An estimated 75,000 Christians gathered near the steps of the U.S. Capitol April 30 to declare the nation "guilty" of allowing "seven giant sins" to exist.

The $1.5 million Washington for Jesus (WFJ) '96 rally was organized by Virginia Beach Rock Church pastors John and Anne Gimenez, who also lead the nearly 200 international affiliate churches in the Rock Ministerial Fellowship. The couple sponsored similar rallies in 1980 and 1988.

Gimenez termed "the seven giants, the evils stalking our land, preying on our youth and seeking to destroy a generation: persecution of the church, homosexuality, abortion, racism, addiction, occultism, and HIV/AIDS." When Gimenez began promoting the event last fall, he named "five giants dominating our land" that God "made clear in explicit detail." Later he added two and rearranged them in order to spell PHARAOH, a reference to the ancient Egyptian ruler who enslaved the Hebrews.

Gimenez urged attendees to "convict and execute these giant evils at large in our country." In a mock trial, Christian leaders served as "prosecuting attorneys" against the evil. The crowd declared the nation "guilty" of the various sins.

Except for the noticeable presence of former Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell, a fundamentalist Baptist, this rally had a much more charismatic bent than the previous two. The Gimenezes hosted a leadership conference in nearby Constitution Hall with Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship senior pastor John Arnott, Oral Roberts University president Richard Roberts, and Liberty University chancellor Falwell.

Falwell quoted several early American patriots and said, "Our children must be told that America is a Christian nation."

OPENING YOUTH RALLY: WFJ featured praise music at a youth rally ...