Leading Christian Hard-Liner Calls for Military Takeover in U.S.
Rick Joyner, one of the leading lights of the Christian Dominionist movement, that , and that the nation鈥檚 only hope, in light of the looming 鈥渢yranny鈥 of the Obama administration, is 鈥渁 military takeover 鈥 martial law.鈥
Said Joyner: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way our Republic can last much longer. It may not last through Obama鈥檚 second term. There are a lot of people who feel that it can鈥檛. That there are forces right now that are seeking to undermine and to destroy the Republic. There鈥檚 almost a glib and almost a joyful disregard of the Constitution and belittling of the Constitution. We can鈥檛 make it without that. It鈥檚 our foundation, our moorings. We鈥檙e headed for serious tyranny鈥
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e been used in some wonderful and powerful ways by God. We鈥檝e been one of the most generous nations in history. We鈥檝e done so much good. And that鈥檚 why I appeal to the Lord: 鈥楧on鈥檛 let us be totally destroyed, please raise up those who will save us!鈥 And as I鈥檝e started telling friends for a long time, no election is going to get the right person in there that鈥檚 going to restore us, because the system is so broken, so undermined right now, the whole system.
鈥淚 believe our only hope is a military takeover 鈥 martial law.鈥
One of the more disturbing aspects of this pronouncement is the fact that Joyner 鈥 who heads up the dominionist , which seeks out 鈥淐hristian leaders鈥 and then tries to place them within the halls of government, including the military 鈥 is also a close associate of retired Gen. Jerry Boykin.
Boykin is best remembered as the general who, while helping to oversee the invasion of Iraq, told an audience that Islamic extremists hated the United States "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christians. ... And the enemy is a guy named Satan." (Boykin also told another audience that he tracked down an Islamic terrorist successfully because 鈥淚 knew that my God was bigger than his.") More recently, he has gained attention for claiming that President Obama is secretly plotting a Marxist takeover of America .
叠辞测办颈苍鈥檚 of Joyner鈥檚 Oak Initiative. He regularly broadcasts a TV program under the auspices of the Initiative, and has appeared in public and on TV with Joyner many times.
In one of these, they were joined by Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council 鈥 where Boykin in 2012 鈥 in a discussion of how to get ordinary Christians involved in 鈥渢he battle that America鈥檚 in today鈥, and to form a modern-day Spartan army, declaring 鈥淢olon Labe鈥 (鈥淐ome and take them鈥): 鈥淲ell, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm at the point now where I am ready to say 'Molon labe!' to those in Washington, to those in the special interest groups that want to take my liberties, that want to rob my grandchildren of the ability to have the kind of America that I grew up in. I'm at the point where I'm saying, 'Molon labe!鈥
However, even if Boykin agrees with Joyner that a military coup is what鈥檚 needed to save America, it is worth keeping in mind that it appears Boykin 鈥 who at one time was the nation鈥檚 deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence 鈥 now has very little influence within the Pentagon. He was, after all, for his remarks about Islam.聽 More recently, .
Joyner is not the first conservative to suggest a military coup as a means to overthrow President Obama. In , while discussing the military coup that had just occurred in Honduras, Rush Limbaugh semi-jokingly suggested that our own military leaders should follow suit, since Obama was 鈥渄oing everything he could to ensure the defeat of the U.S. military,鈥 later adding: 鈥淎nd if we had any good luck, Honduras would send some people here and help us get our government back.鈥
Limbaugh鈥檚 show is broadcast daily on Armed Services Radio.