You should probably pay attention to a religious movement that shares some of our beliefs and uses some similar terminology, wants to control key institutions of society, and includes Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor.

Recent articles about what’s gone wrong with American Christianity have often mentioned the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR), a movement that differs from traditional charismatic Evangelicalism by including modern prophets and apostles. While the articles adequately cover the NAR’s sociological roots and political impact and the debate about the movement’s size, it’s harder to gauge the NAR in terms of Christian theology and devotion without relying on skeptics and detractors. A place to turn instead is Dominion! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World (2008) by C. Peter Wagner (1930-2016), a prolific author, Fuller Theological Seminary professor, early proponent of the NAR and former presiding apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles.

In Dominion! Wagner argues for a series of connected points.

Beginning in the 1990s, in his account, a new office of intercessors or “prayer warriors” began clearing the heavens of demonic interference so that God’s message could be clearly received by prophets. Prophets “by and large can receive the correct message from God, but most of the time they have little or no idea what to do with it” (27), so apostles are needed to interpret and oversee implementation. God’s word includes both “both what is written in the Bible (logos) as well as what God is currently revealing (rhema)” (59). Placing new revelation alongside the Bible would be a point of agreement with LDS theology, although it represents a stark departure from the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura.

Apostles form the government of the Christian body, overseeing one or “one hundred or one thousand churches” (36). Other types of apostles would coordinate between churches or guide efforts in spheres of society beyond traditional congregations. “And on the translocal level, apostles, rather than councils, synods, presbyteries, general assemblies or other such groups, are in charge” (35).

Wagner reads Matt. 16:18 as Christ’s conferral of keys not on Peter individually, but on the disciples (101). But Wagner tacitly rejects the Protestant doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Rather than a Christian congregation – from whom priesthood emanates, according to Luther – engaging the services of a pastor of their choice, Wager states that “Strong pastors, not the churches per se, employ their staff members and appoint elders who support them and their visions” (35). Rather than claiming authority via apostolic succession or traditional Protestant doctrine, the authority of the apostles in the coalition once led by Wagner seems to rest on how they “mutually recognize and affirm each other as legitimate apostles” (26).

Another point of agreement with LDS theology is Wagner’s belief in human free will, which he acknowledges as a break with Calvinist teaching and a controversial idea in Evangelical theology (82). Wagner ties his endorsement of “open theism” to the possibility of intercessory prayer (93), but it remains unclear why intercessory prayer would otherwise be incompatible with traditional Protestant doctrine.

In Wagner’s telling, the NAR represents a distinct new phase in Christianity. Just as the major Christian denominations replaced formerly dominant state churches, now the apostolic churches will come to the fore, even if some older denominations persist. “However, while we continue to honor those who prefer the old wine, at the same time we are not reluctant to suggest that right now, if we want to be among God’s history changers in this new season, we would do well to be in the place where we can receive His new wine” (33).

Wagner maintains that Christians have broadly misunderstood the Great Commission, or Christ’s command to “make disciples of all nations,” as a directive to convert individuals. In Wagner’s reading, Christians are actually commanded to take dominion over social units (such as cities, nations, schools, or professions), which have been under Satan’s power since the fall of Adam. Thus Wagner calls for “shifting our focus from redeeming individuals to redeeming society as our end goal” (71). Christians “have an assignment from God to take dominion and transform society” (45). Wagner, citing another writer, also sees this as Jesus’ primary mission (here as elsewhere, it is recommended to check the plausibility of the scriptural interpretation):

The main purpose of Jesus dying on the cross was not so that you can go to heaven. The main purpose of His death was so that His kingdom can be established in you so that, as a result, you can exercise kingdom authority on the earth (Luke 17:21) and reconcile the world back unto Him (2 Corinthians 5:19). (68, quoting Joseph Mattera)

The approach recommended by Wagner focuses on elite control of institutions:

The rules of the democratic game open the doors for Christians, as well as for non-Christians who have Kingdom values, to move into positions of leadership influential enough to shape the whole nation from top to bottom. […] Biblical principles will, of course, penetrate society if the government is in the hands of the right people. (15-16)

Wagner recommends a “top down” strategy, aiming “directly for the institutions that mold culture” (72). Wagner thus embraces the “Seven Mountains Mandate” formulated by Lance Wallnau, named for the seven spheres that Christians are called to dominate:  “religion, family, government, arts and entertainment, media, business, and education” (144).

Wagner directs much of his attention to “workplace apostles” who would direct efforts in the “extended church,” that is, outside the sphere of religion, which he refers to as the “nuclear church.” The problem, in Wagner’s view, is that “Most nuclear church leaders understand only one rule book—namely, their own—and they tend to think that much of the extended church rule book is wrong.” On the other hand, “Most workplace believers understand both rule books. They live under one rule book Monday through Saturday, and they are accustomed to switching to the other one on Sunday” (145). Pastors should defer to the expertise of the workplace apostles who are familiar with the culture of their sphere; instead of combating casinos, for example, they should acknowledge the value of a Christian entertainer performing and bearing witness there (146-47). For believers, “Their denominational identity is important to them on Sunday, but simply being a Christian who desires to make a difference is all that usually counts Monday through Saturday” (151). So Christians could have two sets of religious leaders, one on Sunday, if they are a part of a traditional congregation, and one for the rest of the week: “The people of God are not only the Church on Sundays, they are the Church seven days a week. There is a form of the Church in the workplace, and that Church has a foundation of apostles and prophets.” (207).

Another aspect of transforming society is spiritual warfare: “We will not take dominion by remaining passive. We will only take dominion if the Body of Christ becomes violent and declares war on the enemy” (118). Thus a key part of apostles’ ministry is directed against specific demonic entities that control various institutions, spheres of society, or geographic areas.

Wagner is a strong proponent of pragmatism:

[S]omehow a large number of people have become programmed with the ridiculous notion that ‘the end doesn’t justify the means.’ It does not require much hard thinking to realize that nothing can possibly justify the means except the end. […]There will always be more than one ethically neutral option for a strategy, so which option do we choose? We naturally choose the strategy that will best accomplish the goal. Another way of saying this is ‘Do whatever it takes!’ (158)

Wagner’s preference for effective approaches over ineffective ones seems eminently reasonable when it comes to humanitarian aid or economic development, but a pragmatism that also contemplates buying cities (184) or national elections (183) would seem to require some stronger ethical restraints.

Wagner is also quite direct about the role of money.

If you check back through human history, you will find that three things, more than any others, have produced social transformation: violence, knowledge and wealth—and the greatest of these is wealth! Perhaps that is what Solomon had in mind when he wrote, ‘Money answers everything’ (Ecclesiastes 10:19)! In all likelihood this is a figure of speech, but at the same time it reflects an extremely important principle. (181)

Wagner does not see hard work or thrift as promising paths to wealth – on the contrary, he designates two of Mammon’s sub-demons as the “spirit of parsimony” and the “spirit of self-reliance” (190). Instead, Wagner lays out two different paths. One is a “supernatural transfer of the wealth that already exists,” such as when the Israelites despoiled their oppressors as they left Egypt (193). The other is through the activity of

workplace apostles who have experience in multiplying finances […]They will not be traditional financial planners who are satisfied with annual returns of 5 percent to 20 percent or so. 1 am dreaming of much more. I have faith that we will see the biblical standard of 100 percent returns or more become a norm. (196)

* * *

I don’t assume that the New Apostolic Reformation is monolithic or has remained unchanged, but the conclusion I come to after directly consulting with the work of an important and influential leader is: The NAR manages to tick off a surprising number of boxes for “churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world” found in 1 Nephi 22:23. There are some points of overlap between LDS beliefs and Wagner’s views in Dominion! but overall – no, just no. If you’re a Latter-day Saint, you cannot follow one set of prophets and apostles on Sunday, and a different set with a much different vision Monday through Saturday.

If you’re some other variety of Christian, I have no illusion that you’ll let a Mormon tell you what to believe, but listen to me: This is not it. The New Apostolic Reformation is Christianity without the Bible, the Bible without the New Testament, the New Testament without the Gospels, the Gospels without Jesus, Christ without the Cross. The NAR would turn Jesus from the triumphant Savior of all mankind into one of the “losers,” as Wagner calls them (154), a would-be minister who failed to hold on to his followers, directed no streams of wealth, placed no one in a position of influence, and gained no power over the government that ultimately executed him. The NAR would drive a wedge between you and the church you attend and the gospel principles you’re taught there. What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Don’t listen to the people who are offering you dominion over the kingdoms of the world in exchange.