Concern over Lou Engle's Views as Prayer Summit Comes to Detroit

DETROIT (WJBK) - Lou Engle is leading a prayer summit at Ford Field in Detroit this Friday and Saturday. His controversial remarks about homosexuals have raised concerns from Detroit religious leaders.

Rev. Charles Williams II, pastor of the historic King Solomon Baptist Church, is one of those leaders worried about Engle's views.

"Any man who stands in Uganda and promotes a policy that would kill thousands of homosexuals [there] I think, obviously, is on the outside of what the real call for our Christian mission should actually be," said Williams.

Muslims leaders are concerned about Engle's belief that people of that faith are demonically possessed and require conversion to Christianity. The head of the Council on American Islamic Relations has spoken out against the call session in Detroit.

Meanwhile, Rev. Williams is calling for religious tolerance.

"I don't believe, quite frankly, that the way he goes about his mission in terms of berating Muslims and Islam itself is the way to do that," he said.

Lou Engle says Detroit needs economic and spiritual salvation.

Williams says Engle should concentrate his prayers on his native Minnesota.

"I would say to him that he can go back to Minnesota and spend his time praying in Minnesota, hopefully, that they might be able to be saved also," he told us.

Rev. Williams says he welcomes prayers for Detroit, but not divisive rhetoric.

"I think most of us in the City of Detroit and I think most Christians have much more sense then some of [these] radical religious right values that this guy's promoting," he explained. "We just don't need that kind of politics of deception nor fear here in Detroit."

Engle and representatives of TheCall did not return phone calls for comment.