Christian conservatives who blame "moral depravity" for everything from the recession to terrorism are converging on Philadelphia for a rally they hope will spark a religious revival as Election Day nears.
Called "America for Jesus 2012," the prayer assembly on Independence Mall is attracting support across a spectrum of Protestant clergy and activists. Among the scheduled speakers are religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.
John Blanchard, national coordinator for "America for Jesus 2012," said the two-day event starting tonight is nonpartisan. It's modeled after the 1980 "Washington for Jesus" rally, considered a pivotal show of organizational strength by the then-fledgling Christian right. Bishop Anne Gimenez, whose late husband, John, helped lead the 1980 assembly, is a lead organizer of the Philadelphia gathering.
"We are praying that God would touch America," said Blanchard, executive pastor of Rock Church International in Virginia, which the Gimenez family founded. "We're not Democrats and Republicans. We're Christians."
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