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Lance Wallnau

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Lance Wallnau
Education
Occupations
  • Evangelical preacher
  • televangelist
OrganizationZiklag
Known forPopularization of Donald Trump as a modern-day biblical King Cyrus
Notable workGod's Chaos Candidate (2016)
TelevisionThe Lance Wallnau Show
Movement
FatherCarl Wallnau
Websitelancewallnau.com

Lance Wallnau is an American evangelical preacher and televangelist based in Dallas, Texas. He is associated with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and the Seven Mountain Mandate.

Wallnau has been referred to as the "father of American Dominionism" by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.[1] A self-described Christian nationalist,[2] he is known for popularizing the concept of Donald Trump as a modern-day biblical King Cyrus from the Book of Isaiah.[3] Religion scholar Matthew D. Taylor describes Wallnau in 2024 as one of the chief propagandists of the Christian Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, one of the biggest advocates for Trump's Big lie, and the most consequential evangelical Christian figure of the 21st century.[4]

Biography

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Wallnau was born to mechanical engineer and Air Force major Carl Wallnau and grew up in Pennsylvania. He attended Valley Forge Military Academy and College and Lebanon Valley College and found the Christian faith during that period. Wallnau worked in oil marketing in Texas for a time. In the 1990s he founded a church, and in the following years started marketing and publishing companies while also working as a motivational speaker and consultant.[5][6]

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which Wallnau is associated with, is a loosely organized neo-Charismatic Christian dominionist movement. Scholar André Gagné calls Wallnau "the best example" of the NAR.[7] Wallnau is a member of the Eagles' Vision Apostolic Team, a group of leaders associated with the NAR.[6] Within the movement, he is considered a prophet.[8]

During a meeting between Youth With a Mission founder Loren Cunningham and Wallnau in 2000, Cunningham told Wallnau about a message he had received from God in 1975. Others who purportedly were given the same message were Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) and theologian Francis Schaeffer. They were ordered to invade the "seven spheres" of society identified as family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government.[9] The concept was later termed the Seven Mountain Mandate. Wallnau began to speak on the topic to churches, businesses, and municipalities;[10] the movement came to prominence after the 2013 publication of Wallnau's and Bill Johnson's book Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate.[11]

Wallnau's influence began to grow in 2015, the year he stated that God asked him to support US presidential candidate Donald Trump.[5][12] The following year, he published an article in Charisma magazine entitled "Why I Believe Trump Is the Prophesied President" and around the same time released a book called God's Chaos Candidate in which he prophesied that Donald Trump would win the election.[3][13] During the Trump administration, Wallnau was regularly welcomed at the White House, the US State Department and Mar-a-Lago resort.[14]

He is an advisor to and a force behind the non-profit Christian dominionist organization Ziklag.[2] Additionally, he is a co-founder of the Truth and Liberty Coalition, another dominionist organization, along with TV evangelist Andrew Wommack, David Barton, and others. Wallnau has been a speaker at the organization's events.[15][16]

Wallnau has his own television program on Daystar Television Network,The Lance Wallnau Show, and a podcast of the same name. He also commonly appears on Kenneth Copeland's prophecy program FlashPoint.[5][17][18]

In 2024, Wallnau headlined the Courage Tour, featuring prophets and Charismatic preachers promoting the Trump campaign and Make America Great Again (MAGA) ideas.[19][20] The event visited 19 bellweather counties in nine states and focused on political mobilization within a spiritual warfare context.[5][21]

Views

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Trump as King Cyrus figure

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Wallnau is known for popularizing the concept of Donald Trump as a modern-day biblical King Cyrus, from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 45. Cyrus—seen as anointed by God—freed the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity while not himself a believer in their faith. Wallnau holds that Cyrus is an archetype of a secular political leader chosen by God. He later came to the belief that there have been many previous iterations worldwide, including "George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan",[22] with Trump as the current American Cyrus figure, and others such as Viktor Orbán, Andrzej Duda, and Jair Bolsonaro in other countries. Additionally, Wallnau contends that Trump will help reconstruct the United States and prevent cultural collapse, thereby bringing the apostolic reformation, rechristianization, and stability to other countries with the help of "anointed" Christians. Regarding Trump, Wallnau has stated "he is like a Reformer in secular garb"[5] and links the 45th president to the 45th chapter of Isaiah.[23] The concept soon became part of NAR belief.[22][3][24][25] In 2019, Wallnau appeared on the Jim Bakker Show and sold a gold coin with Cyrus and Trump on it.[5]

Other Christian leaders such as Beth Moore have publicly taken issue with Wallnau's characterization, stating "[w]e can't sanctify idolatry by labeling a leader our Cyrus. We need no Cyrus. We have a king. His name is Jesus."[26]

Dominionism

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Regarding the ekklesia or Christian Church, Wallnau states:

The word for 'church' in the New Testament is the word ecclesia. The world of Jesus' day knew this word as it was used throughout the Roman empire to refer to the method of civil governing by political bodies. The word was used as far back as the time of Alexander the Great to describe the governing bodies of Greek city states. The ecclesia is a governing word describing a governing body of believers called out as citizens of the kingdom to take their seats at the gates! What gates? The gates of influence that shape the cities and nations of the earth.[27]

Wallnau told followers in 2011:

If you're talking to a secular audience you don't talk about having dominion over them. This whole idea of taking over and that language of takeover, it doesn't actually help. It's good for preaching to the choir and it's shorthand if we interpret it right, but it's very bad for media."[28]

Spiritual warfare

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Common to the NAR is a belief in waging spiritual warfare against perceived demonic spirits; Wallnau has referred to Trump's presidency as a "spiritual warfare presidency" and Kamala Harris as a "Jezebel spirit".[29][2][30][31] In a Facebook video, he warned followers that Harris had been sent by the Devil to "take Trump out."[14] Wallnau and other NAR leaders such as Cindy Jacobs were part of the 2020 Jericho Marches; sociologist Brad Christerson argues that these prophets and their spiritual warfare theology shaped the events.[21][32][6]

January 6, 2021 Capitol attack

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Religion scholar Matthew D. Taylor has referred to Wallnau as "one of the key Christian mobilizers for January 6th".[5] After Trump lost the 2020 US presidential election, Wallnau claimed that the election had been stolen from him.[20] He defended the January 6 attack against the US Capitol,[20] stating, "Jan. 6 was not an insurrection. It was an election fraud intervention."[20] He is the only Christian leader from the riots who as of 2024 has refused to condemn the violence.[33]

A joint report from the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Freedom From Religion Foundation on the role of Christian nationalism in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack argues that Wallnau's "warfare rhetoric" is linked to stochastic terrorism.[1] Scholar Arne Helgen Teigen notes "nationalist", "anti-democratic", and "fascist" traits in Wallnau's prophethood.[22]

NAR leaders

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Wallnau prophesied in 2010 regarding Norwegian apostolic leader Jan-Aage Torp's divine calling and influence.[24]

Works

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  • The 7 Mountain Mandate: Impacting Culture, Discipling Nations. Fort Mill, South Carolina: MorningStar Ministries. DVD. 2009.
  • Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate. With Bill Johnson. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Destiny Image Publishers. 2013.
  • God's Chaos Candidate: Donald J. Trump and the American Unraveling. Keller, Texas: Killer Sheep Media. 2016.
  • God's Chaos Code: The Shocking Blueprint that Reveals 5 Keys to the Destiny of Nations. Keller, Texas: Killer Sheep Media. 2020.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Seidel, Andrew L. (February 9, 2022). Christian Nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection (PDF) (Report). Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Freedom From Religion Foundation. pp. 14–15. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Kroll, Andy; Surgey, Nick (July 13, 2024). "Inside Ziklag, the Secret Organization of Wealthy Christians Trying to Sway the Election and Change the Country". ProPublica. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Trangerud, Hanne Amanda (May 18, 2021). "The American Cyrus: How an Ancient King Became a Political Tool for Voter Mobilization". Religions. 12 (5). doi:10.3390/rel12050354. ISSN 2077-1444.
  4. ^ Taylor, Matthew D. (October 1, 2024). "Chapter 5". The Violent Take it by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy. Minneapolis: Broadleaf Books. ISBN 9781506497785.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Owen, Tess (September 13, 2024). "Lance Wallnau, first to 'prophesy' Trump's presidency, is back to vanquish anti-Trump demons". Religion News Service. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Lehmann, Chris (April 15, 2024). "The Trump Revival". The Nation. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Nelson, Anne (June 24, 2024). "God and QR Codes for Trump; The Courage Tour Goes to Michigan". Washington Spectator. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Monacelli, Steven (August 4, 2023). "God's Army Gathers in Fort Worth". The Texas Observer. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  9. ^ Silliman, Daniel (October 9, 2023). "Died: Loren Cunningham, Who Launched Millions on Short-Term Missions". Christianity Today. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Vasché, Mark S. (November 7, 2010). "'As one' we can turn the corner". The Modesto Bee. pp. A7. Retrieved September 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Hardy, Elle (March 19, 2020). "The 'modern apostles' who want to reshape America ahead of the end times". The Outline.
  12. ^ Taylor, Matthew D. (October 1, 2024). The Violent Take it by Force. Broadleaf Books. ISBN 9781506497785. cited in Goldberg, Michelle (September 9, 2024). "Why Trump Can Afford to Disrespect His Anti-Abortion Voters". New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Haffner, Josh (November 10, 2016). "Meet the evangelicals who prophesied a Trump win". USA Today. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Confessore, Nicholas; Yourish, Karen; Eder, Steve; Protess, Ben; Haberman, Maggie; Ashford, Grace; LaForgia, Michael; Vogel, Kenneth P.; Rothfeld, Michael (October 10, 2020). "The Swamp That Trump Built". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Home". Truth and Liberty Coalition. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Rabey, Steve (November 1, 2023). "Truth & Liberty Coalition expands culture war to 30 Colorado school boards". Religion News Service. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Lance Wallnau Show". Daystar Television Network. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Hixenbaugh, Mike (May 3, 2024). "Inside the Christian TV show rallying Trump superfans with apocalyptic warnings". NBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Herman, Alice (August 2, 2024). "'We have to be voting biblically': the Courage Tour rallies Christians to get Trump in office". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d Hallowell, Chrissy; Farhi, Arden; Hymes, Clare (September 4, 2024). "Evangelical leader Lance Wallnau pitches Trump to followers as divinely chosen for presidency - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Olmstead, Molly (September 25, 2024). "I Went to a Pro-Trump Christian Revival. It Completely Changed My Understanding of Jan. 6". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c Teigen, Arne Helge (2020). "Profetiene om Donald Trump, USA og NAR-bevegelsen: En kritisk undersøkelse av profetier om Donald Trump, USA og Guds rike innen New Apostolic Reformation-bevegelsen" [Prophecies about Donald Trump, the USA and the NAR movement: A critical examination of prophecies about Donald Trump, the United States, and the Kingdom of God within the New Apostolic Reformation movement] (PDF). Theofilos (in Norwegian). 12 (2–3): 301–305.
  23. ^ Christerson, Brad; Flory, Richard (April 27, 2017). "The Product: Supernatural Power and Social Transformation". The Rise of Network Christianity: How Independent Leaders Are Changing the Religious Landscape. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190635671.003.0004. ISBN 978-0-19-063567-1.
  24. ^ a b Clarkson, Frederick; Gagné, André (November 30, 2022). "Call it 'Christian Globalism': A Reporter's Guide to the New Apostolic Reformation, Part III". Religion Dispatches. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  25. ^ Pidcock, Rick (January 10, 2023). "The New Apostolic Reformation drove the January 6 riots, so why was it overlooked by the House Select Committee?". Baptist News Global. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  26. ^ Blair, Leonardo (December 15, 2020). "Beth Moore draws flak and praise after warning Christians against 'dangerous' Trumpism". Christian Post. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  27. ^ Wallnau, Lance (2016). God's Chaos Candidate: Donald J. Trump and the American Unraveling. Keller, Texas: Killer Sheep Media. p. 143.
  28. ^ Rosenberg, Paul (January 2, 2024). "Meet the New Apostolic Reformation, cutting edge of the Christian right". Salon.com.
  29. ^ Boorstein, Michelle (November 5, 2022). "In existential midterm races, Christian prophets become GOP surrogates". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  30. ^ Gira Grant, Melissa (July 25, 2024). "The Violent Implications of the 'Jezebel' Attacks on Kamala Harris". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  31. ^ Hixenbaugh, Mike; Marquez, Alexandra (September 27, 2024). "Vance to attend event with evangelist who said Harris used 'witchcraft'". NBC News. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  32. ^ Christerson, Brad (January 12, 2021). "How Self-Proclaimed Christian 'Prophets' Provided Religious Motivation for the Jan. 6 Events at the US Capitol". University of Southern California. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  33. ^ Taylor, Matthew D. (October 1, 2024). "Chapter 7". The Violent Take it by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy. Broadleaf Books.
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