by: Bob Smietana
Jan. 26, 2020 (RNS) — A video clip featuring presidential adviser Paula White praying about “satanic pregnancies” raised eyebrows on social media on Saturday (Jan. 25).

In the video clip, White, who was named special adviser to the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative in November, leads a prayer of protection against spiritual attacks targeting Christians, President Trump and the United States.

“We interrupt that which has been deployed to hurt the church in this season. That which has been deployed to hurt this nation, in the name of Jesus,” White prays in a video clip posted on Twitter by the activist group Right Wing Watch. She goes on to pray against “any strange winds that have been sent against the church, sent against this nation, sent against our president, sent against myself” and other spiritual threats.

One line late in the prayer went viral on social media.

“We command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry right now,” she said.

Presidential spiritual adviser Paula White takes authority over the marine kingdom, the animal kingdom, and all "satanic pregnancies" that seek to harm Trump or the church. pic.twitter.com/pmrJEIxCHk

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) January 24, 2020

The remarks, which were posted online a few days after the annual March for Life, led to questions of whether White was promoting harm against pregnant women.

“No pregnancies are satanic,” wrote author and Catholic priest James Martin on Twitter, in replying to the video.

No pregnancies are satanic. Every child is a gift from God. No one should ever pray for any woman to miscarry. No one should ever pray for evil or harm to befall another person. Jesus asked us to pray for our persecutors, not to curse them. To love our neighbors as ourselves. https://t.co/EZq9BwLV0v

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) January 26, 2020

André Gagné, who teaches religion at Concordia University in Montreal, said White’s sermon clip featured terms commonly used by charismatic Christians to talk about spiritual warfare. Gagné posted a thread on Twitter explaining White’s remarks. Her prayer about “satanic pregnancies” was not about miscarriages, he wrote.

“White is commanding that Satan’s plans be aborted,” he wrote on Twitter.

On Sunday (Jan. 26), White posted a response on Twitter explaining her prayer, saying she was referring to the New Testament’s Letter to the Ephesians, in which the apostle Paul said, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood.”

I don't normally respond but clearly this has been taken out of context. I was praying Eph 6:12 that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Anything that has been conceived by demonic plans, for it to be cancelled and not prevail in your life… https://t.co/tKEUs4muwZ

— Paula White-Cain (@Paula_White) January 26, 2020

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