Lou Engle

Lou Engle (born October 9, 1952) is an American Charismatic Christian who led TheCall, which held prayer rallies. He is an apostle in the New Apostolic Reformation movement and the president of Lou Engle Ministries. Engle was a senior leader of the International House of Prayer and has assisted in the establishment of Justice House of Prayer and several other smaller "houses" of prayer.

Ministry Engle has been organizing large prayer rallies since 1999, with hundreds of thousands of people in multiple countries participating. In 2018, Engle announced the end of the organization, TheCall, as well as his intentions to launch Lou Engle Ministries.

Politics The size of these events, in addition to Engle's political statements, raised his prominence among the Christian right. These ministries are often located near prominent landmarks, such as Harvard University and the United States Supreme Court building. The locations of the ministries are strategically chosen, to specifically contend issues such as abortion. Engle was described by Joe Conason as a "radical theocrat". He criticized other Evangelical leaders regarding the issue of political correctness. In 2008, Engle became a supporter of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, "likening Palin to the biblical Queen Esther who saved her people from destruction." He later wrote "he ideological beast of Obama's worldview has been drawn out of its lair and now stands naked and exposed by Palin's compassion and conviction. The beast...is hunting our children, our nation's destiny, and us. The rage of the media against Palin simply further exposes the moral bankruptcy, bigotry, and lack of compassion of liberalism."

Beliefs Engle maintains that issues such as abortion and homosexuality should remain at the center of the evangelical movement and that appointing judges to overturn "Antichrist legislation" is key.

Abortion Engle strongly supports abolishing abortion. He encouraged his audiences to pray for the overturning of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling and to vote for anti-abortion political candidates.

In May 2010, Engle traveled to Uganda and organized a rally there through TheCall. During the rally, he praised the Ugandan government's efforts to combat homosexuality, and praised those promoting the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill which called for life imprisonment or the death penalty for gays and lesbians with AIDS who engage in sexual relations. Prior to traveling to Uganda, Engle had released a statement condemning the penalties. The Southern Poverty Law Center has placed Lou Engle on their "Hatewatch Extremist" list due to his remarks supporting Uganda's bill to criminalize homosexuality and comparing the struggle over gay rights to the "Civil War."

GLAAD has added Engle to their Accountability Project, a catalog of politicians, commentators, organization heads, religious leaders, and legal figures, who have allegedly used their platforms, influence and power to spread misinformation and harm LGBTQ people.

Anti-Muslim comments Following anti-Islamic comments at a 2018 Singapore conference hosted by Cornerstone Community Church, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs opened an investigation into Engle's inflammatory rhetoric. Organizers apologized to local Muslim leaders, and pledged not to invite Engle back to speak.

Personal life Engle and his wife Therese have seven children. He is known for his gravelly voice, cheerful demeanor, and vigorous rocking back and forth while praying and speaking. Engle wrote the foreword of the book The Magnificent Jesus (volume 1).

Filmography Engle's filmography includes being featured in the 2006 film Jesus Camp, ________, Nazarite DNA, TheCall (March 12, 2015)