New Apostolic Reformation: Difference between revisions

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, its 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 Republican politicians ^[who?]and activists have aligned with it^[when?].^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The origins of the new apostolic reform are associated with the Pentecostal movement of the 1900s and with the Charismatic Christianity movements of the 1960s and 1980s.^[6]

In 1996, the American theologian C. Peter Wagner organized a convention with 500 evangelical leaders, the National Symposium on the Postdenominational Church, including the organization of the church and evangelization, at the Fuller Theological Seminary of Pasadena in the United States.^[7] Since this convention, the term has been used more and more in churches.^{[citation needed]}

The New Apostolic Reformation is a title originally used by C. Peter Wagner in 1996 to describe a movement within Pentecostal and charismatic churches. The title New Apostolic Reformation is descriptive of a theological movement and is not an organization and therefore does not have formal membership. 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".^[8]

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^{[clarification needed]}, the so called-"apostles and prophets",^[9] evangelists, pastors (also referred to as the shepherds), and teachers.

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. Holly 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, Biola University theology professor Douglas 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 paraphrasing. 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.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Theology professor André Gagné, author of the 2024 book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times, asserted the Seven Mountain Mandate (7M) was more of a strategic marketing tool to mobilize NAR adherents than a theology. Prominent NAR believer Lance Wallnau has promoted 7M combined with spiritual warfare. 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."^[2]

Wallnau, who has asserted Donald Trump was "anointed" to be president, is a major proponent of waging spiritual war against perceived demonic spirits. 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 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." Media Matters reported in January 2024 that former Trump strategic advisor Steve Bannon often spoke of a "spiritual war" that characterized Democrats as "demons."^[14][2][15]

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.^[16][17][18]

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."^[19] 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!"^[20] 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."^[21] 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.^[22]

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 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."^[23][24][25]

Though few, if any, organizations publicly espouse connection to the NAR, a movement known for dominion theology and a belief in the continuing ministries of apostles and prophets alongside those of evangelists, pastors, and teachers. There are several individuals often associated with this movement including:

• Brian Simmons, founder of Stairway Ministries and Passion and Fire Ministries, author of The Passion Translation
• Jim Garlow, former senior pastor of Skyline Church^[26]
• Lou Engle, founder of TheCall^[9]
• Bill Johnson, senior leader of Bethel Church^[27]
• Guillermo Maldonado, co-founder and senior pastor of El Rey Jesús
• Rick Joyner, founder of MorningStar Ministries^[28]
• Mike Bickle, founder of International House of Prayer^[29]
• John P. Kelly, founder of John P. Kelly Ministries and Convening Apostle
• 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^[4]
• Todd White, Lifestyle Christianity^[31]
• Faytene Grasseschi^[32]
• Cindy Jacobs, cofounder of Generals International^[33]
• Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives^[3]
• Dutch Sheets, founder of Dutch Sheets Ministries and asserted apostle^[3][34]
• Lance Wallnau, an asserted apostle^[4]
• Michael Flynn, Republican former Trump national security advisor, whose ReAwaken America Tour is sponsored by NAR proponent Charisma News^[35][36]
• Alice Patterson, leader of Justice at the Gate, who has characterized the Democratic party as a demon structure^[37]
• Tom Parker, Republican chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court^[38]
• Doug Mastriano, 2022 Republican nominee for governor of Pennnsylvania^[39]
• Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican congresswoman^[40]
• Lauren Boebert, Republican congresswoman^[41]
• Roger Stone, Republican political advisor^[42]
• Charlie Kirk, Republican leader of Turning Point USA^[43]
• Roberts Liardon, former pastor of Embassy Christian Center and President of Spirit Life Bible College.

C. Peter Wagner of Global Harvest Ministries considered the year 2001 to be the beginning of the second apostolic age, for the movement holds that the lost offices of prophet and apostle were restored in that year.^[44]

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."^{[45][clarification needed]}

When Rick Joyner of the 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."^{[46][non-primary source needed]}

Matthew Taylor, a scholar of Protestantism at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, 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 that can 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.^[47]

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".^[8]

Al Jazeera called the NAR "America's Own Taliban" in an article highlighting 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.^[48]

National Public Radio brought the discussion about the political influence of the NAR to a national audience with a 2011 article. 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.^[8][49]

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.^[50] 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.^[51]

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.^[52]

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.^[53]

Andrea 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.^[54]

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, said many Pentacostals and Charismatics are concerned that the NAR movement is inconsistent with historical Christian teachings. She asserted, "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."^[55][56]

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."^[2]

There is educational research discussing Spirit Life Bible College, a late 20th century school associated with the early networks of the New Apostolic Reformation. Connections also exist between the New Apostolic Reformation and contemporary groups promoting conservative educational activism such as Moms for Liberty, the Truth & Liberty Coalition, and and Public School Exit.

• Apostolic-Prophetic Movement
• Book of Revelation
• Christian fascism
• Christian nationalism
• Eschatology

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. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2024)

• A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec (2014) ISBN 1-941-33703-1.
• The Apostolic Revelation – The Reformation of the Church by John Kingsley Alley (2002). ISBN 0-646-41849-1.
• Churchquake: The Explosive Dynamics of the New Apostolic Revolution by C. Peter Wagner (2000) ISBN 0-8307-1918-0.
• The New Apostolic Churches by C. Peter Wagner (1998). ISBN 0-8307-2136-3.

• International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders^{[clarification needed]}