Vance Boelter, who allegedly fired against Melissa Hortman, Minnesota Democratic State Representative, and her husband, Mark Hortman, on June 14, 2025, studied at the Christ for the Christ for Nations in Dallas. This group is a biblical school linked to the new Apostolic Reform (NAR).
Nar is a charismatic Christian movement, little organized but influential, which shares similarities with Pentecostalism, especially in its belief that God actively communicates with believers through the Holy Spirit.
However, unlike traditional Pentecostalism, this movement emphasizes the figure of modern apostles and prophets as leaders with authority, responsible for transforming society and establishing the kingdom of God into earth. Prayer, prophecy and worship are not considered only acts of devotion, but strategic tools to promote the vision of believers about the government and society.
After the shooting, the Christ for the Nations issued a statement flatly condemning all forms of violence and extremism. They declared: “The mission of our organization is to educate and train students to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through compassion, love, prayer, service, worship and the value of human life.”
But the attack has put the focus on school and on the broader Christian movement to which it belongs. One of the most prominent aspects of the current teachings of the NAR is the so -called “mandate of the seven mountains.”
This mandate urges Christians to gain influence, or “take dominance”, on seven key areas of culture: religion, family, education, government, media, business and arts.
With more than three decades of experience in the study of extremism, I offer a brief general description of the history and fundamental beliefs of the mandate of the seven mountains.
Christian domain
The concept of the seven mountains was originally proposed in 1975 by the evangelical leader Bill Bright, founder of the student crusade for Christ (now known as “Cru”), a global ministry founded in 1951 to promote Christian evangelization, especially in universities.
Bright partnered with Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth with a mission, an important international training and missionary extension organization in the 1970s.
The mandate was popularized by the theologian Francis Schaeffer, who linked him to a broader criticism against secularism and liberal culture. Over time, the concept evolved.
C. Peter Wagner, seminar exprofesor, helped organize and name the new apostolic reform, and is considered its theological architect. In his 2008 book, domain: how the kingdom’s action can change the world, urged Christians to assume authoritarian control of cultural institutions.
For Wagner, the “theology of domain” – the idea that Christians must govern all aspects of society – is a call to spiritual war, so that the kingdom of God is “manifest in earth as in heaven.” Since 1996, leaders such as Bill Johnson (Bethel Church) and Johnny Enloow (self -denominated prophet) have reformulated the mandate with a more aggressive, political and spiritually militant approach.
This vision promotes a mentality of “we against them”, which blurs the line between faith and authoritarianism. It is not just about influencing culture; It is conceived as a spiritual battle to recover and remodel the nation according to its vision of God’s will.
Lance Wallnau, another preacher, Teleevangelista and author, has promoted the theology of the domain since the beginning of 2000. During the presidential elections of 2020, Wallnau and other leaders of the NAR described Donald Trump as anointed by God to free the “mountain” of the demonic control government.
In his book Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountains Mandate, Wallnau and Johnson explicitly call a Christian leadership as an antidote against moral decline and spiritual darkness.
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Beliefs
Sometimes called “the seven mountains of influence” or “of culture”, these areas are not considered neutral, but battlefields between divine truth and demonic deception.
His followers believe that Christians are called to recover these areas through influence, leadership and even, if necessary, direct confrontation with what they consider demonic forces, as noted by religion expert Matthew Taylor in his book The Violent Take It By Force.
Various perspectives surround the rhetoric and actions of the NAR. Some analysts warn that the movement trains their followers for confrontation. Others criticize violent rhetoric as an anti -Biblical.
The NAR leaders have presented the elections as confrontations between “pious” candidates and others under “satanic influence.”
The prophetess Cindy Jacobs, for example, has advocated a “spiritual war” in schools against what he considers “demonic ideologies”, such as sex education, LGBTQ+ inclusion or the debate on systemic racism.
From this worldview, cultural change is a supernatural mission. The opponents are not only wrong: they could be under demonic influence. Thus, the elections become spiritual battles.
Pluralism is seen as a weakness, commitment as betrayal and coexistence as a surrender. Frederick Clarksson, researcher at the Progressive Political Center Research Associates, defines the mandate as “the theocratic idea that Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over all aspects of society, controlling political and cultural institutions.”
The call to “recover” culture is not metaphorical; Believers are encouraged to act as soldiers in a holy war. While some argue that this refers only to a spiritual influence, others fear that it refers to a literal domination.
Many within the movement insist that the language of war is spiritual, focused on prayer and evangelization. But the border between metaphor and literal mandate is diluted, especially when combined with political and cultural actions. This tension is part of the internal and external debate to the movement.
Diffusion networks
These beliefs are no longer marginal. They expand through evangelical churches, podcasts, YouTube videos and political networks.
Although it is not known how many churches are aligned with the NAR, it is estimated that about three million people in the US attend congregations that openly follow their leaders.
The mandate does not depend on centralized leadership or formal structures, but is organically spread through social networks, live broadcasts, workshops and revival events.
The theologian André Gagné, author of American evangelists by Trump: domain, spiritual war and the end of time, describes how this mandate empowers local leaders and believers, authorizing them to be seen as agents of divine transformation in society.
This approach allows adapting the mandate to diverse political and cultural contexts, encouraging believers to act as “spiritual warriors” in sectors such as government, education, media or arts.
Small groups or even individuals can start movements without waiting for instructions from above. The only recognized leaders are the apostles and prophets that run the Church or network to which they belong.
The mandate is presented as a divine mission. Questioning it can be interpreted as a challenge to God’s will.
A slippery slope
These ideas have merged with nationalist rhetoric and conspiracy theories. An example is the popularization of “appeal to heaven” flags, which symbolize the belief that, when earthly authority fails, believers can directly appeal to God to justify resistance.
These flags were prominent during the insurrection of the Capitol of January 6, 2021.
To be clear, the leaders of the nose do not usually incite violence, but promote political participation and protest. However, for some believers, the call to “spiritual war” can become a slippery slope that leads to justify violent acts, such as the alleged Minnesota shooter.
Understanding the mandate of the seven mountains is key to understanding contemporary efforts to align government and culture with a particular Christian vision of power and authority.
*Art Jipson it Associate Professor of Sociology at Dayton University.
This article was originally published in The Conversation
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