Lou Engle

Lou Engle (born October 9, 1952) is an American Charismatic Christian who led TheCall, which held prayer rallies. He is the president of Lou Engle Ministries. Engle was a senior leader of the International House of Prayer and has assisted in the establishment of Justice House of Prayer and several other smaller "houses" of prayer.

Lou Engle at TheCall Nashville

Ministry

Engle has been organizing large prayer rallies since 1999, with hundreds of thousands of people in multiple countries participating. In 2018, Engle announced the end of the organization, TheCall, as well as his intentions to launch Lou Engle Ministries.[1]

Prayer and politics

The size of these events, in addition to Engle's political statements, has raised his prominence among the Christian right.[2] These ministries are often located near prominent landmarks, such as Harvard University or the United States Supreme Court building. The locations of the ministries are strategically chosen, to specifically contend issues such as abortion.[3] Engle was described by Joe Conason as a "radical theocrat".[4] An article in the Southern Poverty Law Center says he can occasionally "venture into bloodlust."[5] He criticized other Evangelical leaders regarding the issue of political correctness.[6]

Engle maintains that issues such as abortion and homosexuality should remain at the center of the evangelical movement.[7] Taking a firm stand on issues traditionally associated with the Christian Right, Engle's events have drawn support from Evangelical leaders such as Mike Huckabee and Tony Perkins.[6] In keeping with his stance on these issues, Engle has been sharply critical of former U.S. President Barack Obama, claiming that his beliefs "counter my convictions and the convictions of masses of believing Americans."[8]

While living in Washington, D.C. Engle was briefly a roommate of then-Senator Sam Brownback. Brownback later spoke at The Call Nashville rally and worked with him while drafting Senate apologies to Native Americans and African-Americans. Brownback's association with Engle became an issue in his successful run for Governor of Kansas. During the campaign, the Kansas Democratic Party ran ads criticizing his association with Engle. Brownback stated that he had not spoken to Engle in several months and that they disagreed on some issues.[9]

Abortion

Engle strongly supports abolishing abortion. He encouraged his audiences to pray for the overturning of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling and to vote for anti-abortion political candidates.[6]

Views against homosexuality

In 2008, Engle focused the attention of his prayer groups towards supporting California's Proposition 8, a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage.[10] He organized 24-hour protests in front of the United States Supreme Court, whereby the young participants symbolized the powerlessness of terminated fetuses by placing tape over their mouths with the word "LIFE" written on it.[7]

In May 2010, Engle traveled to Uganda and organized a rally there through TheCall. During the rally, he praised the Ugandan government's efforts to combat homosexuality, and praised those promoting the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill which called for life imprisonment or the death penalty for gays and lesbians with AIDS who engage in sexual relations. Prior to traveling to Uganda, Engle had released a statement condemning the penalties.[11] The Southern Poverty Law Center has placed Lou Engle on their "Hatewatch Extremist" list due to his remarks supporting Uganda's bill to criminalize homosexuality and comparing the struggle over gay rights to the "Civil War."[12]

GLAAD has added Engle to their Accountability Project, a catalog of politicians, commentators, organization heads, religious leaders, and legal figures, who have allegedly used their platforms, influence and power to spread misinformation and harm LGBTQ people.[13]

Anti-Muslim comments

Following anti-Islamic comments at a 2018 Singapore conference hosted by Cornerstone Community Church, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs opened an investigation into Engle's inflammatory rhetoric. Organizers apologized to local Muslim leaders, and pledged not to invite Engle back to speak.[14][15]

Personal life

Engle and his wife Therese have seven children. He is known for his gravelly voice, cheerful demeanor, and vigorous rocking back and forth while praying and speaking.[6][16]

Filmography

Engle's filmography includes being featured in the 2006 film Jesus Camp, briefly in the 2012 film Call Me Kuchu and in the 2013 film God Loves Uganda.

Bibliography
  • Possessing the Gates of the Enemy - A Training Manual for Militant Intercession (April 3, 2018)[17]
  • ________, Nazarite DNA, TheCall (March 12, 2015)

References
  1. "Lou Engle: A Calling Birthed From a Heritage". Modern Day Missions. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  2. Hornick, Ed (13 August 2008). "McCain, Obama to address 'values voters'". CNN. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  3. CHELSEA L. SHOVER (18 November 2010). "Missionaries to Harvard". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  4. Conason, Joe (30 August 2010). "Is Glenn Beck mobilizing the religious right for November?". Salon. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  5. Sanchez, Casey (Fall 2008). "'Arming' for Armageddon". Intelligence Report. No. 131. Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  6. Hemmingway, Mark (18 August 2008). "Hearing TheCall". National Review. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  7. "Evangelical Protestants looking for a leader but preferably not Glenn Beck". The Economist. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  8. Montopoli, Brian (15 August 2010). "Obama, McCain And The Evangelical Divide". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2011-08-05. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  9. Milburn, John (13 October 2010). "Brownback discusses ties to evangelist Engle". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  10. Garrison, Jessica (20 October 2008). "Prop. 8 and the prayer pros". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  11. Kron, Josh (2 May 2010). "In Uganda, Push to Curb Gays Draws U.S. Guest". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2010-05-07. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  12. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/lou-engle
  13. https://glaad.org/gap/lou-engle/
  14. Ong, Justin (5 April 2018). "Singapore pastor apologises to Muslim leaders for US preacher's alleged statements on Islam". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  15. https://www.ricemedia.co/current-affairs-features-lou-engle-american-threatens-christian-muslim-divide-singapore/
  16. Johnson, Bonna (8 July 2007). "Christians pray for nation's soul". The Daily News Journal. Murfreesboro. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  17. https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/possessing-the-gates-of-the-enemy-a-training-manual-for-militant-intercession
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