The owners of the Factory at Franklin shopping and events center said Sept. 29 that an upcoming conference featuring a controversial pastor will take place despite community objections, but the venue does not endorse the pastor's views.
The speaker is Doug Wilson, an Idaho-based pastor who has drawn criticism for publicly defending slavery and advocating for positions including repealing the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, and criminalizing homosexuality. Wilson is part of the Fight Laugh Feast Conference 2026, taking place Oct. 1-3 at The Factory's Liberty Hall.
"We understand and take seriously the concerns our community has raised regarding the upcoming Fight Laugh Feast conference at The Factory at Franklin," Holladay
Properties, owners of The Factory said, via Alday Public Relations. "The Factory neither endorses nor promotes the views upheld by this organization nor its speakers."
The Factory said it rents its venues for legal uses "without regard to an organization's religion, political philosophy, or beliefs."
Venue owners said the conference will proceed as planned because a contract has already been executed. However, additional security measures, including coordination with the Franklin Police Department, will be in place to help ensure the safety of tenants, staff and guests.
"Our decision to rent space was based upon preliminary information provided by the client at the time of the booking," the statement continued. "As a result of this experience, The Factory is using this opportunity to evaluate our event booking policies and procedures."
Wilson describes himself as a conservative, Reformed, evangelical Christian theologian and pastor, as well as a Christian nationalist and "paleo-Confederate." He has won high-profile supporters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invited Wilson to give a sermon at the Pentagon earlier this year.
Under the theme, "Holy Wars: Just War, the Crusades, and the Christian Life," the Franklin conference will feature speakers from what organizers describe as "the front lines of theology, history and cultural engagement," according to the event's website.
As news of the event spread, some Franklin residents voiced their concerns on social media and launched a petition. The "Stop Hate Speech @ Factory at Franklin" petition on Change.org had received more than 1,700 signatures as of the morning of Sept. 29.
"It is deeply troubling that The Factory at Franklin, a cultural cornerstone in our community, is providing a platform for such hateful rhetoric on October 3, 2026," petition creator Catie Fein wrote. "This is not just about his right to free speech. It's about who we allow to influence our neighborhoods and shape public discourse. Hate speech has no place in Franklin. We have fought for years to make this a welcoming, diverse community, and our hard-won social progress is threatened by giving a stage to those who openly promote discrimination and inequality."
Antifascist 615, a Nashville-based left-wing activist group, has announced plans for a sidewalk protest outside The Factory on Oct. 3 at 2 p.m.
"Pete Hegseth's pastor seeks to take Christ out of Christianity at his conference," the group said in an Instagram post. "Join us as we gather to rebuke him."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Factory at Franklin says controversial conference will proceed despite objections
