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"The Head And Not The Tail" - Battle Cry For The Seven Mountains Campaign
[Link to Part One.] The Seven Mountains and Spiritual Warfare
Why should this lingo matter to others? Some politicians appealing to the Religious Right vote are masters of 'dog whistle' politics. Wikipedia defines this phenomenon concisely, "Dog-whistle politics, also known as the use of code words, is a type of political campaigning or speechmaking employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has a different or more specific meaning for a targeted subgroup of the audience." In the case of the NAR's Christian dominionist agenda, they have developed a significant vocabulary of their own unique terminology such as Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare terms, but also use bible verses and common terminology for which they have developed meanings which are not understood or can be misinterpreted by the general public.
The actual verse that the Hawaii Republican Chairmen Jonah Ka'auwai was referencing is Deuteronomy 28:13 and reads as follows in the King James version: "And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them..." There are over 31,000 bible verses in the 66 books of the combined Old and New Testament, but this particular verse is used repeatedly throughout dominionist media to represent an `overcoming church' in preparation for the end times. The verse became popular with Charismatic 'Prosperity Doctrine' or 'Word of Faith' pastors who teach that those doing God's will be be healthy and wealthy, and that illness and poverty are signs of demons and curses. It has been further developed by the NAR as a battle cry for the popular Seven Mountains campaign. In Part One, I included a quote from Johnny Enlow, author of the book Seven Mountains Prophecy in which he explained the verse as a model for the campaign to encourage like-minded Charismatic Christians to take control over government, arts and entertainment, media, education, business, family, and religion. Note that another common use of this verse is in Jewish homes at Rosh Hashanah. In that context the verse is used to explain why some families, particularly Sephardic, have a practice of placing a fish head on the table as part of their Rosh Hashanah meal. This practice is also described as representing the head of the year, since Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and has not had dominionist connotations. This is one of many dozens of possible customs practiced for the holiday meal with the most widespread tradition being apples and honey which are eaten after a blessing and signify a sweet New Year. I have seen use of the "head and not the tail" phrase in Rastafari theology and in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints or FDLS, a break off from mainstream Mormonism. However, in NAR media the phrase is hard to miss and has a well defined meaning as described by the apostles and prophets of the movement, including Lance Wallnau, C. Peter Wagner, Chuck Pierce, and Cindy Jacobs. Many of the following quotes come from prophecies given by NAR prophets. This is one of the major differences between this movement and fundamentalists of the past, such as Jerry Falwell. These Charismatic/Pentecostals in the movement believe that prophecy is being given to their leaders directly from God on an ongoing basis. One of the purposes of the prayer warrior networks is to disseminate those prophecies, many of which are political instructions including who God has "chosen" as his candidates in each election. Political Prayer Networks Prayer warrior networks have been formed state-by-state by the NAR. These networks are currently being organized to by precincts and their agendas are clearly political. For example, Cindy Jacobs is head of the Reformation Prayer Network (RPN), a newer prayer warrior evolution which joins the already existing networks under the authority of Apostle Dutch Sheets. In September 2009 Jacobs and her Florida state leader, Apostle Ken Malone, put out a prayer alert asking for support of David Barton in his efforts to impact the Texas School Board of Education's curriculum guide changes in Social Studies. Jacobs added,
"Free Market Foundation will attend the SBOE meeting and will work to stop efforts by liberal activists to revise history and distort our religious heritage and the greatness of our country and state."
In his portion of the prayer alert, Malone asked for prayer that the ACLU lawyers would become confused during their presentation of their case in Florida against Frank Lay and Ken Freeman. The two had violated a court injunction instructing faculty at a public Florida high school from leading the student body in prayers. Malone also requested (and received) concrete participation from the prayer warriors. "Parents, let your kids skip school and go to court in Pensacola. We need thousands to be on the courthouse steps on Thursday morning. Pastors, rally your church at the US Courthouse in Pensacola. Business leaders, rally your business friends." Although little attention was paid to his role at the time, Ken Malone led a 2006 conference call with Katherine Harris when she was running for the U.S. Senate which damaged her campaign. (Harris was the controversial Secretary of State of Florida during the 2000 election.) During the recorded call Harris prayed for Jews to "come into alignment" with God's will. Despite her denials, it is clear if one is familiar with the lingo that Harris was praying (during Rosh Hashanah) for the conversion of Jews to evangelical Christianity. At that time the NAR network was called the U.S. Strategic Prayer Network (USSPN) and Malone was the state coordinator for Florida. The concept of the NAR's prayer warrior networks have evolved over time, beginning with state networks formed under apostolic authorities . As described by Bruce Wilson in several Talk2action articles, Newark, New Jersey was a pilot program for the International Transformation Network's street by street organizing in political precincts. The program has now spread to other cities across the country. In California, the strategic plan includes having a Precinct Activation Team with four leaders for each 15 block area: a Local Precinct Captain, Team Prayer Coordinator, Local Precinct Coordinator, and Precinct Communicator. I have worked with many political campaigns through the years and the NAR is attempting to build a network that looks like the foundation for a permanent national (and international) political campaign. Lance Wallnau
In Pat King's Extreme Prophetic TV broadcast, she introduces Lance Wallnau, the motivational guru for the Seven Mountains by saying: "The Lord is coming back for a glorious church, he's coming back for an overcoming church, a church that is the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, a church that knows how to possess and occupy. Out good friend Lance Wallnau is going to share a message with you to today on the seven mountains that are available for the church to conquer, and conquer we will!" Lance Wallnau begins,
"The Seven Mountains are - it's almost like its a template for warfare. Because the church so frequently does not have a language for how it goes about taking territory... Wallnau, the motivational guru for the Seven Mountains campaign claims that it would only take 3 -5% of people aggressively working in any given location to create a tipping point and gain control over the seven sectors of government and society. The 2010 video is currently on Os Hillman's Marketplace Leaders website. The largest international training center for Loren Cunningham's Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii. In the past the International Foundation (another name for The Family) has financed trips for members of Congress to travel to YWAM's campus in Kona. The Family has also been involved in Uganda, as reported by Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family. Chuck Pierce
Chuck Pierce is the second in command and heir apparent to C. Peter Wagner, Presiding Apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles. In 1996 Pierce related a prophecy he claimed was revealed to him by God for Apostle Mary Glazier and the state of Alaska. "And I say to you, you will begin to dispense that oil and as in the days of Joseph, I am putting a new garment even upon My Bride in that area, and My Bride will be the head and not the tail in that state; and My Bride will have war strategies for this hour for that particular state. For I say to you, there will be an invasion in Alaska. Mary Glazier, Sarah Palin, and Dutch Sheets
Sarah Palin referenced prophecies for Alaska in a Wasilla Assembly of God (AOG) ceremony in June, 2008 that closed with a presentation of swords to students graduating from the Master's Commission program. Palin stated, "There's been so many words, Ed, over the state of Alaska, we being the head and not the tail, and, I see things now in the works it seems like, that's coming to fruition. Things are percolating! Things are coming along, and just pray for an outpouring of God's spirit here, that revival be here in Alaska." "Ed" refers to Pastor Ed Kalnins of Wasilla AOG. The church has been a revolving door of major international New Apostolic leaders for several years and Alaska has been a hotbed of New Apostolic activity. I believe there is little doubt about the source and identity of Sarah Palin's 'prayer warriors' which she has repeatedly thanked. Alaskan Apostle Mary Glazier claimed in June 2008 that Sarah Palin joined her prayer network when Palin was only twenty-four years old. During the 2008 election campaign, Norwegian Apostle Jan Torp announced after visiting C. Peter Wagner, "Sarah Palin er břnnegriger og pinsevenn!"[Author's note 9/16/2010: The correct translation is Sarah Palin is a prayer warrior and a Pentecostal.] Torp stated that Palin was still being mentored by Glazier. This ongoing relationship with Apostle Mary Glazier was confirmed after the election in Charisma magazine. During the campaign Glazier put out prophecies concerning Palin on the prayer warrior networks, including one which indicated that John McCain would die and Palin would be "stepping into an office that she was mantled for." Numerous other apostles declared that Palin was chosen by God for national leadership. Prior to Palin's election as governor of Alaska, she was anointed (prayer with laying on of hands, which is intended to impart supernatural gifts) by Kenyan Thomas Muthee in a ceremony at Wasilla AOG. In his statement Muthee also referred to the taking of dominion over the seven kingdoms, referencing the Seven Mountains. Muthee is featured in a series of internationally viewed movies called Transformations which show communities where the NAR's spiritual warfare has been used to supposedly take dominion and transform them into prototypes of Christian utopias. Muthee was featured in the first Transformations video, released in 1999 by George Otis, Jr.'s Sentinel Group. Otis was one of the original partners with Wagner in the formation of the New Apostolic Reformation. Several of the Transformations movies feature Uganda. Both George Otis, Jr. and Ed Silvoso, head of ITN, have worked with Uganda politicians and religious leaders for over a decade. See Bruce Wilson's video Transforming Uganda. Following the 2008 election, the revolving door of apostles and prophets into Wasilla AOG increased. Lance Wallnau, the leading Seven Mountains promotional guru, visited Wasilla AOG on June 7, 2009. In January 2009, Dutch Sheets, the apostolic authority over the prayer warrior networks of the NAR, visited Wasilla AOG, along with Apostle Mary Glazier, who Sheets introduced as the person who brought their networks into the state. Prior to writing their 2005 book Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation, Dutch Sheets and Chuck Pierce traveled across the country, going to all fifty states and giving a prophecy for each state. They were hosted by the coordinators of the prayer warriors of the NAR's United States Strategic Prayer Network (USSPN). In the first chapter of the book Sheets claims that his prayer alerts turned the tide and gave George W. Bush the key to the White House through the Supreme Court's ruling. After the 2008 election, Dutch Sheets made it clear that God's will had not been done and that this was a failure in terms of mobilizing and advancing their movement that must not be repeated. Sheets points out in the book, Mary Glazier was a forerunner of the "worldwide prayer movement" prior to the NAR's formation of its strategic prayer networks. Lou Engle Lou Engle is one of the most politically visible of the NAR apostles. He hosted Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich in an internationally televised program and also was one of the prayer leaders for the anti-healthcare reform Prayercast in December 2009 with Rep. Michele Bachmann and Senators Jim DeMint and Sam Brownback. Engle is the founder and leader of "The Call," large venue events in which thousands of young people gather to dedicate themselves to fighting abortion and gay marriage. Engle played a leading role in California's Proposition Eight including The Call San Diego where he yelled from the stage for martyrs for the cause. He led another The Call event in Sacramento earlier this month which was part of Pray & Act, a series of events leading up to the election coordinated with Newt Gingrich's new organization Renewing American Leadership.
In the following quotes taken from a sermon given by Engle at Congregación León de Judá, a congregation with services in English and Spanish in Boston, Engle relates how he became friends with Sam Brownback. Brownback has since participated in The Call and other NAR events. Note the "head and not the tail" reference. And right now I've got young people right there in DC, who will say `we're not going to leave this house of prayer until that heinous decree of abortion has ended and if I die, I die.' Alleluia! | |||||||||||
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