The New Apostolic Reformation, Trump, and Evangelical Politics

Book excerpt: Whilst many assume that conservative evangelical support for Trump is motivated by his position on social issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights, or a nostalgia for an imagined American golden age, this book shows that the reality is much more complex by looking at a more recent and understudied trend of Evangelicalism in America. Damon T. Berry examines how leaders within the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a charismatically inclined Evangelical movement, claim their support for Trump came from alleged prophetic visions that compelled them to defend Trump's candidacy, and to continue to defend his presidency, re-election against demonically inspired, Marxist, "Deep State" enemies. In this conspiratorial cosmology, spiritual warfare through prayer and political activism is the duty of the faithful so that they might protect Trump as God's anointed leader and war against malevolent, unpatriotic forces that oppose him, the nation, and God himself. Working from primary source materials produced by leading figures among the NAR, Berry argues that this conspiratorial discourse is central to NAR support for Trump's candidacy, presidency, and re-election effort, and that this discourse has come to shape some of the most important debates among American religious conservatives in the 21st century.