Lou Engle
Encyclopedia
Lou Engle is a controversial American
charismatic Christian leader, best known for his leadership of The Call
and association with prominent members of the Christian Right
. He also is a senior leader of the International House of Prayer
and has planted several smaller houses of prayer. He came to prominence after founding The Call which hosts twelve hour prayer rallies.
. He has been married to his wife Therese for 28 years; they have seven children together. He is known for his gravelly voice, cheerful demeanor, and constant rocking back and forth while praying and speaking.
has referred to Engle as "the unofficial prayer leader of the Republican Party
".
Engle has established several small houses of prayer through his Justice House of Prayer
ministry. These ministries are often located near prominent landmarks such as Harvard University
or the United States Supreme Court. In 2008 Engle focused his house of prayer groups on prayer in support of California's Proposition 8 ballot measure. He has also organized groups of young people who stand in shifts 24 hours a day in front of the United States Supreme Court in protest against abortion.
Engle's ministry first came to national attention in the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp
.
. He frequently encourages his audiences to pray that the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court ruling will be overturned and to vote for pro-life
political candidates. His events have drawn support from Evangelical leaders such as Mike Huckabee
and Tony Perkins
. He has also been critical of other Evangelical leaders for being too politically correct. Engle maintains that issues such as abortion and homosexuality
should remain at the center of the evangelical movement.
Engle has been sharply critical of Barack Obama
, saying that Obama's beliefs "counter my convictions and the convictions of masses of believing Americans."
as a "radical theocrat
. The Southern Poverty Law Center
has also criticized his rhetoric, saying that he can occasionally "venture into bloodlust."
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 Brownback's 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 disagree on some issues.
In May, 2010, Engle traveled to Uganda and organized a rally there through The Call. During the rally, he praised the Ugandan government's efforts to combat homosexuality
, which included the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill which called for life imprisonment or the death penalty for gays and lesbians in Uganda
. However, Engle later claimed that he opposes the Ugandan bill and also called for the church to examine its own sins and to oppose violence against homosexuals.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
charismatic Christian leader, best known for his leadership of The Call
The Call (religion)
The Call is an organization which sponsors prayer meetings led by Lou Engle along with other Christian leaders pastors in the U.S.. The meetings request prayer and fasting by Christians in protest against issues such as same-sex marriage and legal access to elective abortion...
and association with prominent members of the Christian Right
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
. He also is a senior leader of the International House of Prayer
International House of Prayer
The International House of Prayer is an evangelical charismatic Christian missions organization based in Kansas City and Grandview, Missouri that focuses on prayer, worship, and evangelism....
and has planted several smaller houses of prayer. He came to prominence after founding The Call which hosts twelve hour prayer rallies.
Personal life
Engle currently resides in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. He has been married to his wife Therese for 28 years; they have seven children together. He is known for his gravelly voice, cheerful demeanor, and constant rocking back and forth while praying and speaking.
Ministry
Engle began organizing large prayer rallies in 2000. Since then, his events have drawn hundreds of thousands of people in multiple countries. The size of these events, and his political statements, have raised his profile among the Christian Right. Journalist Bruce WilsonBruce Wilson (American journalist)
Bruce Wilson is a noted journalist, specializing in reporting on the religious influence on politics, and is a cofounder of the public interest journalism groups ePluribus Media and Talk2Action, an organization of scholars producing detailed and ongoing research on religious matters in scholarly...
has referred to Engle as "the unofficial prayer leader of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
".
Engle has established several small houses of prayer through his Justice House of Prayer
Justice House of Prayer
Justice House of Prayer, commonly referred to as JHOP, is a Neocharismatic Christian organization based in Kansas City, Missouri that focuses on continual prayer. It was founded by Lou Engle in 2004 and now has locations in five U.S. cities. They are in close association with the International...
ministry. These ministries are often located near prominent landmarks such as Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
or the United States Supreme Court. In 2008 Engle focused his house of prayer groups on prayer in support of California's Proposition 8 ballot measure. He has also organized groups of young people who stand in shifts 24 hours a day in front of the United States Supreme Court in protest against abortion.
Engle's ministry first came to national attention in the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp
Jesus Camp
Jesus Camp is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a charismatic Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers learning and practicing their prophetic gifts and being taught that they can "take back America for Christ." According to the...
.
Prayer and politics
Engle has focused much of his ministry on the issue of abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. He frequently encourages his audiences to pray that the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court ruling will be overturned and to vote for pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
political candidates. His events have drawn support from Evangelical leaders such as Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
and Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins (politician)
Anthony Richard "Tony" Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian think tank and public policy foundation based in Washington, D.C...
. He has also been critical of other Evangelical leaders for being too politically correct. Engle maintains that issues such as abortion and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
should remain at the center of the evangelical movement.
Engle has been sharply critical of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, saying that Obama's beliefs "counter my convictions and the convictions of masses of believing Americans."
Controversy
Engle's ministry has generated controversy. He has been described by Joe ConasonJoe Conason
Joe Conason is an American journalist, author and political commentator. He writes a column for the weekly New York Observer newspaper, for Salon.com and has written a number of books, including Big Lies , which addresses what he says are myths spread about liberals by conservatives.-Life and...
as a "radical theocrat
Theocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
. The Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
has also criticized his rhetoric, saying that he can occasionally "venture into bloodlust."
While living in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Engle was briefly a roommate of then-Senator Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback
Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...
. Brownback later spoke at The Call Nashville rally and worked with him while drafting Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
apologies to Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and African-Americans. Brownback's association with Engle became an issue in his successful run for Governor of Kansas
Kansas gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Kansas gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Mark Parkinson, who assumed office upon Kathleen Sebelius' resignation following her appointment as President Barack Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services in January 2009, did not seek a full...
. During Brownback's campaign, the Kansas Democratic Party
Kansas Democratic Party
The Kansas Democratic Party is the state affiliate political party of the United States Democratic Party headquartered in Topeka, Kansas. The State Party Chairman is Joan Wagnon-Overview:...
ran ads criticizing his association with Engle. Brownback stated that he had not spoken to Engle in several months and that they disagree on some issues.
In May, 2010, Engle traveled to Uganda and organized a rally there through The Call. During the rally, he praised the Ugandan government's efforts to combat homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, which included the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill which called for life imprisonment or the death penalty for gays and lesbians in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. However, Engle later claimed that he opposes the Ugandan bill and also called for the church to examine its own sins and to oppose violence against homosexuals.