Progressives Ponder MAGA Revival Of Charismatic Christian Mythology

Actually . . .

Of course there's a bit of bias in this report but it's also a really good "think piece" from The Atlantic that's making the rounds and offers a semblance into perspective about recent religious language that is working its way back into the American political conversation. 

To wit . . . 

QUESTIONS OF GOOD VS. EVIL NOW CONFRONT AMERICAN POLITICS!!!

 In a time of war and deep cultural divisions this is understandable . . .

However, we always notice . . .

This logic of absolutes typically falls apart amid the sausage-making of legislation that's packed with all manner of unrelated pork making a delightful American mockery of moralistic political pandering. 

Nevertheless . . . 

There's no denying that so many American voters seem to view the current era as an existential struggle. 

Here's the best consideration of this trending facet of the pop culture zeitgeist . . .  

"A shift is under way, one that scholars have been tracking for years and that has become startlingly visible with the rise of Trumpism. At this point, tens of millions of believers—about 40 percent of American Christians, including Catholics, according to a recent Denison University survey—are embracing an alluring, charismatic movement that has little use for religious pluralism, individual rights, or constitutional democracy. It is mystical, emotional, and, in its way, wildly utopian. It is transnational, multiracial, and unapologetically political. Early leaders called it the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, although some of those same leaders are now engaged in a rebranding effort as the antidemocratic character of the movement has come to light. And people who have never heard the name are nonetheless adopting the movement’s central ideas. These include the belief that God speaks through modern-day apostles and prophets. That demonic forces can control not only individuals, but entire territories and institutions. That the Church is not so much a place as an active “army of God,” one with a holy mission to claim the Earth for the Kingdom as humanity barrels ever deeper into the End Times.

"Although the secular establishment has struggled to take all of this seriously, Trump has harnessed this apocalyptic energy to win the presidency twice."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link to a re-post from The Atlantic . . .

The Army of God Comes Out of the Shadows

On the Thursday night after Donald Trump won the presidential election, an obscure but telling celebration unfolded inside a converted