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Virginia-based Pastor Gary Hamrick is calling for national repentance ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebration at the "Rededicate 250" prayer event on May 17.
“Rededication begins with repentance,” Hamrick, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, told The Christian Post. “Acts 3:19 says, ‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.’ We must turn from our sin and turn to God and stand upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, because He is the only hope for the soul of our nation. Jesus is always the answer.”
Hanrick is among several high-profile speakers at “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, Trump administration members, and prominent megachurch pastors, including Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, and Jentezen Franklin.
Hamrick told CP his concern regarding the nation’s drift from its founding principles on issues such as abortion, marriage, and gender identity.
“We have given in to the lies of gender confusion and marriage redefinition, we have stripped parents of the right to raise their own children according to their values, and we have granted the environment more protection than babies in the womb,” he said. “We must safeguard the freedom to worship the Lord, live fearlessly for Jesus in the public square, and love people enough to speak truth against the destructive and demonic ideologies of our day.”
The pastor contended that the church must be eager to be invoked when the culture disregards Christian principles.
The presence of the Church and the power of the Holy Spirit are the only two forces restraining evil in our world,” he said. “Pastors in the pulpits must be courageous, and Christians in the pews must be engaged so that we can help others understand that they can be transformed by the person and power of Jesus Christ.”
“God has blessed this nation, and churches can serve the nation when they fulfill their sacred duty of honoring God with His truth, praying for our country, and standing strong in the public square with truth and love,” he added.
The all-day event, which is free to the public, will feature Scripture readings, testimonies, prayer, and "rededication of our country as One Nation to God.” It will also be livestreamed through partner churches, ministries, and organizations.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
Originally published May 15, 2026.
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Facts Only
* Pastor Gary Hamrick is based in Virginia.
* Hamrick called for national repentance ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebration.
* The event is called "Rededicate 250" and is a prayer event scheduled for May 17.
* Hamrick cited Acts 3:19 regarding repentance and turning to God.
* Hamrick expressed concern over the nation's drift from founding principles regarding abortion, marriage, and gender identity.
* Hamrick called for safeguarding the freedom to worship, live fearlessly for Jesus in the public square, and speak truth.
* Hamrick contended that the Church and the Holy Spirit are the only forces restraining evil.
* Hamrick urged pastors and Christians to be courageous and engaged.
* The event will feature Hamrick alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, Trump administration members, Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, and Jentezen Franklin.
* The event will include Scripture readings, testimonies, prayer, and a "rededication of our country as One Nation to God."
* The event will be livestreamed through partner churches and ministries.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative constructs an urgent call for spiritual and political realignment, leveraging deeply held religious convictions to frame contemporary social and political debates. Hamrick establishes a moral panic by linking specific cultural shifts (gender identity, marriage redefinition, abortion access) directly to a spiritual failure (sin, demonic ideology). This functions as an appeal to moral authority, positioning the Christian church as the sole repository of truth capable of restraining global evil.
The structure relies on the authority of religious leaders (Hamrick, Jeffress, Graham, Franklin) to validate specific political and social positions, moving the discussion from policy debate into matters of divine command. This is a pattern of authority games, where theological language is deployed not merely to interpret events but to demand specific behavioral change and public discourse. The implication is that secular or pluralistic viewpoints are inherently aligned with "destructive and demonic ideologies."
The underlying pattern is the deployment of fear-based rhetoric—fear of cultural decay and demonic influence—to mobilize a specific audience toward a unified, spiritually defined political action. The absence of engagement with the nuanced reality of political compromise or evolving social consensus suggests a focus on mobilizing ideological certainty rather than fostering genuine intellectual inquiry into the mechanisms of societal change. The request for "repentance" serves as a potent mechanism to bypass critical analysis by invoking immediate, emotional, and spiritual accountability.
Sentinel — Human
The text exhibits the structure and direct quoting typical of human news reporting, focusing on reporting an event and attributed statements rather than generating a broad, synthesized argument.