House Speaker Mike Johnson hangs an "Appeal to Heaven" flag outside of his office and has ties to the Christian nationlist New Apostolic Reformation.

To understand the contemporary meaning of the Appeal to Heaven flag, it’s necessary to enter a world of Christian extremism animated by modern-day apostles, prophets, and apocalyptic visions of Christian triumph that was central to the chaos and violence of Jan. 6. Earlier this year we released an audio-documentary series, rooted in deep historical research and ethnographic interviews, on this sector of Christianity, which is known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The flag hanging outside Johnson’s office is a key part of its symbology.

  • @agent_flounderEnglish
    12•11 months ago

    … this sector of Christianity, which is known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The flag hanging outside Johnson’s office is a key part of its symbology

    Nearly all the leaders who jumped on board this movement identify themselves as apostles or prophets who get messages from God, apparently.

    They believe they’re mandated by God to conquer and take over 7 areas: “religion, family, government, education, arts and entertainment, media, and business.”

    One of the influential leaders of the NAR “… seized upon the [aforementioned] flag as a symbol of the spiritual-warfare driven Christian nationalist revolution he hoped to see in American politics” and successfully campaigned to do just that in right wing Christian circles.

    You may notice it popping up in political arenas.

    So who gives a shit about a flag? Well it isn’t that so much. It’s that the author(s) argue that NAR was at the center of mobilizing like minded Christians for the Jan 6 insurrection. And many NAR leaders attended.

    This is why, if you look closely at the panopticon of videos and pictures of the Capitol insurrection, Appeal to Heaven flags are everywhere.

    So given what this flag symbolizes, the article asks what is means for the second it line to the presidency to hang this flag of Christian “spiritual warfare” outside their office.

    The author then links Johnson to top NAR folks and argues that for someone prominent in this movement the flag isn’t there just because it’s a gift with no other meaning.

    Anyway, this fucking lunatic is 2nd in line to the presidency. I wonder if he will ever run for president. Or if someone who shares his insane views will do so.

    He holds stringent positions on abortion, thinks homosexuality is a lifestyle choice that should not be recognized under legal protections against discrimination, defends young Earth creationism, blames school shootings on the sexual revolution of the 1960s, … “The founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around,” he has said.

    • @SanctusEnglish
      3•11 months ago

      So if these connections are made and shared why aren’t these people being investigated? Sounds like a christian terrorists organization that has infiltrated our government.