The authors of a new book say that we need to pray for the wealthy and famous -- just in time to win more souls for the millennium.

ome of them make millions of dollars each year acting in blockbuster hits. Others live well because of their performance on the athletic field, and the business acumen of high-pressured agents. Others control governments, or have their own church. At least one is the richest person in the world.

   And they all deserve our prayers, says a new evangelical devotional book titled "Praying for the World's 365 Most Influential People." According to the Dallas Morning News, the book is "designed for use next year in the daily prayers of Christians," and has the goal of changing the world.

   The list of prayer beneficiaries includes Pope John Paul II, golf great Tiger Woods, Cardinal's slugger Mark McGwire, Fidel Castro, Tom Cruise, Lauryn Hill, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose wealth hovers at nearly $55 billion.

   Some say that this sampling of the rich and powerful have already had their prayers answered for them. What else could they possibly need, at least in this material realm?

   But book editors Larry Wilson and David and Heather Kopp insist that important people need spiritual supplication from others in order to gain compassion and change the world. "We're encouraging our readers to take the next step out of our immediate circle of concern in our own families and communities," said Mr. Kopp. He theorized that an "apparently slight shift in perspective has enormous consequences -- both because of how prayer changes others and because how we pray changes us first."

   The Kopps initiated the Pray 365 Project, first to ascertain who the most influential people in the world might be. Their list swelled to thousands, which was then reduced to 365 -- one for every day of the calendar year. According to the paper, Wilson and the Kopps actually received help and encouragement for their project from the likes of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Dreamworks head David Geffen and Barbara Walters. Some of the people included in the book expressed approval, such as Texas Gov. George Bush who declared that he was "honored and humbled." U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey said he was grateful for being listed, adding "In this job, I need all the prayers I can get."

   The attitude of the book reflects the core of Wilson's and the Kopp's evangelical beliefs. The book is offered by Amazon.com, which says that customers purchasing the work are also drawn to similar offerings by other Christian authors, including doomsdayer Tim Lahaye. Prayers are urged so that the recipients will become more effective in pushing a Christian message, or perhaps change their point of view. "Prayer starters" are urge to pray for the likes of Flip Benham, director of the Operation Rescue antiabortion group. "Pray that progress continues in ways that honor Christ," declares the books entry. Paige Patterson, president of the Southern Baptist Convention is included with the exhortation: "Thank God for Paige Patterson's commitment to the reliability of Scripture." Prayers are also sought for Mr. Armey, that he "be granted God's wisdom in his leadership role in Congress."

   While many of the prayer recipients could already be considered part of the book's ideological camp, some are not. Praying for some folks may be a significant challenge. Prayers are urged for the safety of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife on November 22, 2000. Even more daunting, though, is the section for Mike Judge, the artistic creator of King of the Hill and the Beavis and Butthead characters. Prayers are asked solicited for Mr. Judge on January 25, 2000.

   "Pray that young viewers around the world would learn positive lessons from the negative example of Mike Judge's fictional characters."

    Right, butt-munch.

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