We are engaged in spiritual warfare. So claims the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a loosely organized network of extreme conservative Christian leaders and congregations, which has steadily and stealthily moved from the fringes of our culture into the mix of the MAGA movement. Theirs is an existential battle between what they perceive to their Christian righteousness (and certainty) and the evils of the secular culture. For many on the conservative end of the political spectrum, the term secular is regarded as an anti-religious, if not an atheistic, movement. So the NAR – and both its conscripted and unwitting soldiers, are fighting the secular culture, which – from their perspective – is guided and governed by elites, who not only want to marginalize Christianity, but get rid of it. From their perspective, the removal of the Ten Commandments in courthouses, the abolition of prayer in public schools, and the dismissal of the Bible as the authority for our national affairs, are examples of a trajectory that seeks to dismantle religion.
Their identified elites – who tend to live on both coasts of the country, and who are well educated and provisioned with many resources, are the enemies; and most of the battles are being waged verbally – on various media platforms, in political debates, in congregations which subscribe to NAR theology. Conspiracy theories abound, which are hateful, racist, and full of misinformation. That hate then spills over, and the warfare inevitably becomes violent. The most vulnerable then become the targets. Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been threatened, brought upon by rumors that they are eating people’s pets, accusations that have no merit. Bomb threats have closed schools, and families are afraid to let their children walk the streets. In Aurora, Colorado, Venezuelan immigrants are being violently attacked because it has been falsely claimed that Venezuelan gangs have infiltrated the city. The list of violent threats and incidents goes on. When the purveyors of false rumors are identified, more often than not they double down on their hostility and misinformation. The fighting rages on.
The battle is not just one-sided. The elites, those who are in the crosshairs of those committed to spiritual warfare, tend to be well-insulated from the fray given their affluent neighborhoods, advanced education, an abundance of economic and social resources, and their readily accessible spheres of influence. From these perches verbal barbs are fired, disdain is registered, and shame is invoked. The relative privilege that so-called elites enjoy enables them to keep some physical distance from the fields of battle (although emotional distance is harder to come by), thus rendering the warfare more theoretical. But the barbs, disdain, and shame keep coming from the elites, escalating the conflict. Years ago, I remember hearing people who took great pride in their privilege, saying – mostly in jest, but sometimes in earnest – “they are not our sort of people,” with the clear inference that “they” did not measure up to their educational and economic sophistication. I don’t hear that phrase as much these days, but when it is uttered – directly or under one’s breath, lack of political sophistication has been added to the list, and has now become the recipient of the most scorn.
When I first learned of the New Apostolic Reformation and its commitment to spiritual warfare, I shrugged my shoulders and started to chuckle. I had a hard time taking it seriously. “You can’t laugh”, I was told, because the movement is real, it is growing in influence and resources, and has caught the attention – and support, of some key leaders. The commitment is fierce. It is not going to burn out easily, if at all.
So should I, or any of us who are clearly identified as a cultural, educational, racial, and educational elite, fight back? No, and yes. No to ramping up the disdain, shame and verbal invective that has been the arsenal of choice, because it does two unhelpful things: the disdain, shame and invective infuriates and ultimately empowers the other side of their righteousness; and the verbal salvos fired by elites have no impact other than to provide more insulation and increased distance from what is going on.
Yes to engagement. Not in the violent sense, but in the personal one. Build relationships. Take risks. Listen. The generals in the New Apostolic Reformation and their volunteer soldiers are committed to spiritual warfare. They have a growing influence, and are not easily dissuaded, and for the most part refuse to engage except on the field of battle. Yet there are far more people who are drawn only to the homiletics of NAR, yet at the same time they who want to have their spiritual journeys affirmed and supported, and who look to America not such much as a Christian nation, but a country that honors ancient religious traditions and practices. Look to the purposes we have in common: providing the basics of food, shelter, clothing, education, etc. These are the engagements we need to make. These are the conversations we need to have. These are the relationships we need to build – to ward off warfare and dare to build a society of trust and mutual respect.
