Seeking the Warrior Jesus: The New Apostolic Reformation, Dominionism, and Discursive Political Violence from January 6th to Gaza

ABSTRACT: An October 2023 report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Brookings Institute noted that acceptance of political violence in the United States has increased dramatically since 2021. These findings sit juxtaposed to the increased rhetoric of “the Big Lie” that alleges that Trump won the election, which precipitated the call for a rally to “Stop the Steal” on 6 January 2021, where Trump urged the protestors to “fight like hell” and to march on the United States Capitol. In the NAR’s optimistic eschatological view of politics expressed through Seven Mountains Dominionism, forms of discursive violence frequently script their opposition as demonic and worthy of destruction. I argue that this prophetic view of politics ignores the complexities of world events to present every conflict and the resulting suffering as part of a spiritual conflict, as God’s chosen people are beset by demonic entities at war with God’s design.