by Matthew D. Taylor
Broadleaf Books
10/1/2024, hardcover
SKU: 9781506497785
A propulsive account of the network of charismatic Christians that consolidated support for Donald Trump and is reshaping religion and politics in the US.
Over the last decade, the Religious Right has evolved. Some of the more extreme beliefs of American evangelicalism have begun to take hold in the mainstream. Scholar Matthew D. Taylor pulls back the curtain on a little-known movement of evangelical Christians who see themselves waging spiritual battles on a massive scale. Known as the New Apostolic Reformation, this network of leaders and believers emerged only three decades ago but now yields colossal influence, galvanizing support for Trump and far-right leaders around the world. In this groundbreaking account, Taylor explores the New Apostolic Reformation from its inception in the work of a Fuller Seminary professor, to its immense networks of apostles and prophets, to its role in the January 6 riot. Charismatic faith provided righteous fuel to the fire that day, where symbols of spiritual warfare blazed: rioters blew shofars, worship music blared, and people knelt in prayer. This vision of charismatic Christianity now animates millions, lured by Spirit-filled revival and visions of Christian supremacy.
Taylor's unprecedented access to the movement's leaders, archives, internal conference calls, and correspondence gives us an insider account of the connection between charismatic evangelicalism and hard-right rhetoric. Taylor delves into prophetic memes like the Seven Mountains Mandate, the Appeal to Heaven flag, and the Cyrus Anointing; Trump's spiritual advisor Paula White's call for "angelic reinforcements"; and Sean Feucht and Bethel Music's titanic command of worship styles across America. Throughout, Taylor maps a movement of magnetic leaders and their uncompromising beliefs--and where it might be headed next. When people long to conquer a nation for God, democracy can be brought to the brink.
Reviews:
"A harrowing tour of the once-fringe charismatic forces that have coopted and upended the contemporary Christian Right political movement, infusing it with an anti-democratic theology of spiritual warfare that is increasingly spilling over into political violence." --Robert P. Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future
"With its meticulous research, lively writing, and exceptionally nuanced analysis, The Violent Take It by Force pulls back the curtain on the radical religious movement once occupying the fringes of American Christianity but now situated within reach of the centers of American power. This book should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand Christian nationalism and the threat it poses to American democracy." --Kristin Kobes Du Mez, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus and John Wayne
About the Author:
Matthew D. Taylor is a religious studies scholar and expert in independent charismatic Christianity and Christian nationalism. He is the creator, writer, and narrator of the Charismatic Revival Fury audio-documentary series on the Straight White American Jesus podcast and author of Scripture People. Taylor holds a PhD in religious studies and Muslim-Christian relations from Georgetown University and an MA in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He has served on the faculty of Georgetown University and of George Washington University, and is currently a senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore.