The New Apostolic Reformation, a neo-Pentecostal Christian movement, hosts an event called DC40 to “lay siege” for 40 days on Washington D.C. to change the District of Columbia into the District of Christ and eliminate compromise in our government. Pagans around the country attempt to counter the event’s goal of influencing elected officials. DC40 sends out responseto Pagan community. Local DC40 event takes place in Minnesota on October 21st.
The Reformation Prayer Network, led by Cindy Jacobs, and the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, headed by John Benefiel, have joined together to produce a nation-wide event called “DC40.″ The goal of DC40 is to effect “eternal change in our nation’s capitol so our elected officials can govern from a new position of uncompromising light and understanding as we change the spiritual atmosphere over Washington DC forever.” This effort is variously named DC40, Forty Days of Light Over D.C., and 51 Days of Reformation Intercession.
The change DC40 wants to make is electing leaders who fear the Christian God and “find that compromise is not the way” as it is impossible to “compromise with unrighteousness.” The “uncompromising light” refers to a statement released by Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, which says God’s word should be the legal authority in the United States and Christians should acknowledge no other, “no power to purpose or accept any compromise of the promises of God, and we declare illegal in the earth any action or any people, Nation or nations that undertake what is contradictory to the Word of God.”
Pagans are pushing back against what they see as malefic magic aimed at erasing the separation of church and state and DC40’s attack on the goddess Columbia. Bloggers Hecate and Literata, both of whom live in the Washington DC area, are calling for Pagans to make daily devotions to the Goddess Columbia and to pray to Her to help this country preserve its foundational commitment to religious liberty. “I will be spending this time making a daily devotion to her, not against these conservative Christians, but in hopes that they and I might find ways to live peaceably together in a nation that values religious pluralism,” writes Literata. Hail Columbia is organizing positive interfaith responses to DC40 to counter their agenda.
In their latest newsletter, DC40 sent out this response to the Pagan community:
We are well aware of the websites and blogs rallying to try and curse our effort and counter it. Always remember, You can’t curse what God has blessed! Read Psalm 2. Remember also that Jesus is the light of every man. We have read some of your accusations and false perceptions of us, and we say “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We were once in darkness too, and we call you out of the darkness and into the light. We release the power of blood-covered light over you.
Here is our prayer for you:
“Father, through the faith of Your Son and through the power of His Blood, we come on behalf of those who would curse us. Because of their actions toward us, we have legal spiritual access and we take it!We release perfect Blood-covered love into the core of your being!
May eternal light flood your hearts this day with the revelation of who you really are, and, more importantly, who God really is! We also pray that this revelation will dismantle and refute all arguments, theories, reasonings, and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God. Your ladder has been placed on the wrong wall. We call you to your right mind through the finished work of the cross.You see, there is no DC40 Prayer War. It is finished, you just haven’t come to the truth of it yet. However, if you are reading this, it is too late – we release the arrow of blood-covered truth and convicting power of Holy Spirit into the core of your being, and release grace for you to SEE in Jesus’ Mighty Name!”
We don’t hate you, we love you – you were created by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for greatness. “
DC40 plans to have teams in the capital cities of all 50 states and Washington DC linking state capitals to the nation’s capital to help harness the intents and wills of thousands of Christians for this working. The first event takes place in Hawaii. They have also released a new app called “Bell 333,” which refers to a Bible verse where God reveals “great and mighty things.” The mobile device app will play the sound of a ringing bell every hour during the event to help affect the spiritual atmosphere in our nation’s capitol.
“I think the idea of ringing the bells on the hour throughout the day is an effort to get people who are involved to pray more frequently and consistently. It is a magical technique to increase the power of their intent through repetitive reinforcement. Even if Christians say that they are petitioning their god to act, this kind of working is functionally equivalent to an effort to use magic on their god’s behalf.” – Hail Columbia blog post titled “DC40 Writes: “The point is our intent. Intent is a force.”
The 51 day events start in Hawaii on October 3rd and moves to each state in reverse order of its entry into the union and continues until November 22. Christians in the state for the day are to “take point” in praying for the District of Christ, the repudiation of Columbia and other non-Christian deities and religions, and the election of Christian God-fearing candidates. The rest of the country is to pray that the point state “Fullness of its destiny.” The group will have Christians by act in concert using a 51Day Prayer Guide to be released on their website. Minnesota is scheduled to be a point state on October 21st. The facebook event “Minnesotans for Liberty and Religious Freedom: Stop the Bigotry of DC40” can be found here.
Columbia is considered by some Pagans to be the patron goddess or genius locii of the United States. She is a guardian of freedom and a generous granter of plenty. In early depictions of Columbia, she wears the cap of freedom and holds a cornucopia. The eagle and the rattlesnake are sacred to Her.
Further reading:
NPR –The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual Warfare
Religion Dispaches – Rick Perry and the New Apostolic Reformation
Talk2Action – Burning Books, Buddhas, and Native Art: Meet The New Apostolic Reformation
Editor’s Note: Cara Schulz is a member of both the local and national Hail Columbia groups.
Pagan Newswire Collective - Minnesota Bureau 
They are fools, but dangerous fools as I have said many places before. Thank you for finding and posting this. I’ve been trying to stir people up, but most people are resistant to being stirred. Like you I have been trying to show people what these “wonderful Christians” are up to.
Again, thanks for your post, I’ve already posted it to my FB page, and with your permission will link to you in my weekly post as well.
Sounds to me,like they are trying to cast a SPELL!!
I agree but it’s a very dangerous spell. A spell that will try and rob us of everything that we have earned.
Well, since Jesus was renowned for his blood-covered arrows, I think these people should work their dark magic in peace.
Cindy Jacobs and Company just make me shake my head. Christians using malefic magic ? What they are doing amounts to hexing- they are trying to place a magical curse on anyone who rejects their madness.
My reply to the release of “blood-covered light”?….2 Corinthians 11:12-15: “But what I am doing, I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.”
“…increase the power of their intent through repetitive reinforcement.”
Evidently they need to employ brainwashing and mind control methods to keep their minions on track? Afraid the sheeple will stray?
My mind instantly jumps to images of Carrie covered in pigs blood or Jenny McCarthy starting a ridiculously heavy menstrual cycle in the grocery store. Either way, I think I just threw up a little.
the ” DC40 sends out response to “… link in the article stopped working… fancy that, they retracted it.
We’ve updated the link to show a scan of the newsletter message courtesy of Literata Hurley.
Tho, for Pagan credability, can something besides a scanned newsletter message be found?
The newsletters are sent out by email and are not posted on any site. You can sign up to receive emails from James Nesbit (of DC40) from the email address DC40@centruth.com
“Every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.” ~ George Washington
Yes, because their blood magic, cannibalism, and hate is sooo much like what the Jewish Jesus would do…
The Christians are as usual, despicable. However, I do have a problem with the Pagans in this piece and their injecting religion into politics – even to pray for religious pluralism! We should be fighting for a secular society, one in which there is no religious dialogue in political races, not some Pagan version of the Religious Right. I strongly object to the “Goddess Bless America” bumper stickers I’ve seen floating around various PPD’s. How is this any better from Pat Robertson’s “taking back America”?
This makes my stomach turn. I’ll be setting up my altar to Columbia today.
It’s a well know fact that many “real christians” are standing for Liberty, Freedom and Justice, and Christs’ true message… and praying against these sociopaths.
As a Wiccan High Priestess, I am compelled to remind you that when you invoke a Deity, they usually show up. Be careful what you ask for!
As Pagans, we KNOW the dangers of invoking a Deity of vengance… because when you get their attention, they look at YOU first! So a little of Christ-like advice….”Get the LOG out of your own eye, before you attempt to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!”
As far as I am concerned, your “jihad” is as misguided as any other.
oh and one more tidbit of info… I used to be a bible thumping holy roller, speaking in tongues, avid John the baptist wanna be Christian….. but I grew up.
So a few issues come to mind here:
1) The DC40 crew is clearly espousing a malevolent energetic, devoid of any awareness or concern for social harmony or that they live in a world of many spiritual/indigenous/pagan/heathen practices and awarenesses, most of which have sustained life over many more thousands of hears than this predatory version of christianity has been around.
2) It is perfectly appropriate for pagans and other practitioners of indigenous spiritual systems to engage their Ancestors, goddesses, gods and other spiritual entities to protect themselves and to sustain and grow their connection to the divine through this period of negative christian action. Whether it will have any negative effect is still to be seen. Their work may be inconsequential on the spiritual level, but it may still have socio-political force. And it might do some damage in other ways. Also, separation of church and state is one thing. Separation of spirit and people’s social behavior is another. We need to be driven by the best that our spiritual awarenesses bring to us.
3) I understand that Columbia is a Greek deity (and not much more about her) and am unsure of her relationship to the “USAmerica” as a now indigenous entity. I think the original inhabitants of Turtle Island (who are still here) and their spiritual entities might have something to say about this. If Columbia is being entreated to sustain or uphold particular dynamics of the USAmerica (as opposed to higher ethical considerations), then there may be serious issues with Native Americans and Africans who were crushed in the creation of the USAmerica. Though we as practitioners of indigenous/pagan traditions enjoy some benefits here, quoting slaveholder George Washington or claiming spiritual concern for sustenance of a capitalist state that continues to destroy and undermine the lives of indigenous peoples and traditions across the globe is a major contradiction from my perspective. As pagans and carriers of indigenous medicine from Africa and beyond, we can’t forget the deeper Ancestral call for indigenous soul awareness and respect that the times clearly call for. Pagans can’t set themselves up as a “spiritual class” unaware and unconcerned for other peoples and traditions that have been given Ancestral stewardship over this land upon which the USAmerica was so forcibly and ruthlessly placed. I look forward to finding out more about initiatives to understand and support the particular needs about the other traditions and political realities that have been thrust together here and am grateful still for the pagan call for support to religious plurality.
4) It’s a fine thing to ask goddess to bless (US)America. I haven’t noticed the pagan corollary of Pat Robertson ‘jihad’ evidenced here or any other place, so I’m pretty sure that’s not a major worry.
5) It would be a grave mistake to allow privilege to obscure the larger need for global indigenous unity that the pagan traditions can be a powerful part of. We can’t let DC40 obscure the international imperialistic political dynamic that all this is part of, far beyond the safety of Washington, D.C.. This is an updated version of the ruthless devolutionary energetic of manifest destiny. That political/military endeavor was ultimately destructive to the idea and presence of indigeny, pagan or otherwise and helped to destroy indigeny across the globe. This is really not just about D.C..
May our indigenous Ancestors guide our work and help us to protect all indigenous traditions everywhere, the earth underneath our feet and our freedom to our relationship to the spirits and goddesses/gods of our diverse heritages.
I can only speak to part of this from a personal point of view.
Columbia isn’t a Greek goddess, she is a Goddess of this land. She was here long before we got here and will be here after we are gone. We call her Columbia, in this cycle of the land we live on, who knows if people will call her that a thousand years from now?
Not only is she a goddess of freedom, compassion for others, and a granter of plenty, but she is a goddess that values self-determination. Part of self-determination is having a full understanding of your past, all the good and all the bad, but knowing that you are free to change your future and strive for excellence. The broken chains that Columbia often has depicted around her ankles aren’t just the physical chains of slavery. You can break free of the chains of the past.
So yes, our nation (and every single nation, city, and tribe throughout history) has engaged in war, made mistakes, and also done some pretty amazing things. All of that is part of the history of our country. Those are the decisions of humans and I don’t lay our garbage at the feet of the gods. It’s a bit too much like saying the devil made me do it. When we fall short of the ideals she would have us strive for, that’s all on us.
Cultus of Columbia, along with veneration of my ancestors, is part of my indigenous ethnic religion. Although my use of the word differs from yours, it is my privilege to honor her.
Thank you,caraschulz, I’d like to hear more about Columbia. Again, I have only heard of it as a goddess that existed in the Greek tradition and her name suggests that, that she comes from being experienced by people of European descent. I think it’s important to be clear about the energetics of our reverence and spiritual work. I think it’s also important to acknowledge that this country exists as a colonial power here and is still a challenged political and spiritual reality, no matter how “old” (actually a very young state still), so it’s a spiritual necessity to be clear about how the reverence of Columbia really harmonizes (or not) with the indigenous spiritual (and socio-political) realities of this land, which, again, the USAmerica continues to submerge and subvert, if not fully destroy. Those aren’t “mistakes” per se, though we can clearly see them as such. These are deliberate crimes against spirit and humanity, planned and perpetrated. I would hope the reverence of Columbia would be a really liberating and empowering experience for ALL of the inhabitants, human and spiritual, of Turtle Island. Thanks again for the feedback.
Bullying Religious extremists on the loose. Exactly what our forefathers did not intend and came to this land to escape.
Lillian, I think that is the mistaken impression we get about those “forefathers”. I truly wish those “forefathers” had been carrying their indigenous medicine more deeply or at all…maybe those “forefathers” wouldn’t have tried to wipe out the indigenous people of Turtle Island. It’s tragic that those who reportedly tried to escape religious extremism perpetrated extreme exploitation based on religious imperialism. And now the children of those “forefathers” struggle so hard to reconnect with those embattled indigenous European spiritual traditions.
Rather than reprint everything I just wrote, I will ask folks to read my blog.
http://desultoryphilippic.wordpress.com/2011/09/18/turning-the-other-cheek-just-means-you-get-2-black-eyes/
Hail Columbia!
Talking to my son last night….I got another perspective on this whole thing.
He made me realize how really strange this kinda stuff sounds to folks who are neither Pagan nor this brand of Christian. (and I think it’s Really Important to remember that these are not your average Christian but the real fringe)
When started talking about demons…….he was just astounded. “You’re kidding. Demons? These people are seriously talking about demons in Washington DC?” And he started to laugh.
Which reminded me of the part in the Harry Potter movies when Prof Lupin was Defense Against Dark Arts teacher. And how he taught the kids about the boggart. Remember that? And how what they needed to do was find something funny about what they were fighting (afraid of, in the story. But I think fighting fits better here).
Remember Snape in Nevel’s grandmother’s turkey buzzard hat & dress? Or Ron’s big ole spider……on roller skates?
Laughter clears the air nicely.
Now….I’m not suggesting mean laugh-at laughter. All I’m suggesting is the modern clear light-of-day You’re Kidding Me, Right? kinda laughter. The……Really? Washington DC full of demons? Really? kinda laughter.
And share this strange thing that these folks are doing w/ others.
And…..occultly, shield yourself. Mirror spells, anyone? In addition to bringing this attack on Washington DC to the light & attention of average folks. Cause these people are attacking our capitol. That’s their stated intent.
You have got to be kidding. (good mantra, kwim?)
Helen/Hawk
Quote from article: “The “uncompromising light” refers to a statement released by Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, which says God’s word should be the legal authority in the United States and Christians should acknowledge no other, “no power to purpose or accept any compromise of the promises of God, and we declare illegal in the earth any action or any people, Nation or nations that undertake what is contradictory to the Word of God.” ”
Um…..who is anyone, Christian or otherwise, to “declare illegal in the earth….?” I see a parallel between this statement and that of the Muslim Community that feels all non-believers are infidels – perhaps too strong a statement, yet that’s precisely how I see it. And they wonder why our religion of the Wise Ones is our choice….. ~shakes head, heads to alter to set up to honor Columbia as well….~
Excuse me but witches and pagans don’t curse people. These people show themselves to be who they are, idiots. We send out protective energy and to nullify their evil and turn it into something good. If these people think that pagans curse people then they haven’t met the Satanists. Christians have been attacking pagans for centuries and since all the people they killed were innocent do they really think their deity is going to listen to them. Yeah right.