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 that lasted through the first night until dawn, rousing speeches and public testimonies of redemption, and a nearly three-hour healing service led by evangelist Benny Hinn. Hinn's service drew hundreds of people afflicted with physical and emotional maladies to the stage for healing and prayer.
Several Jumbotron television screens dotted the azalea-studded grassy mall and projected enormous images of entertainers and speakers to the enthusiastic crowd that stretched from the west steps of the Capitol almost to the Washington Monument. A hefty sound system blared Christian rock music to participants, many of whom camped on the mall overnight. It was a festive occasion, with spontaneous line dancing interspersed among individuals and groups huddled in prayer.
Gimenez, who spent much of his drug-addicted youth in jail, had billed the rally as the "Christian event of the century," predicting 1 million would attend.
CROWD SIZE CONTROVERSY: Gimenez's sister, Anna, spent several months in Washington managing logistics with help from a nationwide network of volunteers. The siblings have an ongoing feud with the U.S. Park Police over estimated crowd sizes.
Park rangers in helicopters--who have for decades estimated Capitol crowd sizes for everything from pro-life demonstrations to presidential inaugurations--said 75,000 people attended WFJ.
But Gimenez insisted 600,000 attended. In addition, he claims much higher figures in his promotional literature for the two previous Washington for Jesus events. Park police estimated 200,000 came in both 1980 and 1988, but Gimenez maintains those rallies drew 600,000 and 1 million.
FEWER LEADERS PARTICIPATE: Gimenez, 64, is equally unhappy with Christian leaders who did not support this year's rally, scolding them for what he described as refusing to put away "petty divisions." Instead, many Christian leaders participated in National Day of Prayer activities two days later, an event that WFJ did not promote.
But Gimenez was not persuaded that schedule conflicts were the reasons for not joining WFJ. "Our young people see this prejudice we have against each other, the little kingdoms we've formed," he said. "And they know God wants a united church. Those kingdoms have got to come down."
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