GOP Convention Blessed By New Apostolic Reformation Leader Samuel Rodriguez
Bruce Wilson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Thu Aug 30, 2012 at 12:18:51 PM EST
[note: a related story, from Religion Dispatches editor Sarah Posner, covers Samuel Rodriguez' appearance at the Republican National Convention from outside the frame of his participation in C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation]

On Tuesday, the opening night of the Republican National Convention was brought to a close with a prayer from a "stealth" apostle who along with Sarah Palin (whom he calls a "kindred spirit") is part of a rising radical politicized charismatic Christian tendency that one of the architects of the modern religious right warns is on the verge of becoming a "Christian Jihad".

Top leaders of that "stealth" apostle's movement, as I described in a 2011 story,
"have repeatedly emphasized in their writings the need for believers to destroy or neutralize, by burning, smashing, or flushing down toilets, objects deemed to be unholy, including profane books and "idolatrous" religious texts (such as Books of Mormon), religious relics (such as statues of Catholic saints, the Buddha, or Hindu gods), and native art (such as African masks, Hopi Indian Kachina dolls, and totem poles.)"

In his book Christian Jihad: Neo-Fundamentalists and the Polarization of America, recommended by significant Christian theologians and released May 2012, Colonel V. Doner, who pioneered distributing voter guides in churches and helped mobilize the religious right to reelect Ronald Reagan in 1984, writes,

"I realized that the main difference between "our people" and "their people" (Islamic fundamentalists) was that ours (with the notable exception of bombing abortion clinics and assassinating doctors) had not (yet) resorted to violence."

[video: Rev. Samuel Rodriguez gives a prayer at the 2012 Republican National Convention]

In his book, Doner also identifies one particular Christian tendency as leading the vanguard of such potentially jihadist Christians: the New Apostolic Reformation - a theologically, ideologically, and politically radical movement that is reshaping large swaths of global Christianity and which includes, notably, the apostles and prophets brought together during the last decade under C. Peter Wagner.

Blessing the convention was National Hispanic Leadership Conference President Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, who has served as an apostle in C. Peter Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles and has extensive ties to Wagner's movement.

Rodriguez also has ties to policy advisers on faith who are influential within the Democratic National Committee and has appeared in public with First Lady Michele Obama, leading evangelical Christians and secular critics to accuse Rodriguez of leading a double life (as well as possibly exaggerating the size of his NHCLC coalition's membership.)

In 2010 Rodriguez co-led a political initiative which promoted a video speech from (Ret.) Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, in which Boykin claimed that a provision in the health care reform legislation signed by President Obama was "laying the groundwork for a constabulary force that will control the population in America" - a force Boykin compared to Hitler's brownshirts.

While Rodriguez's public speech before secular audiences is typically moderate, when addressing movement audiences a very different Samuel Rodriguez can emerge.  In 2006, the Rev. Rodriguez told members of a Utah church,

"We have radical Muslims. Radical homosexuals. Radical abortionists. We need radical, born again, spirit filled Christians to arise ! Do you follow me ? We don't need any sissy Christians, Oprah Winfrey Christians. We need prophetic, devil stomping, demon rebuking, blood washed, Bible believing, free-from-sin Christians !"

In 2010, at an Oak Initiative event speech, Rev. Rodriguez compared legal abortion to genocide, called for political candidates who shared a "Biblical worldview", and stated,

"The Tea Party, God bless you, CPAC, Council on National Policy, look at your audience! If your audience is 99.9 percent white, no te vista, que no va! The election is not going to happen at a national level. You need to go beyond that--enlarge your tent. Get it off the party platform and put it into practice, in the name of Jesus, and then you will see something happen in your party. This message was sponsored by the Oak Initiative."

The secretive Council On National Policy, founded by the Rev. Tim LaHaye, author of the "Left Behind" series, is considered one of the most influential leadership groupings on the theocratic Christian right.  

In 2009, a San Francisco Chronicle story billed Rodriguez as one of seven top leaders in an emergent tendency of "new evangelicals", but the same year Rodriguez also co-founded The Oak Initiative, a political organizing effort which fused Wagner's NAR movement with Tea Party politics.  

Wagner's movement came to public attention in 2011, because of a nationally publicized prayer rally, dominated by C. Peter Wagner's apostles, that kicked off the 2012 election presidential bid of Texas governor Rick Perry - who had been anointed in 2009 by one of Wagner's apostles, as reported by Texas Observer journalist Forrest Wilder, in Rick Perry's Army of God.

Perry is far from the only nationally prominent politician with ties to Wagner's movement. Kansas governor Sam Brownback once shared a Washington D.C.condominium with The Call founder and head Lou Engle and has appeared at numerous events held by Engle's ministry The Call

Engle serves as one of the prophets in Wagner's Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders (ACPE), currently headed by Cindy Jacobs; ACPE channels "prophetic" message directly from God, messages that can have within Wagner's movement the force of papal edicts. Sam Brownback has also appeared at numerous events held by Engle's The Call.

In 2011, ACPE head Cindy Jacobs gained widespread attention from her claim that flocks of blackbird were dropping dead because of the Obama Administration's decision to repeal the US military "Don't Ask/Don't Tell" policies covering gays in the military. Samuel Rodriguez, who calls Jacobs "mama Cindy" has appeared with Jacobs at numerous NAR events.

In May 2010, ACPE prophet Engle staged and spoke at a The Call event in Kampala, Uganda which was widely accused of being held in support of Uganda's so-called "kill the gays" bill, which threatened to impose a death sentence on active homosexuals in Uganda. One of the authors, and top supporters, of the bill was a Wagner apostle, the Ugandan evangelist Julius Oyet.

In 2007, The Call head Engle released a "prophetic" doctrine on "The Shedding of Innocent Blood", which declared that God demanded blood be shed to avenge legal abortion, and shortly before the assassination of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller, Engle, on his personal website, compared Tiller to a guard at the Nazi Auschwitz death camp.

But one of the most prominent politicians closely tied to C. Peter Wagner's apostles has been Sarah Palin, identified by Charisma magazine as a longtime personal friend to Wagner apostle and prophet (serving in ACPE along with Lou Engle) Mary Glazier, who has reported that Palin joined Glazier's personal prayer group when the future McCain vice presidential pick was in her twenties.  

In 2005, as Wagner confirmed to Fresh Air host Terry Gross in an October 3, 2011 interview, shortly before her successful 2005 bid to become Alaska governor Sarah Palin was blessed, in an elaborate church ceremony, by an apostle, colleague, and friend of C. Peter Wagner's, Kenyan evangelist Thomas Muthee, who called upon God to protect Palin from "every spirit of witchcraft". Along with Mary Glazier, Muthee is one of two personal friends and associates of Palin's who claims to have led successful witch hunts.

During his speech, Muthee called on believers to carry out the "Seven Mountain" mandate, a dominionist vision in which charismatic neo-fundamentalist Christians would achieve control of seven "mountains" of society: business, media, education, arts and entertainment, religion, the family, and government. Muthee urged his listeners to "infiltrate" these sectors of society.

One astonishing case of of such "infiltration" may have even given America the two-term presidency of George W. Bush.

In an account published by Charisma magazine prior to the 2006 election,  the founder and publisher of Charisma magazine Stephen Strang, who was then serving as an apostle in C. Peter Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles, described the "pivotal" role that then-Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris played in shutting down the Florida vote recount in the 2006 election, and claimed Harris as a movement member.

Wrote Strang,

"The 2000 presidential election was decided in Florida by only 537 votes, which put George W. Bush into the White House over Al Gore. Little did we know at the time that within a year our country would be at war against terrorism and that the outcome of the election would be crucial to the future of our country.

The election thrust Katherine Harris, the little-known Florida secretary of state, into the national spotlight. Her role in the election proved to be pivotal.

Few people are aware that Harris was impacted in 1966 by an intercessor in Bartow, Florida, who sparked the interest in government that led to Harris' running for public office years later. The intercessor was her fourth-grade teacher, a godly woman who prayed for all her students and tried to instill in them a love for their country and a sense of duty.

The reason I know this story is that the intercessor also prayed for me. She is my mother, Amy Strang, a powerful prayer warrior.

The point is that 35 years ago God set in motion events that would later help accomplish His purposes in the political arena."

 




Display:
A (very white-skinned, older middle-age) female Republican Party official from Puerto Rico got heckled as she was starting to speak from the platform in somewhat accented English, perfectly understandable to even the nativist ear. The RP chair Reince Prinze (sic) had to tell the audience to mind their manners and let the lady speak.

I am not sure whether the disrespect was due to her being female or having a Spanish accent.

Between that and the throwing-peanuts-at-a-black-camera-operator incident, there seems to be a fair percentage of delegates lacking home training.

by NancyP on Thu Aug 30, 2012 at 02:09:08 PM EST

...But I doubt it, he being a man of the cloth and all.

by Bruce Wilson on Thu Aug 30, 2012 at 02:26:09 PM EST
Parent

We should actually hope for more of such incidents as it is in our self interest to reveal these people for what they are.

by Villabolo on Thu Aug 30, 2012 at 06:55:59 PM EST
Parent

I also saw that report, but then saw another more detailed explanation of what happened. The floor fight was about the refusal to seat some of Ron Paul's delegates. Paul supporters were chanting "seat them" and the majority of Romney supporters started to chant "USA" to drown them out.

The Puerto Rican official simply had the bad luck to be next up on the agenda. There was apparently no heckling directed at her. If someone else has confirmed reporting to the contrary, I'd appreciate links.

by MLouise on Thu Aug 30, 2012 at 11:39:40 PM EST
Parent



WWW Talk To Action


Refuting Nullification, Part One
The emerging influence of Thomas J. Woods and other neo-Confederate ideologues within the Catholic Right was the focus of the first post in this......
By Frank Cocozzelli (1 comment)
The Film the Christian Right Does Not Want You to See
The acclaimed documentary God Loves Uganda, which depicts the role of American conservative evangelicals in generating vicious antigay campaigns in Uganda will be screened......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Reflections One Month after the Boston Marathon Bombing
A month after the Boston Marathon Bombing, the unified response here in the Boston area is the slogan "Boston Strong," which I see on......
By Chip Berlet (0 comments)
The Partisan Preacher's Complaint: Franklin Graham Has No Grounds To Whine About IRS
The ongoing scandal over the Internal Revenue Service's heightened scrutiny of Tea Party groups took another twist yesterday when evangelist Franklin Graham complained that......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
`Merry Christmas' In May?: Texas Legislators Reaffirm Right To Use Holiday Greeting
Texas legislators appear to have too much time on their hands. Members of the House of Representatives just passed legislation protecting everyone's right to......
By Rob Boston (5 comments)
Why Nullification Matters
In the first post in this series, I discussed the push for secession and nullification now being made by Catholic Right Neo-Confederates, notably Thomas......
By Frank Cocozzelli (5 comments)
Rios Montt, Hero to the Christian Right, Guilty of Genocide in Guatemala
Former Guatemalan dictator and darling of the American Christian Right, Rios Montt, was found guilty of genocide, making world news. ABC News has a......
By Bill Berkowitz (8 comments)
"It's Great to be a Government-Paid Missionary"
These are the exact words of Maj. Douglas W. Duerksen, a military chaplain, which you can hear for yourself in the embedded video below.......
By Rachel Tabachnick (2 comments)
Mark Sanford and His Free Pass from Religion
Mark Sanford, recently elected Congressman from South Carolina, has hit the airwaves with a startling comeback. The former governor of the state, hid in......
By wilkyjr (7 comments)
Christian Right Default: Blame the Jews
This past week we saw a remarkable example of the whipping-up of outrage over the alleged persecution of Christians. The story turned out to......
By Frederick Clarkson (2 comments)
Investigating the Indiana Family Institute
The Indiana Society of Professional Journalists gave Andy Kopsa its 2012 award for Best Investigative Reporting for a newspaper under 40,000 in circulation.  And......
By Frederick Clarkson (0 comments)
Thomas E. Woods, Jr. and the Neo-Confederate Catholic Right
Thomas Woods is an increasingly influential  player on the Catholic Right. In this and a subsequent post, we will consider how his world view......
By Frank Cocozzelli (3 comments)
Memo To The Religious Right: You Don't Need The Government To Tell You When To Pray
Thursday is the National Day of Prayer, and if you want to pray, by all means have at it.I'll let you in on a......
By Rob Boston (3 comments)
Book in 2012 Predicted Boston Bombing Motive
A book published in 2012 predicted the motive for the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing. Terrorist's Creed, by professor Roger Griffin, explains how......
By Chip Berlet (0 comments)
The End of the Literature of Pooh Poohery about Dominionism?
It is no small thing that Sally Quinn, doyenne of religion at The Washington Post, seems to have turned around on the problem of......
By Frederick Clarkson (1 comment)

Christian Hate For Hire
The Chairwoman of Republican Liberty Caucus of Washington (the Ron Paul formation), is Sandi Brendale, wife of Philip Brendale–a featured speaker at the regional Anti-Indian Conference held in Bellingham on April 6. Sandi Brendale,......
Jay Taber (3 comments)
Mississippi high school forces students to attend Christian lectures: lawsuit
Reposted from Raw Story: A high school in central Mississippi allegedly forced students to watch a Christian video and listen to church officials preach about Jesus Christ. The American Humanist Association's legal center filed......
COinMS (0 comments)
PA Candidate Max Myers Advocates Theocratic Church Governance
I'm working on a story to go with this video, but for now here's just the video. For context, see Rachel Tabachnick's story, NAR Leader Running for Governor in Pennsylvania - As a Democrat......
Bruce Wilson (1 comment)
Former Maranatha Pastor Stars as Thomas Jefferson in Fox and Friends Segment
I wasn't planning on playing Seven Degrees of Maranatha Campus Ministries this evening, but was instead perusing my usual array of news and opinion websites when I found this gem on Talking Points Memo:......
ulyankee (5 comments)
American Family Association launching drive to influence 2014 elections
CBN's David Brody has learned that the American Family Association is greasing the wheels for an effort to influence the 2014 elections.  The American Renewal Project, an AFA-affiliated group that helped push Prop 8......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Kevin Swanson encourages Christian educators to break law and push religion on kids
cross-posted at dKos Kevin Swanson of Generations Radio was in rare form on his podcast yesterday.  He decried the numerous Supreme Court decisions that have resulted in government-mandated prayer being barred from the public......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Far-right religious group behind 'Path to 9/11' film continues to infiltrate mainstream media
‘Path to 9/11’ director David Cunningham, who was outed a few years ago as a member of the far-right group Youth with a Mission, has been toiling away on a number of media projects......
unholyalliances (1 comment)
S. 3526: Military Religious Freedom Act of 2012
My senator, Roger Wicker, has introduced the Military Religious Freedom Act of 2012. A couple of things here: 1.) It's very interesting that it bears the exact same name as the Military Religious Freedom......
COinMS (2 comments)
West Point cadet drops out to protest influence of fundamentalist Christianity
Blake Page was a senior at the United States Military Academy, slated to graduate in May.  He was due to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, and once he left the......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Brownback endorses major fundie/dominionist prayer rally on Saturday
Those of you in the Kansas City/Topeka area, be on alert--there's going to be a major invasion of fundie lunacy in Topeka on Saturday.  And it has the endorsement of none other than Kansas'......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Why is the religious right defending an unrepentant con man who preyed on minority communities?
All indications are that the religious right is rallying to the defense of Jews Offering Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), the "pray away the gay" outfit that is facing a lawsuit from four former clients......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Mike Bickle's Sexually Charged "Bridal Mysticism" IHOP Teachings
I've been picking through Mike Bickle's teachings on Bridal Mysticism and the Song of Solomon - which Bickle seems to view as allegorical for the end-time relationship of the church (the Bride of Christ)......
Bruce Wilson (19 comments)
Rick Joyner and Bob Jones delude themselves into thinking Obama will help them
Two days ago, I mentioned that Rick Joyner hosted a post-election "webinar" with another NAR leader, Bob Jones.  In it, Joyner and Jones actually laughed about the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy because......
Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)
NAR leaders LAUGH about destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy
If you want to get a picture of how fundamentally sick and twisted the New Apostolic Reformation is at bottom, I offer as an example a video recently released by Rick Joyner. Yesterday, Joyner......
Christian Dem in NC (16 comments)
Rick Joyner, who wants to set up a dictatorship, accuses Obama of wanting to set up tyranny
Last Sunday, Rick Joyner told his flock at MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina (only 20 minutes south of me--gag) that if Obama is reelected, he plans to set up "the worst,......
Christian Dem in NC (5 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.