Dozens of members of Congress joined with multitudes of religious-right activists for a "National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance" at the Museum of the Bible on Wednesday. Hosted by Jim Garlow of Well Versed ministry and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, the hours-long event featured wave after wave of politicians and activists taking the stage to deliver various prayers, many anodyne but some more targeted and political.
The event's main feature was the prayers delivered by the myriad members of Congress who took to the stage in small groups and delivered their short prayers in turn. Among the participants was Rep. Greg Steube of Florida, who proclaimed that everyone in the nation must repent of immorality and their rejection of God. He was followed by Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, who delivered a prayer entirely dedicated to railing against abortion, and Rep. Randy Weber of Texas who wept as he begged God's forgiveness because this nation has "trampled on holy marriage and called it an alternative lifestyle."
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida used her time on stage to proclaim that "each person, regardless of their race, nationality, language will serve you and praise you as Lord, and we will preserve this country the way you formed it and the way you envisioned it."
The congressional segment of the event was closed out by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who joined all the participants on stage to deliver a prayer, after which they were collectively prayed over by Perkins.
The next few hours featured an array of religious-right activists, many of them connected to the dominionist New Apostolic Reformation, delivering prayers, generally targeting their respective pet issues. For example, Jon Hamill of Lamplighter Ministries who warned that this nation has been "making deals with our enemies through idolatry, witchcraft, false religions, and secret orders, secret societies" and prayed that God will "annul all covenants with Baal, Moloch, Ashtoreth which have bound us."
Prophetic intercessor Lou Engle later took to the stage to pray fervently for "a hundred thousand LGBT to be saved and transformed."
"Loose a new revolution that the LGBT will be saved," Engle thundered.
Among the other congressional participants were Reps. Josh Brecheen, Mark Alford, Michael Cloud, Diana Harshbarger, Kevin Hern, Gary Palmer, Rick Allen, Brandon Williams, Bob Good, Tracey Mann, Glenn Grothman, Warren Davidson, Mary Miller, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Sens. Katie Britt and James Lankford.
Religious-right activists who participated included Jonathan Cahn, Che Ahn, Paul Blair, Gary Hamrick, Lucas Miles, Janet Porter, Mario Bramnick, Dave Kubal, and Dutch Sheets.
