Presidential Prayer Team
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The Presidential Prayer Team, a spiritual-warfare website run out of Scottsdale, Arizona, claims to be nondenominational and nonpartisan[1]. They boast an "honorary committee" including two chairpersons, Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's son) and Joni Eareckson Tada. The remainder of the committee includes many familiar names like John Ankerberg, Rev. Nicky Cruz (David Wilkerson's best-known convert), sappy Christian Rock singer Michael W. Smith, and televangelist James Robison.[2]
The site went up late in 2001 after George W. Bush took office and just after 9/11. The mission statement reads, in part:
"Since 2001, The Presidential Prayer Team has been the source millions of Americans have turned to for encouragement and inspiration to pray for America, our President, our national leaders and our Armed Forces.[3] We are a national ministry dedicated to a focused mission of encouraging, inspiring and practicing PRAYER on behalf of our President, nation's leaders and our troops."[4]
It was originally illustrated with such disgustingly propagandistic imagery as artists' renditions of the ghosts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln laying their hands on the shoulders of George W. Bush with all three in prayer.
Not to be accused of being a partisan site whose main purpose was to glorify George W. Bush or anything like that, the site remained up after Barack Obama took office in 2009, but with noticeably toned-down content. The prayers for God to bless the president mysteriously disappeared, and so did the drawings of dead ex-presidents laying their hands on the current president to guide his wisdom. Instead, we were treated to secure-the-border tripe like "Father, the borders of our nation need protection. We are saddened by the loss of the life of a child and the loss of others as they attempt to cross the heated deserts. We pray for wisdom on the part of our Border Patrol. We pray against the evils of the Mexican drug cartels. Amen."[5]
The site previously included a "prayer wall"[6] where anyone could post their prayer and others can click a button saying "I also prayed" if they agree with or prayed that prayer.[note 1] At least 7 occurrences of Psalm 109:8 ("Let his days be few; and let another take his office") have been posted and the site doesn't seem to show any inclination to filter or remove such postings of imprecatory prayer directed at the President Obama.[note 2]
Since Donald Trump took office in 2017, the team naturally went back to supporting the President, though Trump was not added to the prominent places on the site which Bush had been on. Once Joe Biden took office in 2021, the team reverted to a generic "pray for our leaders" message, not endorsing nor opposing any particular candidates.
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Notes[edit]
- ↑ Here's a fun one about the BP oil spill: "Oh God of our salvation help us. For the glory of Your name deliver us from this bleeding of oil, gushing up out of the ocean. Like the woman with the issue of blood, we look up to You for resolution. You are the only Answer who can loose the earth from this issue."
- ↑ As of June 14, 2010 - let's see if this changes.
References[edit]
- ↑ Nonpartisan, yeah right
- ↑ http://presidentialprayerteam.com/about-2
- ↑ Mark Twain had something to say about this
- ↑ http://presidentialprayerteam.com/about-2
- ↑ main page as of June 14, 2010
- ↑ http://prayerwall.presidentialprayerteam.com/