Thread by @TaylorMatthewD

I'm glad to see another good article on the New Apostolic Reformation, this one by @mccrummens in @TheAtlantic. I'm going to offer a few thoughts/reflections, but go read the piece before you read this thread. 1/

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

The piece follows Tami Barthen, an NAR superfan who was in DC on #January6th. I even excerpted a short clip in Charismatic Revival Fury of Barthen & her husband reading Dutch Sheets' "Appeal to Heaven" decree on J6. I've posted about her before.

https://twitter.com/TaylorMatthewD/status/1602345867586977795

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The best innovation in @mccrummens' article (something that's often lacking even in well-reported NAR articles) is how deep she goes into the mentality & behavior of non-prophet/apostle *followers.* Here you have someone who literally purchased a mountain based on prophecy. 3/

So much of the public/Twitter discourse on the New Apostolic Reformation focuses on the leaders & their (often kooky) pronouncements. It's easy to believe that these are followerless media personalities & hucksters. But devotees like Barthen show the real-world NAR impact. 4/

The piece also adds to reporting from @KiraResistance @LancPAExaminer & @FredClarkson on how central the state of Pennsylvania is to today's New Apostolic Reformation prayer/spiritual warfare campaigns. It rightly highlights the centrality of Life Center church in Harrisburg. 5/

As a reminder, Life Center is led by Apostle Charles Stock, who's part of Ché Ahn's HIM apostolic team. Sean Feucht came out of this church b4 heading to Bethel, & Life Center also has deep connections to Randy Clark's Global Awakening network. harvestim.org/leadership/int… 6/

This PA centrality can get overplayed - NAR leaders are also actively mobilizing politically in CA, AZ, FL, TX, CO, & countless localities. But the Life Center/Apostle Abby Abildness/State Senator Doug Mastriano combo has brought a lot of internal NAR attention to PA. 7/

Another important aspect of the article is the central role that Native Americans play in the NAR both as leaders (apostles/prophets) & as a theological construct for spiritual warfare (First Nations ppl as the ancient spiritual gatekeepers in the US). hapn.us/team/hapn-firs… 8/

This NAR instrumentalization of Native American leaders & communities is confusing but central to the NAR's strategy for spiritual conquest of the US. I've even found Native American Xn leaders (tied to Lou Engle) who were present in DC on #January6th. facebook.com/watch/live/?re… 9/

OK, now for a few questions I have or things I wish were in the piece. Lord knows, I'm as aware as anyone of how hard it is to write cogently about the NAR for general audiences, so these are more "I'd love to see ___ in future pieces" than criticizing @mccrummens good work. 10/

1st, we need more good reporting on how Charismatic media carries & amplifies NAR leaders, ideas, & prophetic memes. This article shows some of that, but this is crucial for understanding how NAR ideas/memes travel way further than even the people who've heard of the NAR. 11/

2nd, @mccrummens rightly traces this stuff back to C. Peter Wagner, but the missing link is Wagner's relationships via the Eagles Vision Apostolic Team with leaders like Dutch Sheets, Lance Wallnau, etc. This is what I was trying to highlight through Charismatic Revival Fury. 12/

3rd, the article hints at the murky funding circles that are fueling so much New Apostolic Reformation organizing. We desperately need more reporters digging into this. @visionsurreal has been exposing a lot of important data that deserves more media coverage & investigation. 13/

There's a ton of money flowing through these diffuse NAR institutions & networks. While I consider the NAR history/theology more my beat, I wish we had many more researchers digging into United in Purpose, Project Ziklag, Truth & Liberty Coalition, Project Blitz, etc. 14/

In 2004, Peter Wagner convened an "Apostolic Roundtable on Kingdom Wealth" (one of the first NAR things Wallnau attended), & one of Wagner's fixations at the end of his life was the prophetic meme about "the great end-times wealth transfer" from the world to the church. 15/

Nearly a generation later, what has evolved out of these early NAR funding schemes? What kinds of pools of money are sloshing around in these networks? How are these funds aggravating our political polarization? These are urgent question for intrepid investigative reporters. 16/

If any reporters want to dig into these (& other NAR questions), I have some info & can make introductions to others who also have some pieces of the puzzle. These are labyrinthine networks that require a lot of different approaches to expose them to the light of day. 17/

I also hope that @mccrummens will stay on this story, because these New Apostolic Reformation leaders & followers are gearing up for 2024; their rhetoric is increasingly violent; & they've learned some strategic lessons since the #January6thInsurrection. 18/