Spiritual warfare and the roots of political violence

American democracy is under attack from an authoritarian movement.

By Katherine Stewart

The story that many Americans like to tell themselves is that Christianity landed in America with the Pilgrims and hasn’t changed much since. In fact, American religion has undergone major transformations in its long history. We are undergoing another such transformation now—and it is arguably the least reported yet most politically significant of its kind.

The development in the American religious landscape that often attracts media interest is the rise of the “nones”—those who do not identify with any religion. But more attention should be paid to a countervailing trend: fast-growing varieties of reactionary forms of American Christianity that frequently claim to be engaged in “spiritual warfare.” These varieties share several key features: They are essentially dualistic, in that their adherents are encouraged to believe in the reality of a principle of evil in the world that takes the form of demons or unholy spirits. And they are very much religions of “the here and now,” as the author Elle Hardy put it. That is, they read the struggles between good and evil in the daily headlines, and they promise earthly, material rewards to those who join the struggle on their side.

Although these expressions of Christianity are to be found in many different formal denominations (and in many “non-denominational” churches), they find their most comfortable home in Pentecostal and charismatic churches and networks, which often serve congregations notable for their racial and ethnic diversity. The formula has been very successful. “Pentecostalism represents a rare feat in American religion—a tradition that is growing,” said Ryan Burge, assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. And it plays well around the world. “The Pentecostal and charismatic movement is one of the biggest surges in the history of global and American Christianity,” said Frederick Clarkson, senior research analyst at Political Research Associates. In the most expansive definition, Pentecostalism now claims as many as 600 million adherents worldwide, or more than a quarter of all Christians.

The fact that matters today—just days after what Minnesota lawmakers have called a tragic, targeted political assassination of lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted assassination of lawmaker John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette—is that this style of religion, though diverse in its various expressions, is often intensely political. The best illustration of the point comes from the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Associated with C. Peter Wagner, the theologian and professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Missions, NAR is less a denomination than a secretive network. Its hierarchy of leadership includes apostles at the top, prophets next, and several other ranks below, and they often serve as front-line captains in America’s culture wars.

In his 2008 book “Dominion! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World,” Wagner explained that God has commanded true Christians to gain control of the “seven molders” or “mountains” of culture and influence, or seven areas of civilization: government, business, education, the media, the arts and entertainment, family, and religion. “Apostles,” he says, have a “responsibility for taking dominion” over “whatever molder of culture or subdivision God has placed them in,” which he casts as “taking dominion back from Satan.”

The spirit warriors’ calls for political involvement are almost invariably framed in the language of apocalypse and redemptive violence. The suspect in the Minnesota shootings, Vance Boelter, claims to have been educated at the Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, which has trained a series of NAR or NAR-adjacent figures, including NAR leader Dutch Sheets. Author Jeff Sharlet reported that visiting Christ for the Nations that a quote from the institute’s founder, the revivalist preacher James Gordon Lindsay, graced a wall in the lobby: “Everyone ought to pray at least one violent prayer each day.”

Reactionary movement discourse on abortion often dispenses with euphemisms about “the rights of the fetus.” Speaking with Brad Onishi on the podcast Straight, White, American Jesus, author Matthew Taylor pointed out that NAR often characterizes abortion as a pagan ritual of infant sacrifice. Jim Garlow, a California-based evangelist with the leadership-focused ministry Well Versed, has called the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, “the chief of the baby-killers.”

Discourse on LGBT people is likewise notable for its extreme personal animosity and dehumanizing tone. It doesn’t necessarily hide behind rhetoric of “family values.” Rather, its leaders often call LGBT people “perverts” and “filth.”

The political theologians of such reactionary movements do not see good-faith opponents in the political realm. The Democratic Party—for there is little doubt about the bad guy in their narratives—is frequently characterized as demonic. Pentecostal pastor Mark Burns has riled up his fan base at political gatherings by saying, “I’ve come here to declare war on every demonic, demon-possessed Democrat that comes from the gates of hell.” Sean Feucht, the roving guitarist-preacher affiliated with the charismatic Bethel Church, has cast Democratic initiatives as “schemes of the devil in the political realm.” On Eric Metaxas’s right-wing radio show, repeat guest Roger Stone told him that a “demonic portal” had opened above the Biden White House. At the Family Research Council’s 2023 conference, Jonathan Cahn said America is possessed by ancient and evil spirits turning the country into a pagan nation because it has turned away from the Lord.

When Donald Trump descended his escalator to enter the political arena, NAR figures were quick to find a kindred spirit. Leading the charge was Wagner acolyte Lance Wallnau. A Texas-based businessman-cum-conspiracist and evangelist, Wallnau was little known outside of charismatic telehuckstering circles until he hitched his wagon to the Trump train. In “God’s Chaos Candidate: Donald J. Trump and the American Unraveling,” Wallnau “revealed” that Trump was “anointed” by God. “I believe the 45th president” will “restore the crumbling walls that separate us from cultural collapse,” he said.

Political leaders in the Republican Party have taken note of the spirit warriors—and have rejoiced in the harvest of potential voters. Some—House Speaker Mike Johnson, for example—can be counted as fellow travelers of the movement, engaging with its leaders and embracing its language and style, if not all theological tenets. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is rarely described as charismatic, yet he certainly knows when and how to parrot the language of the spirit warriors. In a speech at Hillsdale College, a nondenominational Christian institution and major player in the religious right’s war on public education, he paraphrased a passage from “Ephesians” that serves as a guidepost and virtue signal for this new style of religion: “Put on the full armor of God. Stand firm against the Left’s schemes,” he said, substituting “the Left” where the Bible refers to “the devil.” He repeated the same trope at the 2021 Road to Majority conference, an influential annual gathering of conservative activists, strategists, and politicians sponsored by Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, and his campaign produced an ad that said he was sent by God to “take the arrows.”

Given the spirit warriors’ mindset and support for Trump, it is hardly surprising that representatives of America’s Christian nationalist movement were instrumental in the attempt to overthrow the 2020 election that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. At the Jericho March held in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, pastor Robert Weaver stated that God wanted Americans to march around “the spiritual walls of this country.” Rev. Kevin Jessip said, “This battle cry is a Christian call to all Christian men ... as we prepare for a strategic gathering of men in this hour to dispel the Kingdom of Darkness.” Father Greg Bramlage, who pastored at Catholic parishes and incorporated “Healing/Deliverance” into his ministry before founding Missionaries of the New Evangelization, conducted an exorcism onstage. Telling the crowd, “We are in a spiritual battle, this cannot be solved by human means,” he prayed that “no demonic bondage, door, entity, portal, astral projection, or disembodied spirit may enter this space.” Bishop Leon Benjamin, senior pastor of the New Life Harvest Church in Richmond, Va., said, “The demons we kill now, our children will not have to fight these devils. These are our devils, and we will kill them now.”

The following morning, of course, many who prayed took up arms—or at least flag poles, barricades and other objects they could use as blunt instruments. They assaulted police officers and ran free through the Capitol with banners proclaiming that “Jesus Saves.” One group brought a large wooden cross, another a flag with a cross, and at least one other flew the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which features a green pine tree and that flew at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s vacation home. The use of that flag to mobilize Christian nationalists, as it happens, was popularized by Sheets, the NAR leader.

*****

All this background on the rise of political extremism under the guise of spirit-warrior religion can help make sense of the tragedy that unfolded in Minnesota this weekend. In fact, it makes that event feel predictable—not in the details, of course, but certainly in its general shape.

Though information will emerge in the coming days and weeks, we have indicators about the waters Boelter was swimming in before the alleged crime. He is said to be a graduate of the Christ For The Nations Institute. Wired obtained video, presumably of Boelter, preaching near the Congo border in 2023: “God is going to raise up apostles and prophets in America, to correct His church.”

Boelter also allegedly preached against abortion: “They don't know abortion is wrong, many churches. They don't have the gifts flowing. God gives the body gifts. To keep balance. Because when the body starts moving in the wrong direction, when they're one, and accepting the gifts, God will raise an apostle or prophet to correct their course.”

In another sermon, according to Wired, Boelter dehumanized LGBT people: “The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul,” he said.

According to police reports, a hit list was discovered in Boelter’s car. The list included abortion providers and abortion rights advocates. The car was also found to have fliers for last Saturday’s “No Kings” protest.

Wired also reported he seems to be a fan of the Alliance Defending Freedom, the extremist legal advocacy organization known for its hardline stances on abortion and LGBT rights and commitment to tearing down the constitutional principle of church-state separation.

There is still much to learn about Boelter, who was captured in Minnesota Sunday night. He and his wife established a ministry. He appears to be less representative of NAR’s top leadership than its followers and supporters, which is, in a way, more frightening.

*****

The link between dehumanizing rhetoric and political violence is well-known. When you call people “filth” or “baby-killers,” someone somewhere will start to believe they should be treated accordingly. You might seek refuge in the claim that that someone suffers from a psychiatric condition. But if you’ve got tens of thousands of followers, what are the chances that there won’t be unstable people among them?

It is worth remembering, too, that political violence is not reserved to one sect of any religion or political party. But the ideological movement or movements that appear to have contributed to the conditions for this alleged crime are part of the ruling administration. They aren’t just another segment of Trump’s base of voters; they aggressively supported his attempted coup and have representation in the White House.

Trump has denounced the violence. But can his administration understand that the criminal and the incompetent will see some advantage in political violence?

Consider that in the months preceding the event, DOGE eviscerated the nation’s capabilities in domestic counterterrorism.

Consider also what happened to the spirit warriors who committed hundreds of violent crimes on Jan. 6. This president has made it abundantly clear that political violence might be just fine. If you’re on his team, there could be a pardon in it for you. He made the point well before Jan. 6 and again in its aftermath. Has there been another president who celebrates when his supporters attack media and protesters at his rallies? Has there been another president who would have said to groups like the Proud Boys: “Stand back and stand by?”

And then there is his executive order establishing a task force on “Anti-Christian Bias.” Trump cited as evidence of such bias that the FBI had dared to raise the prospect that some anti-abortion extremists might pose a terror threat.

Many Republican lawmakers have condemned the attacks in Minnesota. But the right-wing disinformation operations that keep them in power have already started on the conspiracy theories to turn this violence to their advantage. Sen. Mike Lee posted, “This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way.” Charlie Kirk laid the blame for the “diabolical attack” on “the left.” Wallnau insinuated without basis that the shooter was some kind of far-left activist. Elon Musk, maybe still hoping for a make-up kiss, joined in the “far-left” meme. One of the sad realities of our time is that an electorally significant subset of Americans will believe this disgraceful narrative from here to eternity, no matter the evidence.

Regime-driven terror is a very different thing from grassroots terror. It isn’t necessarily more violent, but it is more effective. Unfortunately, the United States has a fair amount of experience in the subject to prove the point. The American slave republic and the Jim Crow South were both critically dependent on terrorism to keep everyone in line. There was violence on the other side, as the stories of John Brown and Nat Turner would show. But it was the lynch mobs, the vigilantes, the Klan, the church-bombers, and the corrupted system of law enforcement that made the more consequential use of terror.

In the next few days, we are going to hear many calls for “all sides” to “tone down” the rhetoric. The blame will fall on “division” and “partisanship” and probably social media. That’s all fine. Let’s go ahead and complain about the rain, too, while we’re at it. And then we will have to do it again in a few weeks or months when the next act of violence comes along, like another school shooting, as predictable and unwelcome as a summer storm.

But this is not happening because there is some broad epidemic of incivility. American democracy is under attack from an authoritarian movement, and this movement derives its power partly from the rhetoric and politics that provokes division, hatred, and—wherever mental health conditions line up, as they inevitably must—violence.

Katherine Stewart is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling book “Money, Lies, and God: Inside the movement to Destroy American Democracy” and “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism.”

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