Part 4 – Beyond the Veil: Exposing NAR to the Light of Day

I recommend you read these posts in sequence before reading this article: Part 1: Introduction, Part 2: My History with Religion, and Part 3: How Christian Nationalism Grew Into Project 2025.”

A Cautionary Tale

I feel compelled to issue some cautions before I proceed further with my mini-blog series titled, “Start Seeing Christian Nationalism.” In Part 3, I identified various connections between a few religious organizations like Opus Dei and the Society of Pope Pius X, together with some rather famous historical figures like William F. Buckley, Archbishop Lefebvre, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Richard Neuhaus, and others, with Project 2025.

Any two or more of these names, when placed together in an article or book, could easily give rise to the claim, “Wait a minute! This is just a lot of conspiracy bullshit!” Rest assured, it isn’t. Yet, it kind of is. Everything I laid out in Part 3 was backed by facts, not innuendo. I have to make a point of ensuring this continues to be the case because some of the people and organizations involved in Christian Nationalism, as well as Project 2025, lend themselves to such attributions, especially when popular culture has already given many of us this impression (e.g., Dan Brown). Please try to remember, when powerful people conspire together to do something nefarious, it is a real conspiracy, but that doesn’t make it bullshit.

It would also be easy perhaps, were one so inclined, for someone to say that describing the history behind Project 2025 is just Catholic-bashing. Again, it isn’t, at least not intentionally. All of the organizations I wrote about, all of the people and their memberships to various organizations, are real and documented. This history may be embarrassing to Catholics, but it is what it is, and it is certainly not the first time history has proven embarrassing to the Church.

Yet, while Catholic groups and prelates may be behind the Heritage Foundation and Project 2025, I don’t want you to mistakenly believe that Christian Nationalism per se, is solely a Catholic issue. It most certainly isn’t. In fact, Christian Nationalism is much more pervasive among the Protestant religious community (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 hammers home the point that Christian Nationalism is not just Catholic, nor is it just Protestant, it is a blend, a cause célèbre, if you will, that enjoys the attention and efforts of both Catholics and Protestants. So, when you see the word “Christian” placed in front of “Nationalism,” it is referring to Christians “in general;” that is, both Catholics and Protestants who adhere to the basic tenets of Christian Nationalism:

1. The belief that the United States is, and should be, a Christian nation, defined by Christianity.
2. The view that the government should take active steps to maintain America’s Christian identity and heritage.
3. The idea that U.S. laws should be based on Christian values.
4. The belief that moving away from Christian foundations threatens America’s existence as a country.
5. The notion that being Christian is an important part of being truly American.
6. The concept that God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.
7. A preference for the U.S. to be primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith, rather than embracing religious pluralism.
8. The view that the separation of church and state is not a formal law that should be followed.
9. The belief that God has a specific plan for the U.S. to be a successful nation based on Christian ideals.
10. The idea that the government should advocate for Christian values and enact policies reflecting those values.

In reading the list above you may have seen one or more items that you feel you agree with. That’s understandable, to some degree. I’ll leave it to you to ponder the meaning of that. Or you may have had the word, “theocracy,” suddenly pop into your head. That’s understandable, too. After all, it sure sounds like theocracy, doesn’t it? In a YouTube video about Christian Nationalism, titled, “Christian Nationalism on the Rise,” NBC News host, Chuck Todd, tells us that theocracy isn’t a word we hear much in American politics, “…but given the religious rhetoric coming from some Republican candidates this year, it doesn’t feel as far-fetched, or hyperbolic, as it would have been in the past.”[i] Ain’t that the truth?

More Grist for the Christian Nationalist Mill

In keeping with the spirit of, “Start Seeing Christian Nationalism,” I want to introduce you to a group you should be aware of: the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)[ii]. Bradley Onishi, author of, “Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism–And What Comes Next,” says NAR is notable for a number of good reasons. For one, he says, NAR is built around the idea that “…Christians are called to a new transformation or reformation of the United States[iii].” He tells us that this is a group of Christians who want to “revolutionize” the way the United States looks. They want to make it “great again,” in terms of being a Christian nation. What could go wrong?

There is another aspect of NAR that is equally troubling. Onishi tells us that the members of NAR are “invested deeply” in the notion of “spiritual warfare.” Spiritual warfare? When I heard this, I wondered, “Does he mean like, cosplay? Immediately, images of Keanu Reeves, as Constantine, and Christopher Walken playing the angel Gabriel popped into my head![iv] But, no, he doesn’t mean this, although NAR seems connected to the themes lurking behind such movies by more than a thread. For instance, he tells us that the members of NAR believe that they, as Christians, are being called to fight in a “cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil!” Further, they believe that it is their duty to be “boots on the ground” for God in that war. Wow. There was a time in my own life when I would have found such words very mobilizing.

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is technically not a formal religious organization, it is a “movement,” and a theological belief, all rolled into one. NAR doesn’t have a clubhouse. You can’t go up and knock on their door because they don’t have an address. Yet it exists. And it has a leader. Charles Peter Wagner is an evangelist well known for his work as a missionary and in the evangelical “church growth” movement and his numerous writings about spiritual warfare. He is considered the titular head of NAR.

Wagner coined the term, “New Apostolic Reformation.” It is the term he chose to describe the movement he saw going on within the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. You may be familiar with “Pentecostal,” as that references adherents who are blessed to “speak in tongues” as evidence of their baptism of the Holy Spirit. Charismatic Christianity is just like Pentecostal, but it no longer requires followers to demonstrate spouting word salad as proof of anything. Wagner has been steeped in spiritual warfare for a long time. I’m talking about head-spinning, vomit-spewing demons! He and his followers believe they are real and that they are on God’s side in the war against them and their ilk.

Other names that are used for NAR are the “Independent Network Charismatic” (NIC), the “Apostolic Prophetic Movement,” and the “Third Wave of the Holy Spirit.” It is primarily a North American movement. It’s best to think of NAR as a set of beliefs and practices that have spread through certain Christian communities rather than as a traditional organization of some kind.

Wagner is the purported leader, although NAR, being a movement and not a formal group, has no leader. Instead, what NAR has are “influential figures,” rather than a single, official leader, and right now Wagner is “the man” at the top. Although there is no membership card, people within the NAR movement can perform certain defined roles. For example, from the top down:

• Apostle. These folk claim to get their authority directly from God.
• Prophet. These people claim to receive revelations from God that help them to “guide the church” based on these revelations.
• Evangelist. This role is focused on spreading the word of God and recruitment i.e., think putting seats in pews.
• Teacher. Their focus is on educating and instructing believers.

Somehow, even though there is no formal structure, people manage to attain these positions within the group and are recognized as such by the wider evangelical community. And it is this wider network of independent ministries, churches, and church leaders who give NAR the amorphous structure it has, which makes it difficult to see. People aren’t necessarily “appointed” to these roles, although there are cases where this happens. Others just assume the titles, based on their “perceived spiritual authority”[v] as deemed by their peers. I imagine “Apostle” is a good gig if you can get it.

Acquiring one of these positions within the movement appears to be not too difficult. You may just declare yourself to be an apostle or a prophet based on the personal spiritual gift that God has given you (according to you, of course). Sometimes people get one of these roles because their peers have endorsed them as apostles or prophets. There is the usual mix of expected miracles, healings, etc. that are often involved with such things. Or if you’ve written a book or important articles about the faith, you may get people pointing to you saying, “Prophet!” Of course, anyone designated with a role like these has to adhere to the tenets that NAR promotes:

• Restoration of Apostles and Prophets.
  • The belief that God is restoring the offices of “apostle” and “prophet” to the modern church.
• Dominion Theology.
  • The idea that Christians are called to take “dominion” over society and government. Often expressed through the “Seven Mountain Mandate” – the belief that Christians should influence seven key areas: government, media, family, business, education, church, and arts/entertainment.
• Spiritual Warfare.
  • A strong emphasis on battling demonic forces believed to be influencing individuals and societal structures.
• Kingdom Now Theology.
  • The belief that the Kingdom of God can and should be established on Earth before Christ’s return. This often translates into political activism.
• Signs and Wonders.
  • A strong emphasis on supernatural manifestations of God’s power, including healing and other miracles.
• Seven Mountain Mandate.
  • (see above)
• Experiential Christianity.
  • An emphasis on personal experiences and encounters with the supernatural over traditional doctrinal teachings.

Note that I did find a video where a former NAR member talks about being told that he could take a Five-fold Ministry Course from his church and that this would help him identify which role he was to assume. This course consisted of online conference calls, book studies, writing a few papers, and then he attended a ceremony in his Dallas church, where they were to announce what his role was going to be. He and his wife were designated as apostles.[vi] In his case, he got a certificate and a shoulder sash, so apparently some churches do formalize NAR somehow.

The Trump Connection

It will come as no surprise that the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation, these so-called apostles and prophets, were some of the earliest supporters of Donald Trump in 2016. They, of course, remain steadfast supporters to this day. As such, they were leaders in the effort to get the 2020 election overturned and in mobilizing people to be at the capital on January 6^th.

Evangelist Lance Wallnau, in his book, “God’s Chaos Candidate,” talks about Trump’s relationship with the Christian Right and specifically, the National Apostolic Reformation (NAR). He mentions that it was Paula White-Cain who gave the invocation at Trump’s inaugural address in 2017. Paula White-Cain is a well-known televangelist and a prominent figure in NAR. Oh, and for added measure, she also gave the invocation at the pre-insurrection rally on January 6^th! The prayer she offered at the rally, of course, was a spiritual warfare prayer: “Let 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.”[vii]

Canadian scholar, André Gagné, in his recent book, “American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times,” warns us that NAR is poised to play a pivotal role in our upcoming 2024 elections. Frederick Clarkson, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates (and Salon contributor), described Gagne’s new book as “a concise, authoritative primer on one of the most consequential religious and political movements of our time.”

We’re told that the one thing that Gagne does in his new book is demonstrate that NAR is in fact, knowable, “…as the most energetic popular expression of dominionism, defined as ‘the theocratic idea that … Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions.’”

Retired minister, John Dorhauer, former president of the United Church of Christ said, “Too many of the larger public, and too many who report news, know little about this movement.”[viii] Echoing the sentiment of my own that I mentioned above, he says, “The trap one must avoid in writing about this subject and reporting on the movement is to do so in a way that comes across as credible without sounding like a conspiracy theorist. The truth is you are in fact writing about a conspiracy. Because of that, large swaths of the American public are just predisposed to dismiss this as too far-fetched to take seriously.”[ix] Let me just add that people do this at their peril.

Clarkson explains that NAR is hard to understand because it is “…constantly changing, [and] has factions in tension with one another. … They are wily because they are worried that the rest of society will figure out who they are and what they are up to.” Wallnau himself gives credence to this by saying, “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.”[x] Yes, by all means, let’s not allow the media to figure out what is going on.

According to Rosenberg, Gagne’s book helps us cut through the NAR confusion. Gagne tells us that NAR’s defining characteristic poses a very real threat to the normal apostolic system of governance enjoyed by many churches. It turns out that the authority given to NAR leaders is above all this, handed down by the Holy Spirit, not only to the so-called apostles, but to prophets, etc. within NAR.   He tells us, “…the ‘amount of spiritual authority delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals,’” which was also “applicable to non-charismatic church leaders.” Thus, NAR revolves around restoring an Iron Age apostolic system of governance. This is a direct challenge to the typical democratic structure of churches based on systems of elders, and is an attempt to reverse the Protestant Reformation tenet of focusing on individual believers “working out their own salvation.” I can’t help but wonder whether this is a contributing factor lighting a fire under certain evangelical communities that are now working hard to expose Christian Nationalism. I’m happy they are doing this, but I wonder at their reasoning, whether it is driven by altruism, bettering the community at large, or self-interest.

The Trump presidency has brought Christian Nationalism out of the dark of night and into the light of day. According to Gagne, there has been a “mainstreaming of spiritual warfare,”[xi] since Trump first became president. We can see this ourselves, right? Christian Nationalism is no longer a new term of speech, although more people still need to learn about what it means. It’s familiar now and we see the label much more than before. Yet, the Trump Republicans continue to spout religious rhetoric left and right, as they wield religious terms and verbiage like Iron Age weapons, to demonize and disqualify their political opponents.

Such talk has only increased during this 2024 election period. And NAR is still a factor in spreading the “big lie.” This is because Christian Nationalists are still very much at war and we must keep up the fight, we must start seeing Christian Nationalism and call it out! One sign that NAR is beginning to feel the pressure of being exposed is their publication of a “NAR & Christian Nationalism Statement.” It is a long list of denials. Think, “Pay no attention to the man behind the screen.”

But, I have news for the Christian Nationalists. We are in this fight, too. We will fight them tooth and nail for our country and our democracy. And we know what happens when we fight. That’s right. We Win!

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[i] Youtube video, “Christian Nationalism on the Rise,” by NBC News.

[ii] The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a Protestant Christian movement, not a denomination, that emerged from the charismatic and Pentecostal Christian traditions. It was founded and led by C. Peter Wagner, a Protestant theologian and former professor at Fuller Theological Seminary.  [Perplexity, an AI search tool]

[iii] Youtube video, “What is Christian Nationalism and why it raises concerns about threats to democracy.”

[iv] A reference to “The Prophecy” movie series, starring Christopher Walken.

[v] [Perplexity, an AI search tool]

[vi] Youtube video, “An Ex-NAR Apostle Tells His Story.”

[vii] Salon Magazine, January 2, 2024. “Meet the New Apostolic Reformation, cutting edge of the Christian right,” by Paul Rosenberg.

[viii] Ibid.

[ix] Ibid.

[x] Ibid.

[xi] Ibid.