New Apostolic Reformation
![]() | It has been suggested that Apostolic-Prophetic Movement be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2024. |
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a theological belief and movement that combines elements of Pentecostalism, evangelicalism and the Seven Mountain Mandate to advocate for spiritual warfare to bring about Christian dominion over all aspects of society, and end or weaken the separation of church and state. NAR leaders often call themselves apostles and prophets. Long a fringe movement of the American Christian right, it has been characterized as "one of the most important shifts in Christianity in modern times." The NAR's prominence and power have increased since the 2016 election of Donald Trump as US president. Theology professor André Gagné, author of a 2024 book on the movement, has characterized it as "inherently political" and said it threatens to "subvert democracy." Many notable American Republican politicians such as Mike Johnson,[1] Doug Mastriano,[2] Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert[2] and activists such as Charlie Kirk[2] have aligned with it.[3][4][5][6]
History and reach
[edit]American missiologist, theologian, and "church growth guru"[7] C. Peter Wagner was the founder of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and coiner of the term itself.[2][8]
The name New Apostolic Reformation and whether it constitutes a distinct movement is the subject of some controversy.[9] Some scholars also use the terms Independent Network Charismatic (INC) or Apostolic-Prophetic Movement to refer to the NAR. Sociologists Brad Christerson and Richard Flory argue that the NAR is part of the INC, but there is enough difference that not all INC groups would fall under the NAR.[10][8]
Primarily "influenced and driven by North American evangelicals,"[11] the NAR is rooted in the Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity movements: namely, the first-wave Pentecostalism of the 1900s, the Latter Rain movement of the 1940s, the second-wave Charismatic Christianity of the 1960s through 1980s, and the Shepherding movement of the 1970s and 1980s. The NAR has been described as taking the restorationism, dominionism, and "end-times revival" focus of the Latter Rain movement – thought to lead to a new Christian influence on the world – and the authoritarian nature of the Shepherding movement, described as "a kind of pyramid of power and accountability whereby authority (usually male) would flow down from a leading national (or global) figure to local pastors, and even through a chain of pastoral command between congregants".[12][7][13]
Described as a "born networker", Wagner was involved in a number of missions and church growth organizations and a charter member of the Evangelical Lausanne movement focused on evangelism.[14] Starting in the early 1980s, Wagner was a professor in Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where his influence grew. A "key disciple" of Vineyard Church founder John Wimber, who focused on exercising spiritual gifts such as prophecy and miracles, Wagner initially emphasized spiritual gifts as well, holding "Signs, Wonders and Church Growth" courses at Fuller Seminary along with Wimber. Wagner saw the growth of independent Charismatic churches in the 1980s – including in Latin America and Africa and combining elements of indigenous cosmologies; Wagner termed the new neo-charismatic movement the "Third Wave".[15][16][17][18] As the movement developed and Wagner's views were changed through his connection with Wimber, Wagner's focus would later shift to spiritual warfare and exorcism. The neo-charismatic movement – as opposed to traditional Pentecostal belief, which focused on individual demonic oppression – developed a theology of regions being controlled by specific demons termed territorial spirits. Wagner helped popularize the concept. Though spiritual warfare had not been of significant importance in evangelical theology, his Spiritual Warfare Network of the 1980s and 1990s profoundly and quickly impacted broader evangelical belief on the matter.[2][19]
In 1996, Wagner organized a convention with 500 evangelical leaders, the National Symposium on the Postdenominational Church, including the organization of the church and evangelization, at Fuller Seminary. It addressed the changing organizational forms Wagner saw in churches, which he considered a radical paradigm shift. He then coined the term New Apostolic Reformation to refer to the new movement.[20][21] Over time, the term New Apostolic Reformation gained prominence over the previous Third Wave.[22]
The same year, Wagner published Confronting the Powers: How the New Testament Church Experienced the Power of Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare and Engaging the Enemy, in which he discussed spiritual warfare on multiple levels.[8] Starting in the late 1990s and through the mid-2000s, the NAR began to absorb the spiritual mapping movement, which had started in 1989 at the Evangelical Second International Congress on World Evangelization, and which focused on on-site prayer campaigns to battle demons in specific areas.[23]
As the fastest growing group "within or on the periphery of American Christianity" since the 1980s, the New Apostolic Reformation has rapidly gained religious and political influence in the United States.[13] In 2015, it was estimated that churches openly part of the NAR were attended by 3,000,000 Americans;[24][25] some estimates as of 2020[update] claim an "[influence on] approximately thirty-three million adherents in the United States", though this number is disputed.[13]
The movement is global, growing in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.[24][22] American missionaries introduced New Apostolic thought and spiritual warfare practices to Haitian pastors and seminarians during the first presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and again following the 2010 Haiti earthquake through transnational missionary networks.[26] In addition, the NAR's beliefs have a global reach through Trinity Broadcasting Network, an international Christian television network, which "regularly promotes the teachings of the NAR" in its programming.[27]
Beliefs
[edit]The title New Apostolic Reformation is descriptive of a theological movement and is not an organization and therefore does not have formal membership, though some of the organizations belonging to the movement have a system of membership, and, at times, overlapping leadership.[28] Among those in the movement that inspired the title NAR, there is a wide range of variance on specific beliefs. Those within the movement hold to their denominational interpretations of the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit within each believer. Unlike some parts of Protestant Christianity, these include the direct revelation of Christ to each believer, prophecy, and the performance of miracles such as healing.[clarification needed] This movement has also been given the descriptive title "Third Wave of the Holy Spirit".[29]
Although the movement regards the church as the true body of saved believers, as does most of evangelical Protestantism, it differs from the broader Protestant tradition in its view on the nature of church leadership, specifically the doctrine of five-fold ministry, which is based upon a non-traditional interpretation of Ephesians 4:11, the so called-"apostles and prophets", evangelists, pastors (also referred to as the shepherds), and teachers.[30][8] Wagner considered 2000–2001 to be the beginning of the second apostolic age and that the lost offices of prophet and apostle were restored around that time.[31][32]
Scholar Matthew Taylor describes the NAR's leadership in contrast with other forms of local church governance, in which churches are run by either an episcopal hierarchy, authoritarian pastor, or democratic system such as a church board. Rather, the movement's shared authority among the apostles and prophets is what he terms a "spiritual oligarchy".[33] This leadership sees itself as having the divine authority and spiritual power – used in spiritual warfare – to "advance God's earthly kingdom so that Christ can return."[24] Made up of networks of apostles and prophets and networks of churches, Wagner saw the movement as the "most radical change in how churches operate since the Protestant Reformation." These "relational networks", as opposed to a church bureaucratic system, were part of the previous Latter Rain movement.[4][10] Biola University theology professor R. Douglas Geivett and writer Holly Pivec, who have written three books on the movement, described the movement's promises in God's Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement:
If you submit to their leadership, then you too will work mighty miracles. You'll become part of a great end-time army that will bring about a world revival and cleanse the earth of evil by calling down hailstones, fire and the other judgments of God described in the New Testament book of Revelation.[24]
Those in opposition, seen to include much of the US federal government and the Democratic Party, are viewed as being subject to demonic forces.[24][34]
The Seven Mountain Mandate (7M) is another aspect of NAR belief,[4][24] which states that Christians should take over multiple aspects ("mountains") of society: family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government.[35][36]
Prominent NAR believer Lance Wallnau, who has asserted Donald Trump was "anointed" to be president, has promoted 7M combined with spiritual warfare against perceived demonic spirits.[37] Wallnau told followers in 2011:
If you're talking to a secular audience you don't talk about having dominion over them. This whole idea of taking over and that language of takeover, it doesn't actually help. It's good for preaching to the choir and it's shorthand if we interpret it right, but it's very bad for media."[4]
Theology professor Andre Gagné asserts the Seven Mountain Mandate is more of a strategic marketing tool to mobilize NAR adherents than a theology.[4]
Wagner defined three kinds of strategic spiritual warfare to defeat territorial spirits controlling people or areas: prayer walking in groups through demon-controlled areas, large prayer marches to an area where a rally is held, and prayer journeys in which spiritual warriors travel to "powerful 'spiritual strongholds'". Those in the movement, including Wagner himself, have undertaken journeys to spiritual stronghold areas, such as climbing Mount Everest in 1997 ("Operation Ice Castle") to pray against the "Queen of Heaven" or "Mother of the Universe", believed to be the demon underlying Catholicism's concept of Mary, mother of Jesus.[38][39][40] Strategic spiritual warfare also often aims at opening the 10/40 Window, a region defined in Christian missiology as having low socioeconomic status and little access to the gospel.[41][38] NAR believers claim there is demonic control of a number of other areas, including Utah (due to its high population of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints members), and Detroit, Michigan (due to the city's large Muslim population).[42] In US politics, televangelist Paula White, chair of the evangelical advisory board in the Trump administration, called for "every demonic network that is aligned itself against the purpose, against the calling of President Trump, let it be broken, let it be torn down in the name of Jesus." Gagné, author of the 2024 book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times, asserts White's high-profile platform contributed to the "mainstreaming of spiritual warfare" against "demonic forces in the world that have sometimes taken over their political enemies."[4] Media Matters reported in January 2024 that former Trump strategic advisor Steve Bannon often spoke of a "spiritual war" that characterized Democrats as "demons."[43]
Many NAR adherents have adopted the Appeal to Heaven Flag from the American Revolutionary War that symbolized seeking authority from a power higher than the British king. NAR leaders such as Dutch Sheets popularized the flag to symbolize Christian nationalism, and many participants in the January 6 attack were seen carrying it. André Gagné asserts the NAR symbolism of the flag "has completely turned" from the original meaning, to now "support the idea that Trump should be president, that he's chosen by God." The flag is displayed outside Speaker Mike Johnson's Capitol Hill office, and has flown at the New Jersey vacation home of United States Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito.[5][1][44][45]
Dutch Sheets, who asserts he is an NAR apostle, has long advocated the end of separation of church and state, co-authoring a 2022 "Watchman Decree" that states "we, the Church, are God's governing Body on the earth."[46] During a summer 2022 livestreamed service, Sheets prayed over congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who identifies as a Christian nationalist, concluding, "You are highly favored, you will not fail, in Jesus' name, Amen!"[47] House Speaker Mike Johnson said in November 2023 that the "separation of church and state is a misnomer" because the Founders "did not want the government to encroach upon the church—not that they didn't want principles of faith to have influence on our public life. It's exactly the opposite."[48] Speaking at a religious service in summer 2022, congresswoman Lauren Boebert said:
The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church. That is not how our Founding Fathers intended it. I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk that's not in the Constitution. It was in a stinking letter, and it means nothing like what they say it does.[49]
NPR characterizes the Michael Flynn ReAwaken America Tour as "part conservative Christian revival, part QAnon expo and part political rally." Anthea Butler, chair of the University of Pennsylvania religious studies department, asserts the prophecies and charismatic preaching at ReAwaken events can be traced to NAR. Flynn, a former Army lieutenant general and Trump national security advisor, said at a November 2021 event that "If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion. One nation under God and one religion under God, right?" At one event, Trump confidant Roger Stone asserted there is a visible "satanic portal" over the Biden White House that must be closed by prayer. At another event, self-declared prophet Julie Green claimed God had spoken to her that "These are the days for you to control the governments of this earth. God said he can take this country back in unconventional ways. He doesn't need an election to do it."[50][51][52]
Bible translation
[edit]Brian Simmons is a NAR apostle and the author of The Passion Translation, which he asserts Jesus Christ personally commissioned him to translate from the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible into new scripture in 2009. He added that he had been transported to meet Jesus in an immense library in heaven. Pivec, who has co-authored three books on the NAR, writes that the translation has been endorsed by several NAR leaders, and many in the movement use it as their primary Bible. She adds that Simmons is the sole author of the translation and he has not disclosed the editors and scholars he says have reviewed his work. Pivec and her co-author, Geivett, assert the translation contains "completely reworded verses, making it appear that the Bible supports NAR teachings." Bible scholars say the Simmons book does not meet the rigorous standards of a translation but rather functions as a paraphrase. BibleGateway, an evangelical Christian website providing access to 232 versions of the Bible in 74 languages, removed The Passion Translation from its site in February 2022.[53][54][55][56]
Associated people
[edit]Few, if any, organizations publicly espouse connection to the NAR, though there are numerous public individuals associated with it, including:
- Brian Simmons, founder of Stairway Ministries and Passion and Fire Ministries, author of The Passion Translation[24]
- Jim Garlow, former senior pastor of Skyline Church[57]
- Lou Engle, founder of TheCall[58]
- Bill Johnson, senior leader of Bethel Church, has been called part of the movement;[4][24] he states, however, that the church has no official connection[59]
- Guillermo Maldonado, co-founder and senior pastor of El Rey Jesús[60]
- Rick Joyner, founder of MorningStar Ministries[4][24]
- Mike Bickle, founder of International House of Prayer[4]
- John P. Kelly, founder of John P. Kelly Ministries and Convening Apostle[61]
- C. Peter Wagner, founder of Global Harvest Ministries, who coined the term New Apostolic Reformation[30]
- Ché Ahn, Harvest International Ministries; an asserted NAR apostle[2]
- Todd White, Lifestyle Christianity[62]
- Faytene Grasseschi, Canadian conservative activist and broadcaster[63]
- Cindy Jacobs, cofounder of Generals International[64]
- Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives[5][1]
- Dutch Sheets, founder of Dutch Sheets Ministries and asserted apostle[5][65]
- Lance Wallnau, an asserted apostle[2]
- Michael Flynn, Republican former Trump national security advisor, whose ReAwaken America Tour is sponsored by NAR proponent Charisma News[66][2]
- Alice Patterson, leader of Justice at the Gate, who has characterized the Democratic party as a demon structure[30]
- Tom Parker, Republican chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court[67]
- Doug Mastriano, 2022 Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania[2]
- Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican congresswoman[2]
- Lauren Boebert, Republican congresswoman[2]
- Roger Stone, Republican political advisor[2]
- Charlie Kirk, Republican leader of Turning Point USA[2]
- Thomas Muthee, Kenyan apostle[68][69]
- Jan-Aage Torp, head of European Apostolic Leaders, an organization founded by Wagner[28]
- Ana Méndez Ferrell, "general of spiritual warfare" under Wagner and leader of spiritual mapping operations[70][41][71]
After being named as part of the NAR, and critics believing that Bethel Church was instrumental in leading some Christians to embrace tenets of NAR, Pastor Bill Johnson of Bethel became regularly listed as an NAR leader. Johnson confirmed that he does believe in the apostolic and prophetic ministries; he denied, however, in an official statement that his church had any official ties to the NAR.[59] Johnson and NAR apostle Lance Wallnau co-wrote the 2013 book Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate.[72]
When Rick Joyner of MorningStar Ministries was listed, he announced that "there will likewise be a horde of false apostles released", continuing: "Our team received two very specific dreams warning about false 'apostolic movements' that were built more on organization than relationship. The dreams indicated that these were trying to bring forth apostles that were really more like corporate CEOs, and the movement that they led had the potential to do great damage to the church. The enemy's intent with this false apostolic movement was to have the church develop a deep revulsion to anything that was called apostolic."[73][non-primary source needed]
In 2022, the Victory Channel, owned by prosperity gospel televangelist Kenneth Copeland, launched the program FlashPoint, hosted by Gene Bailey, a pastor at Copeland's Texas church. The NAR-aligned program has the appearance of a cable news show, though reporting is delivered by prophets. Bailey's website asserts the show's programming is delivered "under the anointing," meaning that its hosts and guests speak for God. Pentecostal preachers constitute its primary guests, notably Lance Wallnau and Omaha pastor Hank Kunneman. Donald Trump has appeared on the program six times; other guests have included Michael Flynn, Charlie Kirk, Jeanine Pirro, Steve Bannon, Glenn Beck and Chaya Raichik. FlashPoint told viewers that criminal indictments against Trump were "against the purposes of God" and represented a "battle between good versus evil." Bailey has said, "We do have an agenda, and that is I am a Christo-fascist, Christian nationalist." Media Matters reported that at an August 2022 FlashPoint Live event, Dutch Sheets led Bailey, Wallnau and Kunneman in reciting the Watchman Decree with a live audience, declaring that "we have been given legal power and authority from Heaven" and "delegated by Him to destroy every attempted advance of the enemy." The show launched a seven-stop FlashPoint Live roadshow in support of Trump in February 2024.[74][75][76][35]
Coverage, controversy, and criticism
[edit]The NAR first drew national attention in the United States in the midst of Alaskan governor Sarah Palin's 2008 vice presidential campaign,[25] when a 2005 video surfaced of her being prayed for at Wasilla Assemblies of God church by Kenyan NAR apostle Thomas Muthee. Anthea Butler notes that "by praying for favor and for the use of her to turn the nation around, Muthee, like many in Wagner's leadership, understood that she was trying to get to a mountain of power. The prayer format asking for righteousness in the state and nation means that Palin is the person who can bring it, who has been anointed by God for that task. Muthee's prayer is an interesting artifact in understanding how Palin considered her 'destiny'; that she has been set apart, called by God." Including a request for protection from witchcraft – "alien to contemporary American culture"[77] – the event was covered in the media. One scholar noted the video "seemed to reveal a well-kept secret: a prominent politician running for vice-president of the United States secretly fighting a hidden war against the Evil One in the here and now of American civilization."[77] Wagner expressed concern that negative coverage of Palin's ties to the NAR may have led to the campaign's loss.[69][78]
In 2011, discussion about the political influence of the NAR was again brought to a national audience.[25] Lou Engle and Don Finto, who are considered to be leaders within the NAR, participated in a prayer event called "The Response" hosted by former Texas governor Rick Perry, on August 6, 2011, in Houston, Texas. This event is cited as a sign of the influence of NAR beliefs on Rick Perry's political viewpoints. It was covered by National Public Radio and other media outlets.[29][79][69] Forrest Wilder, senior editor for the Texas Observer, describes the New Apostolic Reformation as having "taken Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on ecstatic worship and the supernatural, and given it an adrenaline shot." Wilder adds that beliefs of people associated with the movement "can tend toward the bizarre" and that it has "taken biblical literalism to an extreme."[29]
In 2013, Paul Rosenberg called the NAR "America's Own Taliban" in an article highlighting the NAR's dominionism as bearing resemblance to Islamic extremism as seen in groups such as the Taliban because of the NAR's language concerning a form of prayer called spiritual warfare.[80]
In 2022, Matthew Taylor, a scholar of Protestantism at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, released an audio documentary on the movement's connection to the January 6 attack, entitled Charismatic Revival Fury.[81] Taylor asserts that NAR is "the backbone ... of Christian Trumpism." He argues it was "seen as fringy, was seen as the realm of hucksters, seen as kind of low-brow and populist and extremist" before Trump recruited it in 2016 to rally evangelical support for his campaign. Taylor asserts NAR is difficult to track due to its intentional anti-institutional, decentralized "mesh network" of influencers on the internet. Taylor says radicalized NAR spiritual warfare adherents believe entire cities and institutions are possessed by demonic spirits (territorial spirits) that can be defeated only by the presence of large numbers of Christians. In the weeks preceding the January 6 attack, self-proclaimed NAR apostles such as Dutch Sheets told followers they needed to be at the Capitol to ensure Trump would remain president. Sheets met with Trump administration officials at the White House days before the Capitol attack. In addition, four of the six protest permits that day were issued to "NAR-affiliated charismatic church groups."[82][83][81] Similarly, André Gagné states, "a lot of NAR people just embrace the Big Lie" based on messages from the movement's prophets.[81]
Politico reported in February 2024 that Russell Vought, a leader of Project 2025—a group closely aligned with Trump that created an expansive blueprint for the next Republican presidency—was spearheading plans to instill Christian nationalism into that presidency.[6] One of the story authors, Heidi Przybyla, later said in a television interview, in part:
Remember when Trump ran in 2016, a lot of the mainline Evangelicals wanted nothing to do with the divorced real estate mogul who had cheated on his wife with a porn star and all of that, right? So what happened was he was surrounded by this more extremist element. You're going [to] hear words like 'Christian nationalism,' like the 'New Apostolic Reformation.' These are groups that you should get very, very schooled on because they have a lot of power in Trump's circle.
Vought and several others criticized Przybyla on X for her televised remarks, which she said they had misunderstood.[84]
Dartmouth College professor Jeff Sharlet is the author of the 2023 The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. After years traveling to meet with Trump supporters, he writes that his initial "objections to describing militant Trumpism as fascist have fallen away."[85] He asserts Project 2025 is influenced by NAR. Sharlet contends that the Project's first mandate to 'restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children' "is Q-coded—it's 'protect the blood,' it's the 14 words, it's all this stuff."[86]
Writing in The Atlantic, Stephanie McCrummen reported in March 2024 that Frederick Clarkson, who has studied the Christian right for decades, "considers the NAR to be one of the most important shifts in Christianity in modern times." Clarkson said "Christian nationalism is a handy term, but it is a box into which NAR does not quite fit” because the movement is "so much bigger than that." McCrummen wrote:
This [NAR] language, which can be mystifying to those not steeped in it, is commonly categorized as fundamentalism or Christian nationalism. But those terms do not adequately capture the scope and ambitions of the rapidly growing charismatic Christian movement with which [Tom Parker] has publicly associated himself—a world of megachurches, modern-day apostles and prophets, media empires, worship bands, and millions of followers that is becoming the most aggressive faction of the Christian right and the leading edge of charismatic Christianity worldwide.[67]
Conservative Christians have critiqued the movement for its unorthodox beliefs.[87] Holly Pivec, co-author with Biola University theology professor Douglas Geivett of Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church, says many Pentecostals and Charismatics are concerned that the NAR movement is inconsistent with historical Christian teachings. She asserts, "They're not just promoting the miraculous gifts, they're actually promoting the offices of apostle and prophet—these authoritative offices that all others are supposed to submit to." Pivec asserts some modern Christian churches "promote novel teachings and practices that do not have the support of Scripture" and that "NAR teachings and practices have divided families, split churches, stunted the spiritual growth of believers, and left countless Christians disillusioned by promises of healing and miraculous power that haven't panned out."[88][89]
Marvin Olasky, former longtime editor of the evangelical magazine World, says that American evangelicalism is fracturing in real time, between a faction that embraces pluralism, other faiths and democracy, and one that advocates governance by strict biblical law "by any means necessary." He added, "I have to say that compassionate conservatism is out of business these days, and in a sense, cruel conservatism is ascendant." NPR reported the "any means necessary" faction has a direct line to House Speaker Mike Johnson due to his close ties to NAR leaders such as Jim Garlow.[5]
The movement has been compared by multiple scholars to other extremist conspiracy groups. Scholar Steve Snow argues that the "NAR represents what Richard Hofstadter referred to as the modern paranoid style in American politics" characterized by the John Birch Society (JBS). The NAR – similarly to the JBS's labeling of president Dwight D. Eisenhower as a communist agent – has stated president Barack Obama is a "treasonous Muslim".[90] Likewise, Anthea Butler says the messaging at ReAwaken America events of election denialism, vaccine conspiracy theories and anti-government sentiment has been largely embraced by the Republican Party.[50] Butler and Matthew Taylor find that the NAR movement garners little attention in the press, noting its violent rhetoric. Butler states, "All the talk you hear about demonic stuff, about violent stuff—people should take that very seriously."[91] Snow contends that there is significant overlap between these extremist and more mainstream groups, stating that the primary difference between the conspiracy theories believed by groups such as the Christian Coalition and the Moral Majority and those of is that extremists "take the violent rhetoric more seriously".[92]
Michael Flynn has told ReAwaken America attendees that they are engaged in a political and spiritual war. Mark Clatterbuck, associate professor of religion at Montclair State University, described an October 2022 ReAwaken event he attended as a MAGA-driven "seething groundswell of spiritually sanctioned incitement to violence that was impossible to ignore." He wrote the event was "saturated" with war imagery, as well as preachers engaged in violent religious rhetoric. Clatterbuck added that leaders aligned with NAR are "driven by a prophetic certainty that God is commanding them to establish a militant Christian theocracy in the United States."[93][94][95]
Researcher Bruce Wilson asserts he has identified well-funded programs designed "to obscure, to confuse and confound reporters and journalists and academics who are writing about and discussing dominionist Christianity." André Gagné argues that NAR's "strength is that they're stealth" and that the media "has a very important role to play in speaking about this movement and how it will use the levers of democracy to eventually subvert democracy."[4]
One scholar, noting the prevalence of Wagner's spiritual warfare teachings in Singapore, describes the belief's potential for divisiveness in a multicultural society where the deities of neighboring non-Christians are seen as "cultural ethnic demons".[38]
In media
[edit]NAR beliefs have been part of evangelical, and particularly charismatic Christian, media. By the mid-to-late 1980s, Christian author Frank Peretti's novels featuring spiritual battles, territorial spirits, and demonology – seen as spiritual reality portrayed in fictional settings – found popularity among evangelicals; Wagner considered them the best depiction of real-world spiritual warfare. Scholar Damon T. Berry argues that the "presence of imagined enemies [threatening] to destroy Christianity and America added to Trump's appeal" to evangelicals, issues NAR prophecies were believed to address.[96]
See also
[edit]- Apostolic-Prophetic Movement
- Book of Revelation
- Christian fascism
- Christian nationalism
- Christian reconstructionism
- Eschatology
- Millenarianism
- Millennialism
- Prayer warrior
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Olmstead, Molly (January 6, 2024). "The Radical Evangelicals Who Helped Push Jan. 6 to Wage War on "Demonic Influence"". Slate. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Hardy, Elle (August 23, 2022). "The Right-Wing Christian Sect Plotting a Political Takeover". The New Republic.
- ^ Gross, Terry (August 11, 2011). "The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual Warfare (Interview of Rachel Tabachnick)". Fresh Air. National Public Radio.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rosenberg, Paul (January 2, 2024). "Meet the New Apostolic Reformation, cutting edge of the Christian right". Salon.com.
- ^ a b c d e Davis, Susan (November 15, 2023). "Speaker Johnson's close ties to Christian right — both mainstream and fringe". National Public Radio.
- ^ a b Ward, Alexander; Przybyla, Heidi (February 20, 2024). "Trump allies prepare to infuse 'Christian nationalism' in second administration". Politico. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Maiden, John (November 6, 2023). "What is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)?". Premier Christianity. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Resane, Kelebogile (April 8, 2016). "The New Apostolic Reformation: The critical reflections of the ecclesiology of Charles Peter Wagner". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 72 (3). doi:10.4102/hts.v72i3.3240. ISSN 2072-8050.
- ^ Holvast 2008, p. 115.
- ^ a b Christerson, Brad; Flory, Richard (April 27, 2017). "The Rise of 'Independent Network Charismatic' Christianity". The Rise of Network Christianity: How Independent Leaders Are Changing the Religious Landscape. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190635671.003.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-063567-1.
- ^ Baker 2021, p. 3.
- ^ Weaver 2016, p. 19.
- ^ a b c Sears 2022, p. 81.
- ^ Holvast 2008, p. 67.
- ^ Burgess, Stanley M.; van der Maas, Eduard M., eds. (2003). The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. pp. 15–18. ISBN 9780310224815. OCLC 62596740.
- ^ Fer, Yannick (2016). "La théologie du 'combat spirituel': Globalisation autochtonie et politique en milieu pentecôtiste/charismatique". In Garcia-Ruiz, J.; Michel, P. (eds.). Néo-pentecôtismes (in French). Labex Tepsis. pp. 52–64.
- ^ Heaton Anderson, Allan (February 1, 2013). "Charisma and Faith". To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity. Oxford University Press. pp. 202–223. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195386431.003.0008. ISBN 978-0-19-538643-1.
- ^ Baker 2021, p. 59.
- ^ Baker 2021, pp. 62–63, 92–93.
- ^ Weaver 2016, p. 87.
- ^ Laitinen 2014, p. 9.
- ^ a b Baker 2021, p. 2.
- ^ Holvast 2008, pp. xi, 58–59, 117.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Geivett, R. Douglas; Pivec, Holly (December 2014). "A New 'Reformation' That Many Don't Realize They've Joined". God's Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement. Weaver – via Biola University.
- ^ a b c Snow 2016, p. 2.
- ^ McAlister, Elizabeth A. (2014-01-01). "Possessing the Land for Jesus". Spirited Things: The Work of "Possession" in Black Atlantic Religions: 179–184.
- ^ Snow 2016, p. 3.
- ^ a b Snow 2016, p. 8.
- ^ a b c Wilder, Forrest (2 August 2011). "Rick Perry's Army of God". Texas Observer. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ^ a b c "A Leading Figure In The New Apostolic Reformation (Interview of C. Peter Wagner)". Fresh Air. National Public Radio. October 3, 2011.
- ^ Laitinen 2014, p. 92.
- ^ Holvast 2008, p. 82.
- ^ Taylor, Matthew (December 12, 2022). Charismatic Revival Fury: Modern-Day Apostles and the Spiritual Oligarchy (Podcast). Axis Mundi Media.
- ^ Snow 2016, p. 6.
- ^ a b Lehmann, Chris (April 15, 2024). "The Trump Revival". The Nation. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Ladner, Keri (November 2022). "The quiet rise of Christian dominionism". Christian Century.
- ^ Boorstein, Michelle (November 5, 2022). "In existential midterm races, Christian prophets become GOP surrogates". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c DeBernardi, Jean (2008). "Global Christian Culture and the Antioch of Asia". Religious diversity in Singapore. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-230-754-5 – via Google Books.
- ^ Snow 2016, p. 12.
- ^ Holvast 2008, pp. 78–79.
- ^ a b "About Ana Méndez Ferrell". Voice of The Light. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ Snow 2016, pp. 11, 12.
- ^ Armstrong, Payton (January 11, 2024). "Steve Bannon is using right-wing religious rhetoric about "spiritual warfare" against "demonic" Democrats". Media Matters.
- ^ Otten, Tori (1 November 2022). "Why Is Mike Johnson Flying a Christian Nationalist Flag Outside His Office?". The New Republic. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Jodi Kantor; Aric Toler; Julie Tate (May 22, 2024). "Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home". The New York Times.
- ^ McCrummen, Stephanie (June 20, 2023). "The Woman Who Bought a Mountain for God". The Atlantic.
She soon began listening to an influential South Carolina apostle named Dutch Sheets, who had for years advocated an end to Church-state separation and co-authored something called the "Watchman Decree," a kind of pledge of allegiance that included the phrase "we, the Church, are God's governing Body on the earth."
- ^ Draper, Robert (October 17, 2022). "The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene". The New York Times.
- ^ Shabad, Rebecca (November 14, 2023). "Speaker Mike Johnson says separation of church and state is a 'misnomer'". NBC News.
- ^ Suliman, Adela; Bella, Timothy (June 28, 2022). "GOP Rep. Boebert: 'I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk'". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Hagen, Lisa (November 3, 2022). "The ReAwaken America Tour unites conservative Christians and conspiracy theorists". National Public Radio.
- ^ Stone, Peter (June 14, 2022). "Roger Stone and Michael Flynn under fire over rallies 'distorting Christianity'". The Guardian.
- ^ Thompson, Sophie (April 27, 2023). "Maga 'prophet' predicts Bill and Hillary Clinton are about to be 'charged with treason'". Indy100.
- ^ "This Week's Television Guest: Brian Simmons". Sid Roth's It's Supernatural! (at 15:16).
Jesus Christ came into my room. He breathed on me ... and he spoke to me and said 'I'm commissioning you to translate the Bible into the translation project that I'm giving you to do'
- ^ Geivett, R. Douglas; Pivec, Holly (2014). God's Super Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement. Lexham Press. p. 67.
- ^ Pivec, Holly (June 23, 2018). "Important facts about The Passion Translation". Holly Pivec.
- ^ Shellnutt, Kate (February 9, 2022). "Bible Gateway Removes The Passion Translation". Christianity Today.
- ^ Coghill, Arianna (November 15, 2023). "Mike Johnson Has Ties to a Christian Movement That Played a Key Role in Spreading Trump's Big Lie". Mother Jones.
- ^ Tabachnick, Rachel (19 August 2011). "The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual Warfare". National Public Radio. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ a b Jones, Martyn Wendell (2016-04-24). "Inside the Popular, Controversial Bethel Church". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ Shellnutt, Kate (January 3, 2020). "Influential Hispanic Pastor Welcomes 'Evangelicals for Trump'". Christianity Today. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ Tabachnick, Rachel (March 22, 2013). "The Christian Right, Reborn". Political Research Associates.
- ^ "About Us". lifestylechristianity.com. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Poitras, Jacques (July 23, 2023). "Breakaway believers warn PC party of 'Dominionist' religious movement". CBC News.
- ^ "About Mike and Cindy". Generals International. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ McCrummen, Stephanie (June 20, 2023). "The Woman Who Bought a Mountain for God".
She soon began listening to an influential South Carolina apostle named Dutch Sheets, who had for years advocated an end to Church-state separation and co-authored something called the "Watchman Decree," a kind of pledge of allegiance that included the phrase "we, the Church, are God's governing Body on the earth."
- ^ Wehner, Peter (October 25, 2022). "The Desecrations of Michael Flynn". The Atlantic.
Since then, the "ReAwaken America" Tour has averaged more than a gathering a month. Charisma News, which is aimed at Pentecostals and charismatics, is a sponsor.
- ^ a b McCrummen, Stephanie (March 5, 2024). "The Alabama Embryo Opinion Is About More Than Christian Nationalism". The Atlantic.
- ^ "The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual Warfare". NPR. Fresh Air. 2011-08-19.
- ^ a b c Sears 2022, p. 97.
- ^ Méndez Ferrell, Ana. High Level Warfare: Safe from Counterattacks (2nd ed.). Jordan River Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-939891-28-0.
- ^ Holvast 2008, p. 69.
- ^ Ting, Eric (June 28, 2023). "How a miracle-obsessed megachurch conquered a California city". SFGate.
- ^ Joyner, Rick (8 June 2017). "Prophetic Bulletin #30: Revolution". MorningStar Ministries.
- ^ Rabey, Steve (February 2, 2024). "With FlashPoint Live, roster of Pentecostal 'prophets' hits the road for Trump". Religion News Service.
- ^ McCrummen, Stephanie (June 20, 2023). "The Woman Who Bought a Mountain for God". The Atlantic.
- ^ Armstrong, Payton (July 17, 2023). "Ahead of 2024, Republican politicians are appearing on the Victory Channel's FlashPoint, a show helmed by Christian nationalist 'prophets' who warn of 'demonic influence'". Media Matters.
- ^ a b Maggi, Armando (Winter 2014). "Christian Demonology in Contemporary American Popular Culture". Social Research. 81 (4): 769–770. doi:10.1353/sor.2014.0054.
- ^ Butler, Anthea (2012-09-12). "From Republican Party to Republican Religion: The New Political Evangelists of the Right". Political Theology. 13 (5): 642. doi:10.1558/poth.v13i5.634. ISSN 1462-317X.
- ^ Posner, Sarah (15 Jul 2011). "Rick Perry and the New Apostolic Reformation". Religion Dispatches. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
- ^ Rosenberg, Paul (28 July 2011). "America's Own Taliban". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ a b c Hofstaedter, Emily (September–October 2023). "She's a Prophet. She's a Theocrat. She's the Most Powerful Lobbyist You've Never Heard Of". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ Ward, Jon (February 16, 2023). "Radical beliefs in 'spiritual warfare' played a major role in Jan. 6, an expert argues". Yahoo! News.
- ^ Taylor, Matthew D.; Onishi, Bradley (January 6, 2023). "Evidence Strongly Suggests Trump Was Collaborating with Christian Nationalist Leaders Before January 6th". Religion Dispatches. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Jon (February 23, 2024). "Believing in God-given rights indicates 'Christian nationalism,' Politico journalist says". The Christian Post.
- ^ O’Neill, Joseph (March 21, 2023). "One Man's Foray Into the Heartland of the Far Right". The New York Times.
- ^ Lehmann, Chris (April 15, 2024). "The Trump Revival". The Nation. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Snow 2016, p. 17.
- ^ Alcindor, Nicole (30 December 2022). "What is the New Apostolic Reformation and is it 'dangerous'?". The Christian Post. The Christian Post, INC. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Pivec, Holly. "Holly Pivec".
- ^ Snow 2016, pp. 4, 6.
- ^ Lehmann, Chris (April 15, 2024). "The Trump Revival". The Nation. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Snow 2016, p. 4.
- ^ Smith, Michelle R.; Lardner, Richard (October 7, 2022). "Michael Flynn's ReAwaken roadshow recruits 'Army of God'". Associated Press. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ Clatterbuck, Mark (November 14, 2022). "From Shofars to Hammers: the Spiritual Warriors of MAGA are 'reawakening' to Political Violence". Religion Dispatches.
- ^ "Full-Time Faculty - Mark Clatterbuck". Montclair State University. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ Berry, Damon T. (2023). The new apostolic reformation, Trump, and evangelical politics: the prophecy voter. London; New York: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-350-17943-1. OCLC 1346214068.
Sources
[edit]- Baker, Yvie Ruth (2021). From Peter Wagner to Bill Johnson: The History and Epistemology of the 'New Apostolic Reformation' (PDF) (Thesis). University of Otago. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- Holvast, René (2008). Spiritual Mapping: The Turbulent Career of a Contested American Missionary Paradigm, 1989–2005 (PDF) (Thesis). Utrecht University. ISBN 978-90-393-4829-1.
- Laitinen, Petri (November 3, 2014). Spiritual Gifts According to C. Peter Wagner (PDF) (Thesis). Åbo Akademi University. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- Sears, Brian C. (Summer–Fall 2022). "Power, Prophecy, and Dominionism: The New Apostolic Reformation Goes to Washington". Fides et Historia. 54 (2).
- Snow, Steve (2016). "Prophets, Demons, and Witch Hunts: American Spiritual Warfare as Scapegoat Ideology". Journal of Religion & Society. 18. hdl:10504/74593.
- Weaver, John (2016). The New Apostolic Reformation: History of a Modern Charismatic Movement. McFarland & Company.
Further reading
[edit]![]() | This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: these sources are relatively old and more recent books should be the focus of this section per WP: Further Reading.(March 2024) |
- Gagné, André (2024). American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 9781032415697.
- Geivett, R. Douglas; Pivec, Holly (2014). A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement. Wooster: Weaver Book Company. ISBN 9781941337301.
- Alley, John Kingsley (2002). The Apostolic Revelation: The Reformation of the Church. Rockhampton, Qld.: Peace Publishing. ISBN 9780646418490.
- Wagner, C. Peter (1999). Churchquake: The Explosive Dynamics of the New Apostolic Revolution. Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books. ISBN 9780830719181.
- Wagner, C. Peter (1998). The New Apostolic Churches. Ventura, Calif.: Regal. ISBN 9780830721368.