John Hinerman says his Christian group was kicked out of Burning Man after converting hundreds of attendees to Christianity.
Hinerman, who leads the ministry Shift the Atmosphere, posted on Instagram Wednesday that festival organizers gave his camp just three hours to pack up and leave Black Rock, Nevada, despite what he described as a week-long setup process. The ejection came days into the 10-day festival, which draws tens of thousands to the Nevada desert under its official theme of human connection and “radical inclusion.”
In an Instagram video posted Wednesday, Hinerman addressed the camera directly as his group prepared to depart. “We have been asked to leave Burning Man. We’re packing up. They’re kicking us out. Satan’s mad. We have over 600 people who have given their lives to Jesus already, and Satan can’t do anything about it,” he said. He added that he “has a feeling God is about to move and do something huge.”
The festival’s official stance, delivered through spokesperson Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, centers on violations of consent and filming policies. “Burning Man takes participants’ right to privacy seriously,” Debucquoy-Dodley said. “Seeking permission and consent before filming or engaging other participants in Black Rock City is a requirement and responsibility for anyone at the event.” The spokesperson emphasized that Hinerman’s camp had been given multiple warnings and chances to change their behavior before the eviction was enforced.
The specific complaints involved Hinerman’s group filming people while encouraging them to “take a blessing,” a practice that reportedly continued despite repeated notices from festival officials. Hinerman rejected this explanation entirely, calling the consent claims “lies” invented by the festival.
Hinerman’s objections extended beyond his own treatment to broader criticisms of the festival environment. “What’s crazy to me is there’s young kids – which is wicked and sad that parents would bring their kids to these – but grown men will have their penises out and women are walking around naked without consent,” he said in his Wednesday post. “These children didn’t give you consent to be walking around with your penises out in front of all these kids. It’s so wicked and sad.”
The ministry leader framed the conflict as religious persecution masked as policy enforcement. “Burning Man knows they’re wrong. God will have the last say,” he wrote in his original post’s conclusion. A follow-up video Wednesday showed a different side of the departure, with Hinerman highlighting support from fellow attendees. “Many other BURNERS are coming and JOINING us helping us clean up everything up because even THEY are against the Burning Man for kicking us out for sharing our Faith…” he wrote in that post’s caption.
His tone toward individual festival-goers remained warm even as his criticism of organizers sharpened. “WE LOVE the BURNERS. We had such beautiful time spending with the people here,” he wrote. “Burning Man is WRONG for kicking us Out and the devil is MAD over 800 people gave their lives to Jesus and became a LIVING temple of the Holy Spirit.” The updated conversion count of 800 represented a significant increase from the 600 he had cited hours earlier. He added a pointed reference to the festival’s own stated values: “One of their #1 Rules, is ‘Radical Inclusion’. I guess it’s Radical inclusion for everyone EXCEPT Christians.”
The episode marks another collision between Burning Man’s countercultural origins and organized religious outreach at the event, which has long attracted spiritual seekers of varied traditions while maintaining strict community guidelines around documentation and personal boundaries. The festival’s rules against non-consensual filming have been repeatedly emphasized in recent years as smartphone and social media use has proliferated at the gathering.
Hinerman’s group had positioned their presence as missionary work within a temporary city known for its eclectic spiritual atmosphere. The “take a blessing” interactions that drew official complaints appear to have been central to their method of engagement with passersby.
By Thursday, Hinerman indicated Shift the Atmosphere was already redirecting its efforts. His latest post revealed the group was continuing its “mission to save souls” in Reno, Nevada.
