In the speech, Engle called for the reversal of Roe v. Wade, claiming that God wanted to do something powerful in Texas thirty-seven years after Roe v. Wade. He quoted Ezekiel 22:30, interpreting the passage as an expression of God's wrath over the shedding of innocent blood throughout Ezekiel 22. At the 3:22 mark of part I, Engle interpreted Ezekiel 22:30 thus.
"The context of this passage is that the nation, the government, the rulers, the priests and the prophets who are complicit in the shedding of innocent blood--when innocent blood is being governmentally sponsored, God says, 'I can't deal with this and I'm looking for an intercessor to say mercy, no, and will actually go to the wall to hold it back.'"Engle said that God called Washington D.C. a "bloody city" because of "state-sanctioned shedding of innocent blood." He condemned abortion as an affront to the image of God, but also criticized men who pay for abortions, pastors who counsel abortion, and those who consume pornography as "defiling the image of God."
At the 8:36 mark of part I, he warned listeners about voting for politicians who call for changing God's foundational laws of the universe.
"The foundations of Genesis cannot be tampered with with political compromise. What God lays as foundation as the architect and benevolent God, creator of the universe, when he laid out the Genesis foundations, speaking of his image you shall never tamper with. His government was laid out in the book of Genesis, and particularly the issues that dealt with his image, and so when he says in Genesis 1:26-27, and 28 that he created male and female in his image. To vote for those who stand for the changing of that foundational law is actually a part of a governmental rebellion, thinking that you can rule better than God ... We raise our political reasoning over foundational truth ... We are never to give the image of God to Caesar. You cannot give the image of God in the foundational creation of male and female as the foundation of all of society as the governmental foundation, and number two, you shall never shed innocent blood by decree because you're messing with the image."Demons figured prominently in Engle's anti-abortion speech. At the 11:37 mark of part I, Engle claimed that abortion is a form of human sacrifice to demons, a claim made by other extreme anti-abortion figures as well (see here and here).
"Some may say we're not sacrificing our sons and daughters to demons in abortion. It is not obvious? But because we've become so secularized in our mindset, that we don't understand that if God could pull the veil and see what goes on in the shedding of innocent blood, it is not a simple solution to a social problem."At the 0:10 mark of Part II, Engle continued, claiming that abortion fuels demonic activity and corrodes the very fabric of the community itself.
"The shedding of innocent blood actually fuels the demonic realm and unleashes a culture of death on the whole nation. Folks, we're thinking we're talking care of a problem. We're releasing a curse on our own communities! It's because we're secularized, because we have not believed the Bible, because we've raised our reasoning, and every time we vote for those who stand against these foundational issues, we are actually endorsing the destruction of the very community we're trying to save."Similarly, at the 1:14 mark of part II, Engle compared abortion to Aztec human sacrifice.
"Behold, the old temple. On those temples, those Aztec temples, they'd throw thousands of bodies down. Blood poured down over those stairs in open sacrifices. Behold, the new temple. It's all hidden and concealed. The largest abortion facility in America, the western hemisphere, the second largest in the world is right now being built in Houston. Seventy-eight thousand square feet. The third floor is dedicated to late-term abortions, and it's right in the middle of four communities ... 85% Hispanic, and 85% in one community black American. Behold, Margaret Sanger's dream rolling down."Engle's animosity was not limited to abortion. At the 8:55 mark of part II, he claimed that hate crime bills are the result of demonic attempts to silence believers.
"The church has got to come out of silence and its neutrality. I tell you, the place where it's the most attack and the most pressure to be politically correct are where the demons are raging the most. Where you feel like you've got to be silent, you can bet that's the devil because Jezebel comes to destroy the prophets, silence their voices, put them into neutrality, or kill them. Welcome to America. Hate crimes bills is coming."In short, the traditional elements of Lou Engle's speeches were present: appeals to divine authority, anti-abortion zeal, and demons. If all this zany rhetoric was simply the lead-up to the EstherCall, I'm eager to hear what was preached at the rally itself. Stay tuned!
To download mp3 files of Engle's talk, visit www[dot]hozdallas[dot]com/the-esther-call
And I'm sure your next post will provide highlights from the *second* half of Engle's speech when he explains how they're going to ensure that all children have quality of life, including but not limited to, healthy food choices, a good education, and access to adequate medical care. (heh)
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Ahab. The photo of San Diego below is gorgeous!
Cognitive Dissenter -- It's good to be back. I wouldn't hold your breath for Lou Engle to preach about THOSE things, though.
DeleteI'm really eager to see footage of the EstherCall rally, so as soon as it becomes available, I'll share it with you guys.
The guy is clearly insane, but I kinda wish I was capable of being that passionate about something.
DeleteGrundy -- As odd as his content usually is, Engle is a magnetic speaker, to be sure.
Delete"Engle claimed that abortion is a form of human sacrifice to demons,"
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the stranger claims I've heard on the subject.
Buffy -- These New Apostolic Reformation types see demons under every chair. It's silly ... and dangerous.
Delete