The National Day of Prayer has been a part of American politics since 1952, when U.S. Sen. Absalom Robertson (D-VA), father of televangelist Pat Robertson, introduced a bill, supported by famed evangelist Billy Graham, establishing the holiday for the purpose of fighting “the corrosive forces of communism which seek simultaneously to destroy our democratic way of life and the faith in an almighty God on which it is based.”
In 1988, U.S. Rep. Tony Hall (D-OH), introduced legislation to fix the date of the National Day of Prayer on the first Thursday in May. This move received support from influential faith figures like Shirley Dobson, the wife of Focus on the Family’s founder James Dobson, and Vonette Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. Vonette’s husband, Bill Bright, developed the idea of the “Seven Mountain Mandate” with Youth With a Mission Founder Loren Cunningham in the 1970s, which posits that the Christian church should control the seven spheres of social influence — family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government.
In 2010, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled the official recognition of National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, noting “The same law that prohibits the government from declaring a National Day of Prayer also prohibits it from declaring a National Day of Blasphemy.”
On Thursday, a crowd of nearly 50 people gathered in front of the state Capitol to celebrate the National Day of Prayer. Speakers included Jim Hockaday, a Denver-area faith healer, failed Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez, and Rep. Richard Holtorf (R-Akron). A pamphlet for the event, titled “Pray Fervently in Righteousness,” included seven prayers — a prayer for family, church, business and workplace, education, military, government, and the arts, media, and entertainment.
“May God bless all of us here for those that are carrying the cross for Christ, those that are here trying to promote our biblical teachings, trying to fight the good fight on this earth against evil, and I will tell you that there is evil in this building,” said Holtorf. “There are bad things that are happening in this building, and for that, I’m glad you’re here to pray and call us all to prayer to help and have God, and the Son of God, Jesus, help and come into our lives and help us do what is righteous and right for our communities and for our state.”
Holtorf, who, during recent rallies at the Capitol against abortion and in favor of parents’ rights, has called political opponents “godless heathens,” lamented the lack of attendance at the legislative Bible study at the Capitol. “We have a Bible study every Tuesday, and it saddens me that our attendance at that Bible study is of 100 legislators, it’s maybe 10 or 12 every Tuesday morning at 7 a.m.,” he said. “That’s 10 to 12% of our legislative body chooses to participate in that Bible study. I wish it was 50 or 60 or 80%, but it just isn’t. So where do we go? Are we lost? Well, I say if we turn to God, we are not lost, but we can be found. We need to ask us, all of us, to turn back to those morals and try to keep the moral high ground, to try to keep our country from going in a direction that is so much against the teachings of the Bible and the teachings of God and the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
Lopez referenced Old Testament demons and a Babylonian goddess during his prayer for the Democrats in Colorado’s legislature. “Father God, there is a spiritual darkness that is roaming free within the Capitol walls that is deceiving our brothers and sisters in believing that abortion, child mutilation surgery, and the sexualization of our children is acceptable in your eyes,” he said. “I pray that you give our brothers and sisters the spiritual strength and wisdom to fight against the dark Trinity — Baal, Ishtar and Moloch. I pray that you remove the darkness from this building so that through your grace and mercy, hearts of stone will be turned into hearts of flesh. I pray that under your guidance, they will bring your presence back into the public square, back into the aspect of society, and back in the hearts and minds of our children.”
Thursday’s event wasn’t just about politics. Irene Betsuie, of the Colorado Native Outreach Project, discussed their work with Colorado’s indigenous communities. “We work together with partners on improving the quality of life for marginalized people living on Native American reservations,” she said. “Natives, Native Americans, indigenous families — a lot of them don’t have running water. A lot of them don’t have food. A lot of them are living with grandmas and grandpas, and this happens quite often. What Colorado Native Outreach Project does is we come in as emergency assistance to them and provide them with water and provide them with food, with the help of people in Colorado, with the help of different partners, businesses and just people in the community that have big hearts and are in other ministries. As other people have said, it is about the body of Christ.”
Shannon Clark, director of youth ministry for The Standard Movement, addressed the growing youth mental health crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “When it comes to youth and young adults in this area — I have friends who are working in Children’s Hospital, and literally they had students who were there for mental health issues waiting for days in the hallways for a bed because they were so overloaded with mental health issues,” she claimed. “It was significant because they would sit in the hallways and wait to get treatment after having suicidal episodes or anxiety attacks or all of these things. How many of us know that anxiety is not from Jesus? How many of us know that depression is not from Jesus, that suicidal thoughts are not from Jesus, but he’s actually the Prince of peace that administrates a kingdom of justice over those principalities, and God actually has a plan for Gen Z and youth and young adults in our day and age.”
South of Denver, in Colorado Springs, which has been called the “evangelical Vatican” due to its concentration of faith-based organizations like Focus on the Family, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) joined “hundreds” of faith leaders during an event at Boot Barn Hall.
Lamborn is a regular speaker at Christian events. Last September he recorded a video message for Andrew Wommack’s Truth and Liberty Conference in Woodland Park, which also featured U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Sen. Mark Baisely (R-Roxborough Park), alongside Seven Mountain dominionist Lance Wallnau and other prominent conservative Christian influencers, like Eric Coomer defamation suit plaintiff Eric Metaxas. In May, Lamborn appeared alongside Christian musician and activist Sean Feucht during an event at The Road Church in Colorado Springs.
