Christian Nationalism and the New Apostolic Reformation
Christian Nationalism and the New Apostolic Reformation
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a term associated with a decentralized collection of charismatic Christian ministries and networks that emphasize contemporary apostles and prophets, supernatural gifts, spiritual warfare, religious revival, and the transformation of society. Research, journalism, theological commentary, and movement participants differ considerably over how the term should be defined. Some scholars and journalists describe the NAR as an identifiable religious network with shared theological and organizational characteristics, while some charismatic leaders argue that it is not a formal denomination or centralized organization and that the label is often applied too broadly.
The relationship between the New Apostolic Reformation and Christian nationalism has received increasing attention because some individuals and organizations associated with apostolic and prophetic Christianity have promoted political ideas involving Christian influence over government, education, media, business, family life, religion, and other social institutions. The Seven Mountain Mandate has become one of the most prominent frameworks associated with this approach.
The collected research portrays the NAR not as a single organization with formal membership, but as overlapping networks of ministries, churches, prayer organizations, conferences, media platforms, apostles, prophets, and political activists. Its decentralized character has contributed both to its expansion and to continuing disagreement about who should properly be considered part of the movement.
Origins and Development
The term New Apostolic Reformation is closely associated with theologian and church-growth scholar C. Peter Wagner. Wagner argued that Christianity was undergoing a major transformation in which traditional denominational structures were increasingly being supplemented or replaced by networks led by individuals recognized as apostles and prophets.
The movement developed partly from earlier Pentecostal and charismatic traditions that emphasized prophecy, healing, revival, supernatural gifts, and direct experiences of the Holy Spirit. Wagner and other leaders sought to describe emerging independent churches and ministry networks that operated outside conventional denominational hierarchies.
The sources indicate that apostolic and prophetic networks expanded during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries through conferences, revival movements, prayer organizations, megachurches, media ministries, and international missionary networks. Churches and ministries frequently remained organizationally independent while maintaining relationships through conferences, mentorship, spiritual authority, and shared theological concepts.
Researchers have also used the term Independent Network Charismatic Christianity to describe overlapping portions of this religious environment. This terminology emphasizes the decentralized networks connecting independent charismatic leaders rather than assuming the existence of a single NAR institution.
The movement has international dimensions. Scholarship contained in the source collection examines apostolic and charismatic networks in South Africa, Latin America, Zambia, Brazil, Israel-related religious movements, and other regions, demonstrating that apostolic and dominion-oriented Christianity is not exclusively an American phenomenon.
Apostles and Prophets
A defining feature commonly attributed to the NAR is belief that the offices of apostle and prophet continue to operate within contemporary Christianity.
Apostles are often understood as leaders with authority to establish churches, ministries, networks, or broader religious initiatives. Prophets are understood as individuals who receive messages, visions, or revelations believed to come from God.
These ideas distinguish many NAR-associated ministries from Christian traditions that believe the authoritative apostolic office ended with the earliest generations of Christianity.
Networks described as NAR-associated often rely less on traditional denominational structures and more on personal relationships among influential ministry leaders. Spiritual authority may operate through mentorship, apostolic networks, conferences, ministry alliances, and informal relationships.
Critics within evangelical Christianity dispute the biblical legitimacy of modern apostles and prophets and warn that such structures can create insufficient accountability. Supporters respond that contemporary apostolic and prophetic ministries are legitimate expressions of charismatic Christianity and should not automatically be interpreted as authoritarian or political.
The absence of formal membership criteria creates a persistent definitional problem. Individuals identified by journalists or researchers as connected to NAR networks do not necessarily describe themselves as members of the NAR.
Dominionism and the Seven Mountain Mandate
One of the most politically significant ideas associated with portions of the movement is the Seven Mountain Mandate.
The framework divides society into major spheres of cultural influence, commonly described as:
- Government
- Education
- Media
- Business
- Family
- Religion
- Arts and entertainment
Advocates generally argue that Christians should exercise greater influence within these institutions. Some presentations emphasize participation, leadership, and cultural engagement, while critics interpret stronger versions as a strategy for establishing Christian dominance over major social institutions.
Lance Wallnau has been particularly associated with popularizing Seven Mountain ideas within contemporary American charismatic Christianity.
The sources connect the Seven Mountain framework to broader debates over dominionism. Dominionism is itself a contested term. It has been applied to several distinct Christian political and theological traditions, including Christian Reconstructionism and charismatic forms of cultural transformation.
The collected material repeatedly distinguishes the New Apostolic Reformation from older Christian Reconstructionism. Although both have been associated with ideas about Christian influence over society, their theological origins, organizational cultures, and approaches to political action differ.
Some NAR-associated or apostolic leaders reject interpretations suggesting that the Seven Mountain Mandate calls for theocratic government. Others within charismatic Christianity have criticized aspects of Seven Mountain strategy while continuing to advocate strong Christian involvement in public life.
Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare is another major theme throughout the literature.
Many charismatic Christians believe that spiritual forces influence individuals, communities, institutions, and nations. Some NAR-associated teachings developed particularly expansive forms of this worldview, including concepts such as strategic-level spiritual warfare and territorial spirits.
Within this framework, political, cultural, and social conflicts may sometimes be interpreted as manifestations of a larger supernatural struggle between divine and demonic forces.
Prayer campaigns, prophetic declarations, public worship events, symbolic actions, and organized intercession have therefore played important roles within some apostolic networks.
C. Peter Wagner contributed significantly to the development and popularization of strategic spiritual warfare concepts. Later apostolic and prophetic networks incorporated these ideas into campaigns concerning cities, governments, elections, cultural institutions, and national events.
Critics argue that portraying political opponents or social developments in spiritual-warfare terms can intensify political conflict by transforming ordinary disagreement into a struggle against supernatural evil. Conservative evangelical critics represented in the source collection also challenge spiritual-warfare practices on theological grounds, describing some teachings about territorial spirits, prophecy, and supernatural authority as inconsistent with their interpretations of Christianity.
Prophecy and Political Leadership
Prophecy has played a significant role in the interaction between charismatic Christianity and contemporary American politics.
Numerous charismatic prophets publicly predicted political outcomes, particularly during the presidency and campaigns of Donald Trump. Some portrayed Trump through biblical analogies, most prominently the Persian king Cyrus, who is described in the Hebrew Bible as a non-Israelite ruler used by God to accomplish a divine purpose.
This interpretation allowed some charismatic Christians to support Trump without presenting him as a conventional model of Christian religious leadership. Instead, he could be understood as a political figure chosen to accomplish specific purposes.
The failed predictions that Trump would win the 2020 presidential election created a major internal controversy within charismatic prophetic circles. Some prophets apologized or reconsidered their predictions, while others maintained that their prophecies remained valid or developed alternative interpretations.
Academic researchers have examined the concept of prophecy voters: believers whose political decisions are influenced partly by claims that prophets have received divine information concerning candidates or elections.
These controversies also generated extensive criticism from evangelical Christians who accept neither modern prophetic authority nor political prophecy.
Donald Trump and Charismatic Politics
The growth of NAR-related political visibility has been closely connected in the source material with the rise of Donald Trump.
Charismatic leaders including Lance Wallnau, Paula White, Dutch Sheets, and others developed significant political profiles during the Trump era. Their relationships with Trump and Republican political networks brought forms of charismatic Christianity that had previously received relatively little mainstream attention into national political reporting.
Wallnau became known for presenting Trump as a modern Cyrus and for developing political mobilization strategies incorporating Seven Mountain concepts.
Paula White became one of Trump's best-known religious advisers. Her relationships with prosperity-gospel, charismatic, apostolic, and prophetic leaders illustrate the substantial overlap between religious movements that remain institutionally distinct.
The sources emphasize that these networks should not automatically be treated as representative of evangelical Christianity as a whole. Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and charismatic Christianity contain substantial theological and political diversity.
Elections and Political Mobilization
NAR-associated organizations and leaders have participated in voter mobilization, prayer campaigns, political rallies, conferences, and election-related activism.
During the 2024 election cycle, particular attention was directed toward events involving Lance Wallnau and other charismatic political organizers. Reporting examined voter-mobilization efforts, prophetic rhetoric, spiritual-warfare language, and appearances by political candidates at events organized by figures associated with Seven Mountain Christianity.
Some activists interpret electoral participation as part of a broader spiritual mission to influence American institutions and culture. Critics describe these activities as evidence that segments of charismatic Christianity have moved toward Christian nationalist politics.
The source collection also documents significant disagreement among Christians about these developments. Some evangelical and charismatic commentators argue that Christian participation in politics should not automatically be categorized as Christian nationalism or dominionism.
January 6 and the Jericho Marches
The events surrounding the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol became a major area of research concerning the NAR.
Scholars and journalists have examined the role of charismatic prophetic networks in election-denial movements, prayer rallies, and the Jericho Marches held following the election.
The Jericho March movement used biblical imagery based on the story of the Israelites marching around Jericho. Participants combined prayer, political protest, prophetic declarations, and religious symbolism while challenging the results of the presidential election.
Researchers have documented the presence of individuals associated with apostolic and prophetic networks during the broader mobilization surrounding January 6. Scholarship has also examined the role of Messianic Jewish symbolism, shofars, prophecy, spiritual warfare, and Christian nationalist rhetoric.
The sources do not portray all charismatic Christians, NAR-associated believers, or Christian nationalists as participating in political violence. Rather, they examine particular networks and religious ideas that appeared within the wider coalition contesting the election results.
The Appeal to Heaven Flag
Another important symbol discussed in the literature is the Appeal to Heaven flag.
The flag originated during the American Revolution and features a pine tree along with the words "An Appeal to Heaven." In recent decades it has been adopted by some Christian political activists.
Dutch Sheets, an influential charismatic leader associated with apostolic and prophetic networks, helped popularize the flag within modern prayer movements.
Within those networks the flag came to symbolize prayer for national transformation, spiritual warfare, and appeals to divine authority.
Its appearance during January 6 and in later political controversies led journalists and scholars to investigate its contemporary association with Christian nationalism and NAR-linked prayer networks.
The flag has meanings outside the NAR context, however, and its historical use predates contemporary Christian nationalist movements.
Major Leaders and Networks
A number of individuals repeatedly appear in research concerning the New Apostolic Reformation and related charismatic networks.
C. Peter Wagner was central to defining and promoting the concept of a New Apostolic Reformation and to developing teachings concerning apostles, church networks, cultural transformation, and strategic spiritual warfare.
Lance Wallnau became a leading advocate of Seven Mountain strategy and a prominent figure in pro-Trump charismatic political mobilization.
Dutch Sheets developed extensive national prayer networks and helped popularize the Appeal to Heaven flag within charismatic political culture.
Cindy Jacobs has been associated with international prophetic and prayer networks.
Ché Ahn has participated in apostolic networks, revival movements, political activism, and major prayer gatherings.
Lou Engle has organized large-scale prayer and revival events and has been associated with political campaigns involving abortion, sexuality, national revival, and spiritual warfare.
Paula White became especially important because of her access to Donald Trump and her connections across prosperity-gospel, charismatic, apostolic, and prophetic networks.
Other ministries and institutions discussed in the literature include Bethel Church, the International House of Prayer, various revival networks, prayer organizations, and independent charismatic churches.
Association with these institutions does not necessarily establish agreement with every theological or political idea attributed to the NAR.
Bethel Church and Independent Charismatic Christianity
Bethel Church in Redding, California, appears repeatedly in discussions of contemporary apostolic and prophetic Christianity.
Bethel has promoted supernatural healing, prophecy, revival, cultural influence, and charismatic spiritual practices. Its leaders have interacted with individuals commonly identified with apostolic and prophetic networks.
At the same time, classifications of Bethel and similar organizations remain disputed. The broader charismatic world contains overlapping networks without uniform organizational boundaries.
Recent controversies involving prophetic ministries have also generated debates about accountability, leadership authority, failed prophecy, misconduct, and the mechanisms through which independent charismatic networks regulate their leaders.
These disputes illustrate one of the structural characteristics repeatedly emphasized in the research: decentralized religious networks can exercise substantial influence without possessing a centralized bureaucracy, denominational headquarters, or formal membership list.
Christian Zionism and International Networks
NAR-related ideas extend beyond domestic American politics.
Research has explored connections among apostolic Christianity, Christian Zionism, international prayer movements, Messianic Judaism, missionary networks, and political activism concerning Israel.
Academic studies have examined NAR development in South Africa and the transmission of dominion-oriented political theology across national borders.
Research on Zambia and other African contexts suggests that political theological ideas originating in North America can be adapted substantially when adopted in different societies.
Studies of Latin America and Brazil similarly document the interaction of Pentecostalism, charismatic Christianity, spiritual warfare, and political activism.
The result is better described as a transnational network of related ideas and ministries than as a single American organization exporting a uniform political program.
Christian Nationalism and Government
The relationship between NAR-associated ideas and government has become increasingly important in debates about Christian nationalism.
Researchers and journalists have examined the influence of Seven Mountain teachings on political activists who believe Christians should play a stronger role within governmental institutions.
The literature also examines relationships between charismatic leaders and elected officials, candidates, judges, political organizations, and advocacy movements.
Some critics argue that efforts to establish explicitly Christian control over governmental institutions are incompatible with religious pluralism and constitutional limits on government establishment of religion.
Supporters of stronger Christian political participation often argue that religious citizens possess the same democratic right to seek cultural and political influence as other citizens and that political engagement should not automatically be equated with establishing a theocracy.
These competing interpretations are central to the larger debate over Christian nationalism.
Education and Cultural Institutions
Seven Mountain teaching explicitly identifies education as one of the institutions Christians should influence.
Research in the source collection examines schools and educational environments connected to charismatic and Christian nationalist ideas, including concerns about how particular theological teachings affect LGBTQ students.
More broadly, the Seven Mountain framework encourages believers to enter professions throughout society rather than limiting religious activity to churches.
Media, entertainment, business, education, family life, religion, and government are therefore treated as interconnected arenas of cultural influence.
This institutional focus helps explain why researchers distinguish Seven Mountain strategy from forms of religious activism concerned primarily with elections or conventional lobbying.
Relationship to Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism
The NAR emerged from Pentecostal and charismatic religious environments, but the sources repeatedly caution against treating the movement as synonymous with either Pentecostalism or evangelical Christianity.
Global Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity includes hundreds of millions of believers with widely varying theological, cultural, and political views.
Many Pentecostals do not accept Seven Mountain theology, contemporary apostolic government, strategic-level spiritual warfare, or Christian nationalist politics.
Likewise, some of the strongest theological criticism of the NAR comes from conservative evangelical Christians.
These critics may share conservative positions on some political or cultural issues while rejecting NAR teachings concerning apostles, prophets, supernatural revelation, dominionism, healing practices, or spiritual warfare.
The debate therefore cannot be reduced to a simple conflict between secular critics and conservative Christians.
Internal Christian Criticism
The uploaded material contains extensive criticism of NAR theology from within Christianity itself.
Conservative evangelical critics question the legitimacy of contemporary apostles and prophets, criticize failed political prophecies, challenge supernatural claims, and reject strategic-level spiritual warfare.
Some critics describe dominion theology or Kingdom Now teachings as departures from traditional evangelical theology.
Others have focused on leadership accountability, prophetic misconduct, fundraising, celebrity culture, and alleged abuses within particular ministries.
These critiques demonstrate that theological objections to the NAR are distinct from secular or political criticism of Christian nationalism.
A Christian may oppose NAR teachings for theological reasons while supporting conservative political policies, just as another Christian may criticize the movement primarily because of concerns about democracy, religious pluralism, or political extremism.
Debate Over the NAR Label
One of the strongest recurring themes in the source collection is disagreement over what the term New Apostolic Reformation actually describes.
Critics and scholars identify recurring features including:
- Modern apostles and prophets
- Independent ministry networks
- Spiritual warfare
- Prophetic revelation
- Cultural transformation
- Dominion-oriented theology
- Seven Mountain teachings
- Revivalism
- Political prophecy
Some charismatic leaders argue that these features do not constitute a unified organization and that the term NAR originated primarily as Wagner's description of broad trends within global Christianity.
Movement-adjacent writers have objected to journalists grouping unrelated charismatic leaders together under a single NAR label.
Other scholars and evangelical critics respond that a decentralized movement does not need formal membership or a headquarters to possess recognizable institutions, leaders, theological ideas, networks, and patterns of cooperation.
Consequently, disagreements over terminology are not merely semantic. They shape estimates of the movement's size, political influence, organizational coherence, and relationship to Christian nationalism.
NAR Leaders' Responses to Christian Nationalism
In 2022, Michael Brown, Joseph Mattera, and other charismatic leaders published a collective statement addressing the New Apostolic Reformation and Christian nationalism.
The statement affirmed contemporary apostolic and prophetic ministry while rejecting political violence and certain forms of Christian nationalism.
Its signatories also disputed portrayals of the NAR as a centralized worldwide organization coordinating a political takeover.
Critics responded that the statement did not resolve disagreements over dominion theology, apostles, prophecy, or political strategy and argued that significant networks continued to connect influential leaders.
This exchange illustrates the difficulty of assigning a single political position to a decentralized religious movement.
Scholarship and Investigative Reporting
Academic interest in the NAR has expanded substantially.
Researchers have examined:
- Prophetic political behavior
- Apostolic authority
- Christian nationalism
- Dominion theology
- Strategic spiritual warfare
- The Seven Mountain Mandate
- Election denial
- January 6
- Christian Zionism
- International apostolic networks
- Charismatic political mobilization
- Religious symbolism
- Democratic institutions
Journalists have complemented this scholarship with investigations of particular churches, leaders, political rallies, voter-mobilization campaigns, prophetic networks, and religious organizations.
Recent studies increasingly place NAR-style charismatic dominionism within a broader taxonomy of American Christian nationalism rather than treating Christian nationalism as a single uniform ideology.
This approach distinguishes charismatic apostolic politics from Catholic integralism, Christian Reconstructionism, conventional evangelical conservatism, and other forms of religious nationalism.
A Decentralized Movement
The decentralized organization of the NAR is essential to understanding both its influence and the controversy surrounding it.
Traditional denominations typically possess recognizable membership lists, governing structures, clergy credentials, and institutional boundaries.
Apostolic networks can operate differently. Relationships may depend on conferences, ministry partnerships, online media, prayer networks, personal mentorship, prophetic authority, or recognition of particular apostles.
This structure allows ideas to move across churches and organizations without requiring formal affiliation.
It also makes precise measurement difficult.
Researchers may identify overlapping networks and shared concepts while participants may legitimately deny belonging to any organization called the New Apostolic Reformation.
Both observations can therefore coexist: the NAR may lack centralized institutional membership while identifiable apostolic networks and shared teachings continue to influence religious and political activism.
Christian Nationalism and Democratic Pluralism
The political importance of the NAR ultimately intersects with a larger American debate about the role of religion in a pluralistic democracy.
Critics of Christian nationalism argue that political programs seeking privileged governmental status for Christianity can threaten religious equality and the rights of citizens belonging to other religions or no religion.
Some researchers interpret strong versions of Seven Mountain dominionism as challenging pluralistic democratic principles when they envision Christian control of major institutions.
Supporters and movement-adjacent writers argue that Christian participation in public institutions is a legitimate exercise of democratic citizenship and that critics sometimes label ordinary religious political engagement as dominionism.
The distinction between seeking influence and seeking institutional religious control therefore remains one of the most contested questions in debates surrounding Christian nationalism and the NAR.
Conclusion
The New Apostolic Reformation represents an influential but difficult-to-define current within contemporary charismatic Christianity. Rather than functioning as a conventional denomination, it consists of overlapping networks centered on modern apostles, prophets, revival ministries, spiritual warfare, supernatural religious practices, and efforts to transform society.
Its relationship with Christian nationalism is most visible through ideas such as the Seven Mountain Mandate, dominion-oriented cultural strategy, prophetic interpretations of political events, and the activities of prominent charismatic political leaders.
The movement gained considerably greater public attention during the Trump era as apostolic and prophetic leaders participated in electoral politics, voter mobilization, national prayer campaigns, election-related prophecy, the Jericho Marches, and activism surrounding the disputed 2020 presidential election and January 6.
At the same time, the sources demonstrate that neither charismatic Christianity nor the NAR should be treated as politically or theologically uniform. Some apostolic leaders reject Christian nationalism or criticize dominion-oriented strategies, while conservative evangelical critics oppose NAR theology from within Christianity itself.
The central scholarly debate therefore concerns not simply whether the NAR "exists," but how a decentralized religious network should be defined and studied. The evidence assembled in the source material documents recurring leaders, organizations, theological concepts, political strategies, and transnational relationships while also documenting serious disagreements about the movement's boundaries.
Understanding the New Apostolic Reformation consequently requires attention to both sides of that structural reality: it is not a centralized denomination with formal membership, yet networks associated with contemporary apostles, prophets, spiritual warfare, Seven Mountain teaching, and political mobilization have become a significant subject in the study of modern Christian nationalism.
Recent Reporting and Overviews
| Staff | Deseret News | September 23, 2026
Examines tensions between religious political movements and constitutional democracy, identifying the New Apostolic Reformation and Seven Mountains Mandate among contemporary movements seeking greater Christian influence over public institutions.
| Guardian staff | The Guardian | August 26, 2026
Examines contemporary Christian nationalism and identifies the New Apostolic Reformation as one of several influential religious-political currents discussed in Rep. Jared Huffman's work.
| Marsha West | Christian Research Network | August 19, 2026
A strongly critical conservative evangelical commentary on Dutch Sheets and prophetic claims concerning U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, useful as evidence of intramural Christian opposition to NAR-style prophecy.
| Doug Duncan | Midwest Christian Outreach | August 13, 2026
Christian review of Keri Ladner's American Dominion, focusing on the development of NAR-style dominionism and Seven Mountain theology.
| Joseph Mattera | Christian Post | August 13, 2026
An apostolic-charismatic leader critiques weaknesses he sees in the Seven Mountain Mandate while defending Christian engagement with culture, illustrating disagreement within charismatic Christianity over dominion-oriented strategies.
| Steve Rabey | Baptist News Global | July 15, 2026
Discusses Keri Ladner's research on dominionism and traces the historical and theological development of the Seven Mountain Mandate.
| Baptist News Global / Religion Dispatches | Baptist News Global | July 8, 2026
Profiles prominent figures identified with NAR networks and provides a useful guide to the decentralized apostles, prophets, ministries, and organizations associated with the movement.
| Frederick Clarkson / Skeptic | Political Research Associates | July 7, 2026
Describes the Seven Mountain Mandate as a major contemporary expression of Christian nationalism and explains its relationship to New Apostolic Reformation ideas about gaining influence over religion, education, government, family, media, entertainment, and business.
| Don Pirozok / Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | June 22, 2026
Conservative evangelical critique arguing that NAR teachings can spread through churches via apostolic leadership, prophecy, spiritual warfare, revival terminology, and Seven Mountain theology.
| Craig L. Nessan | Currents in Theology and Mission | June 17, 2026
Academic theological overview arguing that Christian Reconstructionism, dominionism, the New Apostolic Reformation, and the Seven Mountain Mandate constitute important strands in contemporary American Christian nationalism.
| Global Project Against Hate and Extremism / PRA | Political Research Associates | June 15, 2026
Examines Lance Wallnau's influence on contemporary Christian-right political strategy and the use of Seven Mountain ideas as a framework for gaining institutional influence.
| De Correspondent / PRA | Political Research Associates | June 11, 2026
Discusses the international spread of apostolic, prophetic, and dominion-oriented Christian political networks and their relationships with American religious politics.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | June 3, 2026
Reports changes in Bethel Church's relationships with several charismatic prophetic figures, useful for examining accountability and authority within networks often associated with NAR theology.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | May 2026
Reports on a national revival event featuring Dutch Sheets, Lou Engle, Guillermo Maldonado, and other charismatic figures associated with NAR-style apostolic and prophetic Christianity.
| Don Pirozok | Christian Research Network | May 7, 2026
Conservative evangelical theological criticism of strategic-level spiritual warfare, particularly the practice of confronting territorial spirits over governments, cities, and nations.
| Micah Oosterhoff | Journal of the American Academy of Religion | April 20, 2026
Academic study of Christian nationalist uses of Protestant history, useful for comparing NAR charismatic dominionism with Calvinist forms of Christian nationalism.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | March 16, 2026
Presents a conservative evangelical theological critique of Kingdom Now and dominion theology associated with portions of the NAR.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | March 4, 2026
Polemical evangelical critique of apostolic authority and celebrity leadership within churches associated by critics with the NAR.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | March 2, 2026
Examines fundraising, prophecy, and charismatic authority from an explicitly critical evangelical perspective.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 28, 2026
Critiques Bethel Church's "culture of honor" and broader models of charismatic authority associated by critics with apostolic networks.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 17, 2026
Conservative evangelical criticism of charismatic conferences including Lance Wallnau's Courage Tour, providing another perspective on political-charismatic mobilization.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 13, 2026
Theological commentary criticizing contemporary claims of special apostolic knowledge and revelation.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 10, 2026
Evangelical critique of modern prophetic ministries that provides context for continuing Christian debates over prophecy following political prediction controversies.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 4, 2026
Polemical analysis of controversies surrounding Bethel Church and charismatic prophetic culture.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | January 30, 2026
Conservative Christian critique focused on leadership culture and accountability at Bethel Church.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | January 27, 2026
Discusses dominionism in relation to contemporary conservative political activism and Christian coalition building.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | January 26, 2026
Reports Bethel Church's apology concerning its previous promotion of prophetic minister Shawn Bolz, providing material on accountability within prophetic networks.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | January 22, 2026
Updated conservative evangelical critique summarizing theological objections to apostles, prophets, signs and wonders, and dominion theology.
| Religion Unplugged | Religion Unplugged | January 12, 2026
Traces Christian Reconstructionism and explains how dominion-oriented ideas were adapted within charismatic Christianity and C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation.
| Hanne Amanda Trangerud | Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses | 2026
Peer-reviewed analysis comparing the Seven Mountain Mandate with Paul Weyrich's political strategy and examining their convergence in Christian nationalist approaches to institutional power.
| Southern Poverty Law Center | Hatewatch | 2026
Discusses the NAR within the broader history of Christian supremacy and examines apostolic networks, dominion theology, and political rhetoric.
| Stephanie McCrummen | The Atlantic | 2026
Investigative account of spiritual-warfare practices in a charismatic Christian community and their relationship to NAR theology, political polarization, and perceived demonic influence.
| Academic researcher | Religion | 2026
Examines connections between prosperity theology and Christian nationalism, situating charismatic dominionism and NAR-related politics within a broader global framework.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | December 11, 2025
Conservative evangelical criticism of mainstream evangelical interaction with Bethel-associated ministries.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | November 5, 2025
Discusses how Christians leaving charismatic and apostolic movements may reassess teachings concerning prophecy, healing, and supernatural revelation.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 30, 2025
Critiques Lance Wallnau's ministry and illustrates how prophetic teaching, personal destiny, entrepreneurship, and political influence intersect in his broader ministry.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 11, 2025
Conservative evangelical critique of supernatural and spiritual-warfare rhetoric appearing in politically active Christian circles.
| Word&Way | Word&Way | September 10, 2025
Distinguishes different forms of Christian nationalism and identifies independent charismatic Christianity and NAR as one particularly visible stream.
| Salon | Salon | July 21, 2025
Discusses NAR institutions in Pennsylvania within a wider struggle among Christians over dominionism, Christian nationalism, and democratic pluralism.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | June 24, 2025
Critical commentary examining Bethel's influence on contemporary worship culture and questions about organizational accountability.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | June 2, 2025
Reports allegations made by former ministry associates of worship activist Sean Feucht, a figure often discussed in research on charismatic Christian political activism.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | April 19, 2025
Conservative evangelical criticism of Kenneth Copeland's interaction with political leadership, useful for mapping overlapping Word of Faith, charismatic, and political networks.
| Harvard Divinity School | Harvard University | March 5, 2025
Academic discussion of Christian nationalism in global perspective identifying NAR and the Seven Mountain Mandate as an important form of charismatic dominionism.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 27, 2025
Conservative evangelical response to Paula White's appointment to lead the White House Faith Office, emphasizing her longstanding connections with charismatic and apostolic networks.
| Faithful Politics with Stephanie McCrummen | Faithful Politics | February 25, 2025
Interview with Atlantic reporter Stephanie McCrummen about the origins, theology, political networks, and increasing visibility of the NAR.
| Paige Stevens | The Lemur / Duke University | February 24, 2025
Examines the relationship between NAR spiritual-warfare concepts, Christian nationalism, and political mobilization surrounding the 2024 election.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 18, 2025
Discusses contemporary deliverance ministries and demonology from a conservative evangelical critical perspective.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 11, 2025
Critique of Bill Johnson and Bethel's healing theology, relevant to understanding the supernatural worldview surrounding portions of independent charismatic Christianity.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 8, 2025
Reports evangelical reassessment of International House of Prayer leader Mike Bickle and broader questions of charismatic leadership accountability.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | January 16, 2025
Polemical evangelical discussion illustrating theological disputes over the mainstreaming of charismatic ministries.
| André Gagné | Journal of Illiberalism Studies | 2025
Analyzes spiritual warfare, territorial spirits, Jezebel imagery, and political conquest in neo-charismatic Christianity following the 2024 U.S. election.
| Religion News Service | Religion News Service | October 11, 2024
Includes discussion by religion scholars of the NAR as an influential contemporary form of Christian nationalism.
| Forward staff | The Forward | 2024
Guide to prominent Christian nationalist figures, including Lance Wallnau and his role in NAR-style Seven Mountain politics.
Dominionism and the Seven Mountain Mandate
| Ed Gaskin | Times of Israel Blogs | September 4, 2026
Discusses definitions of NAR, Independent Network Charismatic Christianity, dominion theology, and the Seven Mountain Mandate while emphasizing the movement's decentralized character.
| Center for Biblical Unity | Center for Biblical Unity | 2026
Christian analysis differentiating several forms of Christian nationalism and treating Seven Mountain charismatic dominionism as a distinct stream.
| International Project | Red, White, and Righteous | 2025
Explains the history and political application of the Seven Mountain Mandate and its relationship to NAR-style dominionism.
| Peter Montgomery | People For the American Way | October 24, 2024
Examines Seven Mountain dominionism and political collaboration between NAR leaders and other sectors of the Christian Right.
| Laura Harbert Allen / 100 Days in Appalachia | WinCity Voices | September 12, 2024
Accessible introduction to NAR apostles, prophets, spiritual warfare, dominionism, and political influence in Appalachia and the United States.
| Bruce Cooper | Reasoned Cases for Christ | July 25, 2024
Conservative Christian discussion of dominionism, Christian nationalism, and New Apostolic Reformation teachings.
| Paul Rosenberg | Salon | May 26, 2024
Glossary explaining dominionism, Christian Reconstructionism, NAR, Seven Mountains, apostles, prophets, and other terminology used in Christian nationalist politics.
| Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné | Religion Dispatches | May 23, 2024
Extensive guide to NAR terminology, history, apostles, prophets, networks, dominionism, spiritual warfare, and the movement's international political dimensions.
| Paul Rosenberg | Salon | January 2, 2024
Overview of NAR history and political theology drawing heavily on André Gagné's scholarship about apostles, prophets, spiritual authority, dominion, and Donald Trump.
| Christian Century | The Christian Century | 2024
Historical account distinguishing Christian Reconstructionism from the charismatic dominionism associated with NAR and Lance Wallnau's Seven Mountain teaching.
Academic Research and Books
| Politics and Religion | Cambridge University Press | 2025
Peer-reviewed taxonomy of American Christian nationalism that identifies charismatic dominionism associated with the NAR as one important variety.
| Politics and Religion | Cambridge University Press | 2025
DOI version of the study on varieties of American Christian nationalism, including discussion of NAR figures, Seven Mountains ideology, prophecy, and support for Trump.
| International Journal of Latin American Religions | Springer | 2025
Academic discussion of evangelical spiritual warfare in Latin America that places C. Peter Wagner and NAR strategic-level spiritual warfare in international context.
| Academic researchers | Politics and Religion | 2025
Comparative study of Christian nationalism and democratic attitudes in Africa, including discussion of Pentecostal, charismatic, and dominionist political movements.
| Political scientists | Perspectives on Politics | 2025
Examines Christian nationalism across racial groups and notes the presence of Latino leaders and participants within charismatic and NAR-associated networks.
| Academic researcher | Journal of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity | 2025
Discusses Pentecostal political theology and contrasts scholarly Pentecostal approaches with NAR dominionism and Seven Mountains thinking.
| Matthew D. Taylor | Nova Religio | November 2024
Academic article analyzing the intersection of NAR networks, Messianic Judaism, shofar symbolism, Jericho Marches, and the January 6 Capitol attack.
| University of Pennsylvania Press | Penn Press | October 31, 2024
Introduces a Nova Religio special issue examining NAR dominion theology, prophecy, political participation, and January 6.
| Academic researchers | Religions | 2024
Network analysis of the widening Seven Mountains movement and the role played by apostolic leadership structures.
| Damon T. Berry | Bloomsbury Academic | 2023
Publisher overview of Berry's scholarly book examining NAR prophecy, conspiracism, dominionism, spiritual warfare, and support for Donald Trump.
| Academic researcher | International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church | 2023
Traces the political turn in American Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity and identifies precedents for the later embrace of Trump by NAR prophets.
| Hanne Amanda Trangerud | Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses | 2021/2022
Peer-reviewed study of Trump prophecies, Cyrus imagery, NAR leaders, and the political mobilization of evangelical voters.
| Matthew Rowley | International Journal of Religion | 2021
"Prophetic Populism and the Violent Rejection of Joe Biden's Election" examines charismatic prophecy, NAR networks, election rejection, and the Capitol insurrection.
| Naomi Haynes | University of Edinburgh / Journal Article | 2021
Peer-reviewed analysis of how North American Reconstructionist and NAR dominion theology influenced Christian nationalism in Zambia while also being adapted by local Christians.
| Naomi Haynes | Pentecostal Theology | 2021
Accessible version of research on Christian nationalism in Zambia and the circulation of Reconstructionist and NAR political theology.
| Dale Wallace | Journal for the Study of Religion | July 4, 2020
Studies NAR-related fundamentalism and political activism in South Africa and the implications for constitutional democracy.
| Damon Berry | Nova Religio | April 15, 2020
Peer-reviewed study of "prophecy voters" examining how NAR prophecies about Donald Trump influenced political support in 2016 and 2020.
| Kelebogile Resane | HTS Theological Studies | August 12, 2016
Scholarly theological critique of C. Peter Wagner's ecclesiology and the NAR's emphasis on restored apostles, prophets, and dominion.
| Kelebogile Resane | HTS Theological Studies | 2016
Alternate journal access to Resane's analysis of Wagner and New Apostolic Reformation ecclesiology.
| Steve Snow | Journal of Religion & Society | 2016
"Prophets, Demons, and Witch Hunts" analyzes NAR spiritual warfare as a form of scapegoat ideology within American political culture.
| Irvin G. Chetty | Journal for the Study of Religion | 2014
Examines the relationship between the New Apostolic Reformation and Christian Zionism.
| Irvin G. Chetty | Alternation | December 31, 2013
Academic examination of the origins and development of the New Apostolic Reformation in South Africa and its relationship to Pentecostal and post-Pentecostal Christianity.
Elections, January 6, and Political Mobilization
| Academic thesis | Mount Holyoke College | 2026
Scholarly work discussing Jericho Marches, NAR leaders, Christian Zionist symbolism, and religious mobilization surrounding the 2020 election.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | November 9, 2024
Evangelical criticism of charismatic prophets who reinterpreted earlier Trump reelection prophecies following the 2024 election.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 29, 2024
Strongly critical evangelical perspective on prosperity-gospel and charismatic leaders surrounding Trump.
| Paul Rosenberg | Salon | October 20, 2024
Examines NAR political organizing, Pennsylvania politics, Doug Mastriano, and the movement's spiritual-warfare worldview.
| The Guardian | The Guardian | October 19, 2024
Reports expert concerns about militant biblical and spiritual-warfare rhetoric used at a rally involving Ché Ahn and other NAR-associated leaders.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 18, 2024
Conservative evangelical report on symbolic spiritual-warfare rituals at Lou Engle's Washington rally.
| Frederick Clarkson | Religion Dispatches | October 17, 2024
Critical analysis of Lou Engle and Ché Ahn's October 2024 Washington rally, including prophetic declarations and spiritual-warfare rhetoric.
| The Guardian | The Guardian | October 12, 2024
Reports on a Washington rally involving several leaders associated with NAR networks, spiritual warfare, and pro-Trump political mobilization.
| Geoff Bennett / Matthew D. Taylor | PBS NewsHour | September 30, 2024
Interview explaining Lance Wallnau, C. Peter Wagner, NAR leadership networks, charismatic prophecy, and Wallnau's role in contemporary electoral politics.
| PBS NewsHour | PBS | September 30, 2024
Full program containing Matthew Taylor's discussion of Wallnau, NAR networks, political prophecy, Christian Trumpism, and charismatic political mobilization.
| Meryl Kornfield and Hannah Allam | The Washington Post | September 28, 2024
Reports JD Vance's appearance at an event organized by Lance Wallnau and explains Wallnau's relationship to NAR and Seven Mountain Christianity.
| Amanda Marcotte interviewing Matthew D. Taylor | Salon | September 24, 2024
Interview about The Violent Take It by Force and the role Taylor assigns NAR apostles, prophets, Seven Mountain teachings, and spiritual warfare in January 6.
| Wall Street Journal | The Wall Street Journal | September 2024
Examines Lance Wallnau's Courage Tour, spiritual-warfare rhetoric, voter mobilization, and his portrayal of Donald Trump as a divinely useful political figure.
| The Washington Post | The Washington Post | July 28, 2024
Discusses prophetic language aimed at Kamala Harris and situates such rhetoric within independent charismatic and NAR spiritual-warfare traditions.
| The Washington Post | The Washington Post | July 14, 2024
Reports how pastors responded to the attempted assassination of Trump, including charismatic leaders who framed the event as part of spiritual warfare.
| Keri Ladner | Religion Dispatches | June 10, 2024
Historical account linking NAR networks with the Jericho March movement and examining the religious and racial history of Christian-right mobilization.
| The Guardian | The Guardian | April 7, 2024
Examines Trump's Christian nationalist support, including Paula White and her relationships with prosperity-gospel and NAR leaders.
| Terry Gross and Bradley Onishi | NPR / Fresh Air | February 29, 2024
Examines the rise of Christian nationalism and describes NAR and the Seven Mountain Mandate as one important strand.
| Terry Gross and Bradley Onishi | NPR / CapRadio | February 29, 2024
Transcript of the Fresh Air discussion connecting NAR theology, Christian dominion, Trump, January 6, and political institutions.
| Salon | Salon | February 21, 2024
Discusses NAR as one faction within a broader Christian nationalist coalition and examines Seven Mountain political language.
| Matthew D. Taylor | Institute for Islamic, Christian & Jewish Studies | January 31, 2024
Documentary and research project arguing that NAR networks were an important religious component in mobilization surrounding January 6.
| Matthew D. Taylor | Substack | January 2024
Taylor explains the research behind his documentary on NAR's participation in the events surrounding January 6.
| ProPublica | ProPublica | 2024
Tracks Lance Wallnau's presentation of Trump as a modern Cyrus and NAR-linked political organizing during the 2016 and 2024 elections.
| Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone Canada | 2024
Reports on pro-Trump charismatic prophets including Dutch Sheets and their continued claims of divine intervention in American politics.
| Associated Press | AP | 2024
Explains the "Jezebel spirit" concept, its racial and gender history, and its contemporary use by figures associated with NAR-style spiritual warfare.
| Associated Press / PBS | PBS News | 2024
Examines the use of Jezebel imagery against female political leaders and identifies the New Apostolic Reformation as one source of contemporary politicized demonology.
| Matthew D. Taylor | Institute for Islamic, Christian & Jewish Studies | 2022–2023
Five-part research series tracing NAR history from C. Peter Wagner through charismatic Trumpism and the Capitol attack.
| Elle Hardy | The New Republic | September 2022
Detailed account of NAR's increasing political influence, its spiritual-warfare theology, and links to Doug Mastriano and other political figures.
| Paul Rosenberg | Salon | July 4, 2022
Examines prophetic, charismatic, militia, QAnon, and NAR currents surrounding Doug Mastriano's Pennsylvania political movement.
| History News Network | History News Network | 2022
Discusses Mastriano's religious-political profile, including his participation in events linked to charismatic dominionist and NAR networks.
| Religion Watch | Baylor University | November 12, 2021
Reports academic research on NAR prophets following the failed predictions that Trump would win reelection in 2020 and examines how many interpreted the election afterward.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | June 2021
Examines charismatic prophets who predicted Trump's reelection and discusses NAR, Independent Network Charismatic Christianity, and Seven Mountain ideology.
| Paul Rosenberg | Salon | June 12, 2021
Places Doug Mastriano within Christian nationalist, dominionist, and NAR-associated political networks.
| Damon Berry | Nova Religio | April 15, 2020
Peer-reviewed research introducing the concept of "prophecy voters" and examining alleged divine prophecies as a motivation for political support of Trump.
| University of California Press | Nova Religio | 2020
Journal issue containing Berry's study of prophecy voters alongside research on supernatural and magical responses to the 2016 election.
Spiritual Warfare, Prophecy, and Religious Symbolism
| Religion News Service / Word&Way | Word&Way | May 23, 2024
Reprints reporting on the Appeal to Heaven flag's contemporary meaning in NAR and Christian nationalist circles.
| Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone Québec | May 2024
Reports on the flag's use among Christian nationalist activists and its modern association with Dutch Sheets and NAR networks.
| Americans United for Separation of Church and State | Americans United | 2024
Discusses Dutch Sheets' promotion of the Appeal to Heaven flag and its association with Seven Mountain and NAR political theology.
| Washington Post | The Washington Post | January 6, 2023
Taxonomy of Christian nationalist groups that includes "Trump prophets" and their overlap with New Apostolic Reformation networks.
| Alan Bean | Baptist News Global | September 7, 2021
Discusses Paula White's post-election prayer, spiritual warfare, Wagner's ideas about territorial spirits, and NAR's international growth.
| Kelebogile Resane | HTS Theological Studies | 2016
Academic theological critique of C. Peter Wagner's ecclesiology, apostolic governance, workplace apostles, and the idea that Christians should transform major spheres of society.
Leaders and Apostolic Networks
| Tim & April Show | TNE Media | April 28, 2025
Long-form discussion of White's prosperity theology, charismatic political networks, NAR connections, and Christian nationalism.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | May 2020
Discusses the enormous diversity of global Spirit-empowered Christianity and cautions against treating charismatic movements such as NAR as representative of Pentecostalism as a whole.
Detailed review of Geivett and Pivec's A New Apostolic Reformation?, summarizing Wagner's theology and evangelical critiques of the movement.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | August 2017
Interview with sociologists Brad Christerson and Richard Flory about Independent Network Charismatic Christianity, apostles, prophets, spiritual covering, Bethel, IHOP, and decentralized religious networks.
| Molly Worthen | Christianity Today | April 2016
Profile of Bethel Church discussing apostles, prophets, miracles, cultural transformation, and debates over whether Bethel should be considered part of NAR.
| Craig Hurst | Craig's Book Reviews | February 4, 2015
Review discussing modern apostles, prophets, Wagner's influence, and evangelical theological objections to NAR.
| Christianity Today | Christianity Today | March 2014
Examines charismatic revival networks linking leaders such as Bill Johnson, Ché Ahn, Randy Clark, Heidi Baker, and other figures sometimes associated with NAR.
| Gregory Metzger | Christianity Today | 2012
Places Wagner's apostolic teachings within wider debates over church structure, denominations, and contemporary apostles.
| Jennifer LeClaire | Charisma News | October 5, 2011
Contains Wagner's own explanations of apostolic leadership, dominion, and participation in political systems.
Law, Government, Education, and Regional Networks
| Political Research Associates | Political Research Associates | 2024–2026
Research archive assembling scholarship and investigative reporting on NAR involvement in education, politics, anti-LGBTQ activism, and spiritual warfare.
| Academic editors | Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies | 2025
Introduction to a special issue on white Christian nationalism and education, including discussion of NAR-influenced schools and educational networks.
| Baptist Joint Committee | BJC | 2025
Discussion of Christian nationalism in Texas that distinguishes older "Christian nation" narratives from newer dominion theology and NAR political concepts.
| Texas Observer | Texas Observer | December 2024
Year-end review noting the publication's NAR investigation as one of its most-read reports of 2024.
| Jonathon Sawyer | Political Research Associates / Religion Dispatches | July 29, 2024
Examines the spread of NAR-related ideas through schools and churches and discusses possible consequences for LGBTQ students.
| David R. Brockman | Texas Observer | June 3, 2024
Investigative report on Texas-based NAR networks, Lance Wallnau, Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce, dominionism, prophetic politics, and Seven Mountain strategy.
| Jack Jenkins / Religion News Service | Religion News Service | May 23, 2024
Discusses claims by scholars that NAR influence has reached executive, legislative, and judicial institutions while also reporting responses from those involved.
| PBS NewsHour | PBS | May 23, 2024
Discusses the modern political meaning of the Appeal to Heaven flag and Dutch Sheets' role in popularizing it in NAR prayer networks.
| Jonathon Sawyer | Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies | April 5, 2024
Academic analysis of LGBTQ students in religious schools influenced by NAR teachings and what the author describes as conspiratorial demonology.
| Matthew D. Taylor | Religion News Service | April 4, 2024
Argues that independent charismatic and apostolic movements require analysis beyond broad Christian-nationalism categories and discusses Wallnau and the Seven Mountain Mandate.
| Stephanie McCrummen | The Atlantic | March 5, 2024
"The Alabama Embryo Opinion Is About More Than Christian Nationalism" examines the theological and political milieu surrounding the Alabama embryo ruling and Seven Mountain teaching.
| The Guardian | The Guardian | March 2, 2024
Examines Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker, Christian nationalism, embryo personhood, and Parker's engagement with Seven Mountain ideas.
| Laura Barrón-López and Brad Onishi | PBS NewsHour | February 1, 2024
Broad overview of Christian nationalism that specifically discusses NAR, spiritual warfare, apostles, prophets, January 6, and political mobilization.
| PBS NewsHour | PBS | February 1, 2024
Full episode containing Brad Onishi's explanation of NAR as one subgroup within contemporary Christian nationalism.
| Baptist Joint Committee | BJC | 2024
Examines Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker's religious views, Seven Mountain concepts, and their relationship to contemporary Christian nationalism.
| Hannah Allam | The Washington Post | July 11, 2021
Investigates politically active charismatic Christianity through Mercy Culture Church and explains NAR, prophets, apostles, dominionism, and Seven Mountain theology.
Global and Transnational Dimensions
| Baptist News Global / Religion Dispatches | Baptist News Global | December 1, 2022
Syndicated version of the reporter's guide examining NAR's international networks and Christian-nationalist political theology.
| Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné | Religion Dispatches | November 30, 2022
Argues that NAR political theology is transnational rather than solely American and explores prayer networks, Israel, "sheep and goat nations," and global apostolic alliances.
| Academic researchers | Religião & Sociedade | 2022
Includes scholarship tracing Christian Zionism in Brazil and discussing the growing role of dominion theology and the Nova Reforma Apostólica in evangelical political activism.
| Irvin G. Chetty | Journal for the Study of Religion | 2014
Full-text academic study of NAR and Christian Zionism, including the role of apostolic leadership and support for Israel.
Origins and Historical Development
| Stephanie McCrummen | The Atlantic | January 9, 2025
Major recent investigation documenting the movement's transition from a relatively obscure charismatic network into a more visible force in American religious politics.
| Stephanie McCrummen | The Atlantic | June 20, 2023
Long-form reporting showing how NAR ideas operate at the level of ordinary believers, prayer networks, ministries, and local political activism.
| Various authors | Christianity Today / Books & Culture | 2012
Responses to Metzger's article illustrate internal evangelical debate over modern apostles, apostolic movements, and NAR terminology.
| Julie Ingersoll | Religion Dispatches | August 30, 2011
One of the earliest clear explanations that Christian Reconstructionism and NAR are distinct theological movements even though both have been associated with forms of dominionism.
| Stephanie Samuel | Christian Post | August 29, 2011
Reports competing interpretations of dominion theology and NAR following Rick Perry's "The Response" prayer rally.
| Sarah Posner | Salon | August 21, 2011
Examines Rick Perry's prayer rally and the emergence of NAR, dominionism, spiritual warfare, and Seven Mountain concepts in national political reporting.
| Lisa Miller | The Washington Post | August 18, 2011
Presents a skeptical response to contemporary reporting about dominionism and warns against treating conservative Christianity or NAR-related ideas as representative of evangelicals generally.
Critiques, Counterarguments, and Definitional Debate
| Brandon Larson | Christian Post | April 15, 2025
First-person defense of the apostolic movement from a former Wagner associate who argues that NAR was primarily Wagner's descriptive term rather than a centralized organization.
| Joseph Mattera | Christian Post | March 1, 2025
Offers a movement-adjacent rebuttal to common media and theological descriptions of NAR.
| Michael Brown | Christian Post | December 5, 2023
Continues Brown's argument that critics frequently treat diverse charismatic leaders as members of a single organization that does not formally exist.
| Frederick Clarkson | Religion Dispatches | October 4, 2023
Examines attempts by charismatic leaders to distance themselves from the NAR label while retaining aspects of apostolic and dominion-oriented theology.
| Nicole VanDyke | Christian Post | December 30, 2022
Reports the evangelical critique of NAR offered by Holly Pivec and Douglas Geivett and summarizes concerns about apostles, prophets, and new revelation.
| Michael Brown | Mattera Ministries International | October 25, 2022
Explains why Brown and Mattera issued their NAR and Christian Nationalism statement and describes their concerns about both political excesses and what they regard as overly broad criticism.
| Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné | Religion Dispatches | October 21, 2022
Critical response to the NAR-Christian nationalism statement, arguing that it reveals significant disagreements among apostolic and prophetic leaders.
| Michael Brown | The Stream | October 20, 2022
Another publication of the collective leadership statement explaining what its signatories affirm and reject concerning apostles, prophets, nationalism, political violence, and America.
| Michael Brown | WorldNetDaily | October 19, 2022
Publishes the charismatic leadership statement rejecting violent Christian nationalism and disputing portrayals of NAR as a centrally organized worldwide political conspiracy.
| Michael Brown and signatories | The Line of Fire | October 19, 2022
Primary-source version of the charismatic leaders' statement addressing NAR terminology and Christian nationalism.
| Michael Brown, Joseph Mattera, and signatories | NAR & Christian Nationalism Statement | 2022
Primary-source statement from charismatic and apostolic leaders affirming contemporary apostolic and prophetic ministry while rejecting some forms of Christian nationalism and political extremism.
| Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett | Christian Post | May 10, 2018
Response to Brown contending that a recognizable NAR movement does exist and that governance by contemporary apostles and prophets is its central distinguishing teaching.
| Michael Brown | Christian Post | 2018
Brown argues that critics exaggerate the coherence and size of the NAR and distinguishes Wagner's descriptive category from portrayals of a unified conspiracy.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | November 27, 2017
Conservative evangelical guide identifying doctrinal features critics associate with NAR churches, including apostles, prophets, supernatural revelation, and dominion theology.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 22, 2016
Critical obituary reviewing C. Peter Wagner's career, Fuller Seminary background, apostolic networks, and role in popularizing the term New Apostolic Reformation.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | April 10, 2016
Reports Lou Engle's participation in an ecumenical reconciliation ritual at Azusa Now, illustrating the movement's large-scale revival organizing.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 23, 2016
Conservative evangelical critique of Lou Engle's Azusa Now event and its vision for revival and cross-denominational Christian mobilization.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 18, 2016
Provides historical material on the intersection of charismatic religious networks, Rick Joyner, Glenn Beck, Rafael Cruz, and the 2016 Republican primary.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | February 7, 2016
Illustrates prophetic expectations of national revival within Rick Joyner's charismatic network.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | December 8, 2015
Conservative evangelical critique of International House of Prayer's Onething conference and its ecumenical relationships.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | November 17, 2015
Discusses interaction between International House of Prayer and leaders from more conventional evangelical institutions.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | November 6, 2015
Early documentation of charismatic claims that Trump had received a divinely assigned governmental role, predating his 2016 election victory.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 22, 2015
Conservative theological criticism of supernatural claims at Bethel Church, useful for documenting the prophetic and angelic worldview surrounding portions of the movement.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 13, 2015
Polemical critique of charismatic practices involving Bethel Church and Heidi Baker.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | October 7, 2015
Conservative evangelical commentary on visions and supernatural experiences described within Bethel's ministry culture.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | September 21, 2015
Reports C. Peter Wagner's defense of the New Apostolic Reformation against accusations that it constituted a cult.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | July 31, 2015
Critiques revivalist Todd Bentley and the charismatic training culture connected to contemporary apostolic and prophetic Christianity.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | May 20, 2015
Documents participation of prophetic-charismatic figures at the international Empowered21 gathering in Jerusalem.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | March 29, 2015
Reports controversy over NAR-associated leader Chuck Pierce symbolically bestowing a spiritual "mantle" on Glenn Beck.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | November 7, 2014
Conservative evangelical critique of Bill Johnson, apostolic leadership, supernatural experiences, and Bethel theology.
| Christian Research Network | Christian Research Network | December 11, 2012
Early report on charismatic prayer and prophetic activism that helps document the movement's pre-Trump religious culture.
Broader Context and Reference Sources
| Institute for Islamic, Christian & Jewish Studies | ICJS | 2022–2026
Resource hub on Christian nationalism containing Matthew Taylor's NAR research, documentary materials, discussion guides, and related scholarship.
| Jewish Telegraphic Agency | JTA | November 5, 2024
Discusses how charismatic Christian nationalists and NAR-associated movements conceptualize Judaism, Islam, religious minorities, Messianic Judaism, and public policy.
| Institute for Islamic, Christian & Jewish Studies | ICJS | 2024
Includes the launch and discussion of Matthew Taylor's The Violent Take It by Force and other programs examining religion, NAR, and American politics.
| Frederick Clarkson | Political Research Associates / The Signal | July 25, 2023
Interview examining NAR activism in Pennsylvania and the movement's wider political and international ambitions.
| Frederick Clarkson | Political Research Associates | November 4, 2022
Explains the history of dominionism and differentiates Reconstructionism from charismatic dominionism associated with NAR and the Seven Mountain Mandate.
| Frederick Clarkson and Cloee Cooper | Political Research Associates | May 28, 2021
Examines intersections among NAR networks, dominionism, abortion abolitionism, antigovernment activism, and Patriot Movement organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
| Matthew D. Taylor | ICJS | 2021
Course materials on Christian nationalism, including NAR leadership, charismatic Christianity, January 6, and recommended scholarship.
| Rachel Tabachnick | Political Research Associates | March 22, 2013
"The Christian Right, Reborn: The New Apostolic Reformation Goes to War" is an early investigation of NAR politics, spiritual warfare, demons, apostles, and dominionism.
