(Examiner.com) If Governor Rick Perry (R) of Texas runs for President of the United States, he will have one of the most unusual and specific bases for his platform of any candidate in many decades—the spiritual visions of the ancient Hebrew prophet Joel.
Perry has jumped on the "Joel's Army" bandwagon, claiming in his promotional message for his The Response prayer and fasting event in Houston in August: "Some problems are beyond our power to solve, and according to the Book of Joel, Chapter 2, this historic hour demands a historic response."
The language of Joel 2, written centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, and referring to a time after the return of the Hebrews from their Babylonian exile, has been reinterpreted by some Christian groups to be a prophecy referring to the "end time" or Apocalypse. The "response" Perry is talking about is the one Joel 2 calls for when God's people are confronted by an Apocalyptic crisis. In part a call for fasting and prayer, it is also a description of a powerful army of God.
One group which has for many years taught a theology based on Joel 2's crisis or "shock doctrine", is the Kansas City prayer organization IHOP (International House of Prayer), headed by Mike Bickle, part of what was known in the 1990s as the Kansas City Prophets, a neo-charismatic movement of Christian "dominionists", who seek to transform the USA into a Christian theocracy. (Read more)
