Supporters of Arizona’s GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake marched seven times around the Maricopa County tallying and election center in Phoenix on Saturday, singing the popular Christian song “Awesome God” while celebrating the Battle of Jericho. was reproduced.

A staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen, Lake said he and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs are on board as the votes are still being tallied as of Sunday afternoon. Like Trump in 2020, Lake began questioning the legitimacy of the election months before the vote took place, suggesting she might not approve.

Right-wing supporters demonstrated on Saturday to show their support for her. As they marched around the ballot-counting center, some held signs suggesting Hobbes and other Democrats were “traitors.” Their demonstration was based on the biblical battle described in the Old Testament Book of Joshua. In this battle, the Israelites marched seven times through the city of Jericho, blowing their horns and shouting loudly. According to the story of Joshua, at that time the walls of the city, which were said to be impenetrable, collapsed, allowing the Israelites to enter and easily conquer the city.

“We are very concerned that our country [is] overturned. The fact of the matter is that we have many reasons to worry. Arizona Republic.

A video clip of the march showed demonstrators singing the modern Christian song “Awesome God.” The song was written by Rich Mullins and first recorded in 1988. Newsweek On Sunday, the deceased Mullins would be disturbed if they knew they were singing in protest.

“Rich Mullins must have been overturned in his grave. I knew how faith was being used in the pursuit of power, no doubt trying to disguise itself as rich Christianity, but being at the forefront of challenging this nationalism that looked and sounded nothing like Jesus. Let’s go,” he said.

In another clip of the demonstration, the lake supporters stand and walk around, and the sound of shofar horns can be heard in the background. Shofar angles have become commonplace in right-wing Christian nationalist rallies in recent years, as many of these events fuel Trump and conspiracy theories about his 2020 election.

Former Trump National Security Advisor and retired U.S. General Michael Flynn has been a key figure in the Christian nationalist movement for the past few years. Throughout his ReAwaken America event, Flynn and other Trump supporters have portrayed Democrats and moderate Republicans as working with the forces of evil. At several events, speakers predict that top Democrats and some prominent Republicans will die before the end of the year.

Faithful America Executive Director Reverend Nathan Empsole said: Newsweek On Sunday, he said, “The greatest threat to democracy and the Church today is Christian nationalism.”

“It focuses not on following the gospel, but on exploiting religious symbolism to seize power for believers, even if it means subverting the will of the electorate. Christian has absolutely nothing to do with intimidating electoral officials at work,” he said.

Empsole added, “Reenacting the Battle of Jericho is particularly troubling given the subtle threat of political violence.”

Heather Thompson Day, a Christian writer and associate professor at Andrews University, said: Newsweek Jesus said many times, “His kingdom was not of this world.”

“He was not interested in establishing a worldly royal government. He was only concerned with spiritual governance and the submission of a heart of love to God and to one another,” she said. “If you believe the Bible, Jesus seems to be warning Christians that the end is near when the church seeks to join forces with governments to control its citizens.”

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said Arizona Republic That the demonstrators are keeping “peace”. But he also cautioned against rally messages that public officials and politicians use to revitalize their followers.

“They had a purpose, stayed within bounds and left in a reasonable amount of time,” he said. “If you’re an elected official and you’re doing something that could lead to violence or a crime to get a crowd out here, we’ll put you at the top of the crime report. You can’t just put it in and sue it, but I think you should send an invoice.”

According to the Associated Press, Hobbs led Lake by 1.4% as of Sunday afternoon, with about 88% of the vote. Democrats now get about 50.7% of the vote compared to his 49.3% for his Republican rival. Although the narrow race was not called, Hobbs has consistently maintained a narrow lead over his Republican opponents throughout most of his tallying process.

Other statewide elections for the Arizona Senate and Secretary of State are already being called in favor of the Democrats. Attorney General elections, like governor elections, remain all too closely contested.