The NAR was organized under the leadership of Convening Apostle C. Peter Wagner, who describes the international movement as a spontaneous Holy Spirit-inspired phenomenon which provides its followers supernatural powers for healing, prophecy, and the expulsion of demons.  The leadership of this post-denominational movement seeks to bring together Charismatic evangelical Christians in order to take Christian dominion over the earth in preparation for the end times.  These goals are spelled out explicitly in the books of leadership including C. Peter Wagner who formed the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA) to lead the movement.

The Transformations Brand

Contributors to Talk2action have been writing about the "Transformation" campaigns of the apostles and prophets of the NAR since 2008.  This includes The Transformations series of movies which have been produced from 1999 to the present.  The movies are training tools for SLSW  or "prayer warfare" and present vignettes of communities where the apostles claim this process of transformation has supernaturally healed societal problems including:  crime, corruption, poverty, and illness including AIDS.  See the report Spiritual Mapping and Spiritual Warfare -- Muthee and the Transformation Franchise compiled during 2008.  Kenyan Apostle Thomas Muthee, who was a star of the first Transformations series movie, is also known for his ceremony anointing Sarah Palin prior to her election as governor of Alaska in which he talked about taking over the "mountains" or kingdoms of society.

"Transformation" also became the brand name for organizations around the globe, working to apply the concepts of the movies to their own communities.  One such organization is Apostle Ed Silvoso's International Transformation Network (ITN) which has affiliated organizations in cities across the U.S. and other nations.  ITN and other Transformation entities have developed strong ties with political leaders in a number of countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, including the nation declared their greatest success story - Uganda.  (See Bruce Wilson's Transforming Uganda and this author's accompanying article with bios of the major U.S. and Uganda figures in the video.)

Another promotional effort of the apostles and prophets of the NAR is the Reclaiming the Seven Mountains Campaign.  The seven mountains are the areas of society which they believe must come under the "dominion" of their brand of Christianity, as well as their apostles, in order for communities to be transformed.  These mountains are: arts and entertainment, business, education, family, government, media, and religion.  This campaign is pursued by what is called "Market Apostles" or "Workplace Apostles" who have the mandate to bring about Christian dominion in their various fields of work.  The official site for the Harvard Social Transformation conference includes a series of links, the first of which is to the "Seven Mountains of Culture" video.

One of the methods for organizing and expanding the influence of the NAR has been the development of "prayer warrior" networks in each of the fifty states, overseen by leading apostles.  In some locations the prayer warriors are being organized by precincts to strengthen their political clout.

The Harvard-based conference includes Apostles Pat Francis, Os Hillman, Bill Hamon, and Lance Wallnau, all well known leaders from the NAR's inner circle of the International Coalition of Apostles.

NAR Apostles Speaking at Harvard Conference

Lance Wallnau

Wallnau is the major speaker and promoter for the Seven Mountains campaign and has been featured in numerous Talk2action.org articles including this Talk2action article with a video clip of Wallnau.  Wallnau travels worldwide giving presentation to churches and ministries in which he stresses the need for stealth evangelism in the infiltration of society.  For instance, in a June 7, 2009 presentation at Wasilla Assembly of God in Alaska, he describes how leaders spent a year teaching their worldview to Guatemalan prisoners before trying to evangelize them. Major NAR leaders have spoken regularly at the Wasilla Assembly of God for years, long before their most famous congregant was tapped to run as John McCain's vice presidential candidate.

Bill Hamon

Bill Hamon is one of the few remaining links to the Latter Rain movement of the 1950s, which is the source of much of the ideology of the New Apostolic Reformation.   Hamon heads Christian International Ministries Network, overseeing a large apostolic and prophetic network. From the website,

In 1991, apostles began to be recognized, along with the prophets, as foundational ministries of the Church. The Apostolic Movement was in its embryonic stages. A cry was coming forth from the hearts of ministers and churches for God's government, order, and apostolic miracles to be established in local churches and ministries. CI NPM had trained and activated thousands of ministers and saints across the world as the Prophetic Movement sounded forth the call of God to gather a company of end-time prophets.

Hamon has recently returned from a trip to Colombia where he shared the stage with President Juan Manuel Santos and former President Alvaro Uribe (photograph of Uribe and Hamon right) at an event led by Apostle Cesar Castellanos.  Hamon claims to have advised the latter and "given him a prophetic word" about bringing "Kingdom transformation to Colombia."  Hamon says he advised Uribe to throw his support behind a "believer" running for mayor of Bogota instead of supporting a candidate aligned with a "socialist, leftist party."  (Colombia is one of the countries featured in the Transformations series of movies.) Hamon's ministry website emphasized the role of Colombia as,

"... part of the Third and Final Apostolic Reformation, demonstrating God's Kingdom coming to earth."

 
Os Hillman

Apostle Os Hillman leads the NAR's "Market Apostles" effort to take Christian dominion over society and culture. Hillman is based in Atlanta and works with network apostles around the world in bringing businesses "into the Kingdom."  One of the purposes of the Market Apostles, according to Convening Apostle C. Peter Wagner, is to prepare for a "great wealth transfer" of the end times, a shift of money from the ungodly to the godly which they claim is foretold in prophecy and will aid the transformation of communities and nations.  (Scroll down to "Great Wealth Transfer" subtitle in this Talk2action article.)

As Wagner stated in his article "The Great Transfer of Wealth:  Are You Ready,"

"...I brought up the fact that since 1992 we have been hearing from God, through respected prophets, that He desires to release great amounts of wealth to His people for the advance of His kingdom, namely through evangelism, church planting, caring for the poor, and transforming society. Why, then, hasn't it happened as yet? My answer is that first God was probably waiting until the government of the church got into place on the foundation of apostles and prophets, which did occur beginning in 2001. Secondly, He is probably waiting until the proper strategy to handle these funds is functional. This is only beginning to happen."

The graphic below is from C. Peter Wagner’s 2008 Dominion! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World and shows the “Workplace Apostles” or Market Apostles as the bridge between the “Biblical Government of the Church” and the “Great Transfer of Wealth.”

The apostles host an annual Kingdom Economic Yearly Summit (KEYS) with the purpose of "Mobilizing God's  Marketplace Army" through teaching biblical entrepreneurship and preparation for the "great wealth transfer."  In 2010, approximately 30 leading apostles met in Colorado Springs  at Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, Colorado (pastored by Christians United for Israel director George Morrison).  The speakers included Os Hillman, Lance Wallnau, Pat Francis, and Tamara Lowe, another of the scheduled speakers at the Harvard Social Transformation Conference.  See the KEYS 2010 Report and Recap video.  

Pat Francis

Apostle Pat Francis is a Canadian apostle with a ministry in Toronto that merges ministry with business.  Her religious empire includes Elomax Capital which is advertised as working in mining, oil and gas, real estate development and infrastructure development.  Francis has been featured in previous Talk2action articles for her role with Ed Silvoso's International Transformation Network and the organization's ties to political candidates in Hawaii.  Silvoso claimed, prior to the election, that both the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor of Hawaii were part of the "Kingdom" but the Democratic candidate they supported lost his primary bid and Lt. Governor Duke Aiona lost in the general election.  

Apostle Francis' Kingdom Covenant Ministries hosts events like the upcoming "Kingdom Enforcer Conference 2011" which will include a trade event for networking and feature speakers Lance Wallnau and South African Apostle Jerome Liberty who promotes the Marketplace Transformation: Billionaire-in-Training Programme.  According to Liberty,

"The day has come that God is now raising Apostles in the market place. Men who will possess territory and deal with giants in the business sector. What God is about to do in the Nations, demands a breed of generals in the market place that will do the wealth transfer from the unjust to the righteous."

Marketing "Transformation" to the Unsuspecting

As noted in previous articles, the NAR introduces their brand of transformation through charitable efforts and supposedly ecumenical prayer groups.  The movement is multi-racial and includes women in positions of both apostle and prophet.  At first glance many of their organizations might appear as promoting the social gospel but their message is quite the opposite.  While they participate in charitable activities, societal transformation is to be a supernatural event which can only take place was the demons are expelled and society is purged of evil influences such as homosexuality, religious pluralism, and the separation of church and state.

For instance Apostle Bill Hamon's Christian International Ministries advertises the close relationship of the ministry's "Community Transformation Taskforce"  with their local Walton Area Chamber of Commerce in Florida through charitable and development activities.  In the glowing reports of their community activities there is no hint of the Christian supremacism and demonology that can be seen in Hamon's decrees, like the following previously posted on his ministry website.

"I, Jesus Christ, issue this decree to all prinicipalities and powers which have worked to hinder CI [Christian International] from its work of restoration. The records in Heaven have been researched and found that King Jesus did commission Bill Hamon/CI to re-lay the Foundation of the Church which is Apostles and Prophets and continue building the Temple until it is finished. Therefore, I command you, Satan, to stay away from CI and hinder them not more. Moreover, I command you to start releasing all the resources CI needs to complete their commission from God. If anyone tries to alter or hinder this decree, they are to be destroyed...."

Similar decrees against the demonic, often naming the specific demon or principality which the apostles claim to be fighting, can be found throughout NAR media.

It may be tempting to view the apostles and prophets of the NAR as simply spiritualizing a war on societal ills and little different from familiar religious efforts of the past.  But for the NAR, demon-hunting is a literal battle which involves mapping out communities, marking the location of demons, road trips and international ventures to do battle with these demons, and the belief that their efforts can result in death or harm to those who oppose them.  The Transformation movies and literature are filled with examples in which leadership claim their prayer warfare has killed and maimed individuals as wells as destruction of the artifacts and ritual objects of other belief systems, both spontaneously (claimed to be the result of prayer) and at the hands of leadership.  

The generational curses referenced repeatedly by the apostles do not refer to vices passed down through a family line, but literal demons which they claim inhabit individuals due to a sin, committed by or against, one or more of their ancestors.  For instance, the NAR interact extensively with minority groups and other religions with the goal of removing generational curses or demons which the apostles claim prevent these communities from becoming evangelized.

Despite the claimed destruction and literal demonization of Native American artifacts by the NAR, they also present themselves as champions of "reconciliation" efforts including working with Sen. Sam Brownback to pass a resolution in the Senate apologizing to Native Americans.  The NAR teaches that the apology is a first step in removing the demons that prevent Native Americans from becoming evangelized.  They also link the abuse of Native Americans to their current war against abortion.  While this may sound illogical, this linkage is part of the "Identificational Repentance and Reconciliation", a feature of SLSW.  Scroll down to the subtitle by that name in a previous article about Sen. Sam Brownback's involvement with the NAR.

Controversy Brewing

The lack of coverage of the explosive development of the NAR and their unique brand of demon-hunting in this country and elsewhere, has allowed them to organize in communities around the nation in the guise of ecumenical prayer groups and charitable organizations.  However, Harvard's hosting of the apostles is beginning to result in controversy.  This resulted in a statement from the Harvard Extension Service and Leadership Society (HESLS) defending the conference.  The HESLS claims that the event "includes faith-based leaders from Christian and traditional Jewish backgrounds" and states,

"We have been assured by our speakers that they have not supported any hatred directed towards any group, and that allegations to the contrary are untrue and/or misinterpreted."

Talk2action.org co-founder Bruce Wilson's video of the scheduled speakers, titled Witchhunters Hold a Conference at Harvard provides evidence to the contrary. Apparently the only Jewish speakers are converts to evangelical Christianity including Dr. Sandy Kulkin whose website states,

"Sandy, who comes from a traditional Jewish background, is consistently in demand for his dynamic pulpit and conference ministry. Since coming to Christ, he has witnessed countless miracles in his meetings."

The conference has also been questioned today in the Harvard Crimson and denounced by gay rights activists and organizations. See articles from Wayne Besen at Truth Wins Out and Michael Jones at Change.org, who is promoting a petition to the dean of the Harvard Extension Student Association. There is well documented linkage between the NAR apostles' Transformation efforts and the current "kill-the-gays" bill in Uganda. Another member of the NAR's inner circle is Lou Engle, founder of the virulently anti-gay The Call events.

The apostles have responded on the website of another arm of the NAR, the ACEA,  where Apostle Tim Hamon, Bill Hamon's son and an Apostolic Executive Council member, has warned,

"It wasn't long before this conference was met with real opposition from a gay activist group that is seeking to prevent the event from taking place.  This group has been effective at causing the Dean to question the merits of such an event.  We believe the root of this concern is simply spiritual forces seeking to keep Christ off this campus and fear caused by the gay activists."

Note that ACEA stands for the Apostolic Council for Educational Accountability or the more anonymous-sounding "Association of Christian Educators and Administrators," depending on whom they are addressing, and is the accreditation arm of the NAR.  The NAR also has an international network of regional training centers called the Wagner Leadership Institute.  WLI provides "Bachelor, Master, and  Doctor of Practical Ministry" diplomas with courses in spiritual warfare, demon expulsion, and supernatural healing, and biblical entrepreneurship.

While I strongly support the airing of competing views in an academic environment, it is disturbing that Harvard, perhaps unknowingly, is providing credibility to a movement which has the stated goal of eradicating other religions, denominations, belief systems, and literally purging society of those with whom they disagree.  The anonymity of the apostles and the NAR allows them to misrepresent their Transformation entities as suitable faith-based partners in charitable enterprises across the nation, including those financed with public funds.  Speaking at a Harvard-sponsored event will allow the apostles to further mainstream their brand of religious supremacism.

For more information:

Talk2action.org features an extensive archive of articles about the apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation from a number of contributors.  These articles can be accessed by using the TTA Site Search Engine in the upper right corner.  Also see special focus boxes "Resource Directory for New Apostolic Reformation" and "Sarah Palin and the New Apostolic Reformation" always visible in the left panel of the website.