Leading experts present research, journalism on New Apostolic Reformation
Growing movement within Christian Nationalism mandates radical tactics to gain control of all levers of power.
On Thursday, a group of leading experts on Christian Nationalism convened for a digital seminar on the New Apostolic Reformation.
The NAR, known for short, is based on earlier movements like Pentecostalism, evangelism, and Christian Reconstructionism. It adopts a warfare mentality to spiritualism. This approach seeks to demonize most of their political opponents. At its core is the seven-mountain mandate, which holds that believers seek to influence seven aspects of society: family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government.
Political Research Associates hosted Thursday’s event that featured Scot Nakagawa, Matthew D. Taylor, John C. Dorhauer, and Frederick Clarkson, with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephanie McCrummen, who wrote about the New Apostolic Reformation for The Atlantic. Naomi Washington-Leapheart, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the PRA, moderated.
Nakagawa is the executive director of the 22nd Century Initiative. Taylor is the Senior Protestant Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies. Dorhauer is a former general minister, president of the United Church of Christ, and former National Council of Churches chair. Clarkson is a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates.
McCrummen wrote a great article that was published after immersing herself in the New Apostolic Reformation’s culture. She shared stories about her time following the movement, which included last year’s Courage Tour of swing states. While outsiders are frightened by the rhetoric espoused by the NAR, the people in it view it as a wonderful thing, McCrummen said. They have utopian views of the world's future if the Seven Mountain Mandate came.
“People who get into this movement, it tends to sort of become their whole life,” McCrummen said. “It is giving people not just a sense of purpose generally, but a sense of purpose within the kingdom, a role to play in bringing about the kingdom. People feel empowered by prayer. They believe that their prayers are literally doing something in the world.”
Her article delves into the movement's history, which traces back decades. Clarkson spoke about the reasons it’s gone mainstream.
“A lot of this has happened because the rest of society thought that it couldn't happen here,” Clarkson said. “Complacency, denialism, and a certain lack of curiosity remain a preeminent feature of much of our political and media culture.”
Clarkson pointed out the need to master the topic of Christian Nationalism and groups like the NAR. He recommended reading Andre Gagne’s book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times. Another work he suggested was Taylor’s The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy.
“They understand that they are at war with the rest of us,” Clarkson said. “But do we? The answer? This means that we'll be leaving here with a little homework.”
Dorhauer introduced himself with a comment about his book Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion, which details how there was a well-funded and organized conspiracy to hijack mainstream denominations to serve a conservative political agenda. He focused on the motives and tactics of Christian Nationalists, and he wanted to warn against a favored tactic from people on the left when they dealt with them. He talked about what it meant to have a mandate, which means the person must do something instead of choosing to do so.
Another thing that fascinated me was how liberal pastors get treated. Their churches get vandalized, burned, and bombed. They get death threats. They want the society envisioned by the Seven Mountain Mandate–by any means necessary. Dorhauer said militancy is the only proper response.
“Whether we get that far is not a question of intent, for this is, and has long been, what they envision,” Dorhaeuer said. “It’s of whether or not we who oppose that have the gumption, the courage and the will to fight against it was something more than a good sound argument or a well-reasoned debate.”
Taylor presented next. He discussed the decentralized nature of Christian Nationalism. No headquarters compiles all the rhetoric, and no central command room exists. The rhetoric comes from disparate sources, often an internet subculture that slips into the mainstream. Taylor also said that many in NAR circles view President Donald Trump as someone carrying out the prophecies.
“There's a continuous revelation loop where these things just keep getting generated, keep getting pushed forward,” Taylor said. “And it seals people to Trump because they believe that he is ordained by God for this role. And unless you can break the hold of that, then they're going to keep believing that.”
Nakagawa presented last. He provided context to how technology has led to an upheaval of all organized religions. He compared the current moment to the Protestant Reformation, which was made possible by the Gutenberg Press. The Protestant Reformation was not just a religious upheaval. It was an existential crisis that reshaped European governance. It fueled wars, national revolutions, and the eventual emergence of secular nation-states.”
“The current religious transformations are linked to political fragmentation, radicalization, and loss of institutional legitimacy across the globe,” Nakagawa said.
PRA recorded the seminar and has it available to anyone who registered or wants to see it.