Because there literally is a cult or religion out there for you.”<\/p>\n

Veinot and Nizza discussed the rise of neo-paganism and the “divine feminine” in pop culture. “We are in the age of re-enchantment,” he said, warning that the decline of Christianity in the West has been accompanied not by atheism, but by a revival of spiritualism and pagan ideologies.<\/p>\n

Despite that shift, Veinot stressed the importance of compassion and understanding. He noted that about 80% of Paganicon attendees have a Christian background \u2014 often from highly legalistic churches that failed to answer their spiritual questions.<\/p>\n

“They weren’t really getting the answers \u2026 and they were put down for even asking them,” he said.<\/p>\n

The outreach team relies on respectful dialogue, often beginning with questions that open the door for deeper spiritual conversations. “People like questions. They don’t feel attacked,” Veinot said.<\/p>\n

While not every encounter leads to a conversion, seeds are planted \u2014 and testimonies do emerge.<\/p>\n

“Yes, we have seen lives changed,” Veinot confirmed. “Sometimes it’s years later. But they come back and say, ‘You made a difference.'”<\/p>\n

For believers wondering how to engage with such a different and often intimidating culture, Veinot’s message is simple: Prepare, be kind, and let the love of Christ speak louder than debate.<\/p>\n

“These are people that are lost,” Nizza reminded. “People as we once were.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When most Christians think of evangelism, they probably don’t picture walking into a pagan spirituality convention filled with witches, Druids, and self-professed satanists. But for apologist Don Veinot, that’s exactly where God has called him to shine the light of Christ. In a recent episode of Ex Psychic Saved, hosted by former medium-turned-Christian Jenn Nizza,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":13466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nEvangelist Shares Powerful Gospel Encounters at Pagan Convention<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christian apologist Don Veinot brings the Gospel to pagan conventions\u2014proving that love, respect, and truth can shine in the darkest places.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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