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Consider this following 10 minute video documentary, which presents what it calls the "transformation" of Newark. Initiated by New Jersey residents Lloyd and Joanna Turner in early 2008, the Pray For Newark effort involves a consortium of church volunteers who are working closely with Newark's police and the mayoral administration of Corey Booker. The effort claims to be able to field an entire army of volunteers, one for each street in the city, organized by city ward - almost like a neighborhood watch. Neighborhood watches have been shown to be effective at reducing crime. So what's not to like ?
Well, as I documented in my story Movement Behind Uganda's "Kill the Gays" Bill Organizing in Newark, Pray For Newark is closely tied to a an international evangelical ministry whose leaders are in the forefront of opposing gay rights in Hawaii and are closely allied with Ugandan leaders who are leading the push in Uganda for the so-called "kill the gays" bill that would in effect legislate an entire segment of Ugandan society out of existence. As a simple point of fact, the Uganda Anti Homosexuality Bill is harsher than any comparable anti-gay legislation passed, prior to World War Two, in Nazi Germany. The movement can't currently aim so high in the United States but in Hawaii, where it is highly influential in the executive branch of government, gay rights activists are being treated as second-class citizens whose civil rights can be determined by majority vote.
Another slight problem with Pray For Newark is that it is being led by a Newark minister, the Rev. Bernard Wilks, whose literature for the effort lists the goal of "enemy identification," (see my Newark story, above) and the Pray For Newark website cites the "Seven Mountains" program which encourages Christians to achieve dominance in all sectors of society. In the video, Pray For Newark founder Lloyd Turner notes that Newark was founded as an overtly Christian city, which is correct. Turner says he wants to return the city to those roots but omits to note that Newark was set up as a theocracy.
The Rev. Bernard Wilks is an apostle in the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA), one of the major organizational bodies of a new reorganization of charismatic Christianity known as the New Apostolic Reformation - whose leaders practice exorcism, burn "witchcraft items," and have become the new de-facto prayer leaders of the Republican Party.
In this article ICA head C. Peter Wagner explains what's distinctive about the New Apostolic Reformation. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is extremely closely tied to Wagner's movement. Talk To Action features a resource directory on the major known entities in the New Apostolic Reformation, here.
Pray For Newark has become so closely tied to Newark's police department that early in 2010 Newark leader of the effort, the Rev. Bernard Wilks presided over the graduation of 54 new Newark police officers. The graduation was held in a church Wilks preaches at, with Newark's mayor Corey Booker and other top Newark city officials in attendance.
So where is this headed ? It's impossible to say, but given that the apostles of the New Apostolic Reformation say they're working to implement Christian theocratic rule, the indications are not promising. In all likelihood, Newark, NJ is a developing template for the implementation of Christian theocratic government.