The Spirit of January 6th: The Theology of This Seldom Discussed Movement Animates the Growing Threat to U.S. Democracy by Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné

In this episode, Koki reads “The Spirit of January 6th: The Theology of This Seldom Discussed Movement Animates the Growing Threat to U.S. Democracy” by Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné, the third in our new From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA's more than 40 years of publishing. 

In this article, Clarkson and Gagné offer a peek into a shadowy, dramatic, and hugely influential corner of the Christian right. The New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, is populated by modern day apostles, prophets, and demons, and is a key Christian nationalist movement quickly gaining power and influence best exemplified by the recent election of Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. This piece provides timely insights into the key players, texts, and organizing tenets of this influential and increasingly global movement. You can read the article online at our sibling site religiondispatches.org.

Frederick Clarkson is a Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates. He  has written about politics and religion for four decades. His work has appeared in a wide range of publications from Mother Jones, Church & State, and Ms. Magazine to The Christian Science Monitor and Salon.com.  He has also worked as an investigative editor at Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Communications Director at the Institute for Democracy Studies; and co-founded the group blog, Talk to Action. He is the author, co-author or editor of several books including Dispatches from the Religious Left and Eternal Hostility. 

André Gagné is Full Professor and Chair of the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. His teaching and scholarship focus on political theology, religion and violence, and the interpretation and reception of Scripture. Dr. Gagné has published eight books, multiple academic articles, and his work has been featured over 350 times in media outlets. His most recent book is entitled: American Evangelical for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times (Routledge, 2024).

EPISODE RESOURCES

• The Alabama Embryo Opinion Is About More Than Christian Nationalism by Stephanie McCrummen, The Atlantic, 2024.
• How Trumpism has pushed a fringe charismatic theology into the mainstream by Matthew D. Taylor and Paul A. Djupe, Religion News, 2024.
• He's on a Mission From God: Pennsylvania GOP Candidate Doug Mastriano's War With the World by Frederick Clarkson, Political Research Associates, 2022.
• American Evangelicals for Trump Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times by André Gagné, Routledge, 2024.
• A Reporter’s Guide to the New Apos