Recent article reveals the pure idolatry involved in the NAR dominionist theology.

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Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. -- 1John 4: 1-4 (ESV)

https://www.charismamag.com/life/culture/37289-does-god-really-want-you-to-get-involved-in-cultural-issues

Throughout the history of this country the church has been closely aligned with the state. This has occasionally sprouted into dominionist theology which believes that Christians need to take dominion over the state and have it be led only by Christians. This theocratic dream has been given new life over the past few decades by the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The NAR follows a belief called the Seven Mountains Mandate. Essentially, this is the belief that the church must conquer and take control of the seven cultural mountains in this world. These are Education, Religion, Family, Business, Government, Entertainment, and Media. According to this heresy, Christ cannot come back until Christians take over the world. Where dominionism has always been largely frowned upon, the NAR has become mainstreamed. It has become popular. Perhaps the most insidious part of the NAR is that most who espouse their teaching as do not even realize they do. Perhaps no mountain has been more focused on than Government.

To this end we see a constant onslaught from the apostate church urging Christians to be involved politically. To take the lesser evil and trump him or her up into a form of righteousness they does not possess. Today's article linked above is from David Hoffman, who fancies himself an evangelist. Hoffman discusses how Christians should be involved in the culture wars we see and in doing so we can see the influence of the NAR. Let us reason together beloved so we do not fall for similar faulty reasoning:

"One of the greatest challenges that American Christians are currently facing concerns the question of how should they interact with present-day American culture. Many Christians are aware that there is a cultural shift occurring. Though American culture has never been fully "Christian" per se, today the culture is becoming increasingly anti-Christian. All anyone has to do is turn on prime-time television to see how the culture is promoting beliefs, activities, and lifestyles that are in total contradiction to the Bible and Christian living. Almost every week, there are news stories of Christian bakers, or photographers, being sued for refusing to participate in homosexual weddings or military chaplains being penalized for standing for biblical truth. It is clear that the divide between the "church" and the "world" is becoming more accentuated and more defined. Should Christians do nothing? Should Christians isolate themselves from the culture? How do Christians ""be in" this culture, yet "not of it"? Everyday, I read articles, interact on social media, and have conversations with other Christians about the current state of the culture. The underlying question that is always present is "How should we as Christians interact with the culture? There are many answers, but each answer falls into one of three different types of responses - a response of courage, a response of cowardice, or a response of complacency." -- David Hoffman

It is always disturbing when we start with a distortion. The Christian baker and photographer were not being asked to participate in a gay wedding. They were asked to do their job. I know this is a nuance that falls on deaf ears amongst the crowd that worships this country but it is important nonetheless for people to understand. The bible says that we are sojourners in this land and that our citizenship is in heaven. Think of when Jesus walked the earth. Was there enough going on politically in Rome and their occupation of the Jewish people? Of course there was. The disciples thought Jesus was going to deliver them from Rome but He had a much more important deliverance in mind. Likewise today, Christians rally around the worst they see in the carnal world but Jesus has come for something bigger beloved. The baker and the photographer were taught theology so poorly that they actually believe baking a cake meant they were partaking in someone else's sin. Sin transference by osmosis if you will. Could you imagine if we had to answer for everyone else's sin we come into contact with in our life and how we responded to it? I might add, did the baker and photographer check the lifestyles of the non-homosexual customers they had? You know, to make sure they were not living together outside of marriage or committing some other sin. Of course they did not and that makes them hypocrites, which is something Jesus actually did say a lot about. Only the devil can convince followers of Jesus Christ to spurn the very people who need the Gospel the most and think they were in God's will while doing it. Our response to culture is the same as in everything else -- the Gospel. It alone has the power of God unto the salvation of man. Hoffman continues:

'These are the three different basic responses that a Christian can have to culture. No Christian ever explicitly says "We should respond in complacency," or "We should be cowards." However, a lot of the responses that Christians have to the culture are not courageous. Oftentimes, there are undertones of complacency or cowardice. If you haven't realized that the question of how to interact with the culture is a important one, all that I can say is, "It is!" However, even more important than the question is the answer to this question. The answer will determine the future of our nation and the health and spiritual vitality of the American church. The question I want to ask you right now is, "How are YOU responding to the culture?"' -- David Hoffman

Says no biblical text anywhere. Beloved we must recognize that it is David Hoffman that sincerely believes in the NAR teachings that worship America before God. The rationales are filled with piety but no biblical substance. He has clearly decided that courage is equal to engaging the carnal forces of this world and cowardice is choosing to stick to what the Bible says. It is not the job of a Christian to respond to culture. It is our job to represent Christ and present the Gospel. How did Jesus respond to the culture of His time? You want my taxes? Go catch a fish. Whose face is on that coin? Give it to Caesar. Note however the insidious teachings of the NAR. To Hoffman, the health and spiritual vitality of God's church is somehow tied to the future of this nation. This nation will be judged like every other nation beloved. Our job is to present the Gospel so that some might be saved before this happens.

'Before continuing and determining what would be the right response, let us look at what constitutes a complacent response. Sometimes the easiest thing to do in the midst of difficulty is to ignore it. It's a lot easier to not be bothered by what is wrong than to have to come up with the will power or means to change it. That is complacency at its finest. People will also ignore problems because they are satisfied with their lives. Many Christians have adopted this mentality in response to the culture. It comes across as a cavalier, above-it-all type of attitude. If you have a good job, a nice car, a decent family, a steady stream of entertainment, and a church to go to each Sunday, then who cares about the problems in the culture? Right? "My life is good. Don't' bother me," is the slogan of this response to the culture. The problem here is that having a good life does not give anyone an excuse to not be "salt and light" (Matt. 5:13-16). In fact, if God has blessed you with a life that is not riddled with problems and concerns, He expects you to be more willing and able to serve Him and fulfill His purpose in reaching the culture. "To whom much is given much will be required."' -- David Hoffman

Pack your bags folks; we are going on a guilt trip. This is works theology at its worst. Once again however, Hoffman has pre-decided that if you do not engage culture as he defines then by definition you must be living a cushy life and be a complacent Christian. Nonsense. Being salt and light does not mean transforming culture into a theocracy, which is actually what Hoffman is advocating for. People who play church as he describes are probably not saved to begin with. What Hoffman fails to see is there is an alternate response to his culture warrior stance. That is the Christian who stands in the gap for the unsaved, prays for them, and speaks the Gospel to them. So while Hoffman is berating them for their lifestyle choices or trying to change laws to force them to behave better, real Christians are doing the actual hard work of the kingdom and representing the Gospel and that is not complacent.

"Oftentimes, I hear people say things like, "It has always been bad, why try to change it?" I think the clearest answer is found by just taking a good look at God. If God had that mindset, He would have never intervened in human history and there would therefore have been no salvation and no Bible. If God, Himself, doesn't take a "hands-off" approach, then why should we as His people? If someone was dealing with cancer for a while and there was a treatment to halt the spread of the cancer, they would never say "Well, it has been pretty bad for a while now. I guess I shouldn't try to stop this cancer from getting worse." That would be ridiculous. However, this is the illustration that best fits the complacent attitude of many Christians when they interact with the culture. The message of Christ is the cure for the sin destroying our culture and complacency is good at developing rationales for not taking responsibility to deliver this message to the culture and to the lost." -- David Hoffman

I literally have never heard anyone espouse such baloney. The issue is what you are trying to change. Hoffman is trying to change culture while the Bible tells us this is a battle for souls. What Hoffman fails to see because of his idolatry for the United States is that this country is the Titanic and we have already struck the iceberg. Hoffman's approach is to rearrange the deck chairs and the true role of the church is to direct people to the lifeboat, which is Jesus. We once again see the insidious nature of the teachings the NAR espouses. The message of Christ is not the cure for the sin destroying our culture but rather for the individual and the sins that is destroying their lives. The Gospel focuses on them while the NAR focuses on the culture and the reason is shameful. The NAR is all about saving the culture not the individual.

"Complacency can also can be seen to go hand-in-hand with the "God-is-sovereign" argument. This argument claims that there is nothing that we can do to change the culture because since God is really in control of everything anyhow, everything is happening just the way God wants it to. Its true, God is sovereign. But the entire New Testament is a call to action for the believer. Jesus said "Go out into all the world," "Preach the Gospel," "Make disciples." God's sovereignty is not an excuse for our inaction, rather, it's a promise that if we obey His call to act, He will move mightily. If you were in a burning house, you would not lie in bed and say "God's got this under control; it's all part of His plan." You would rush out of bed, get everyone out of the house, and then call 911. If there was a way you could fight the fire, you would do it. There would be no room for complacency. Likewise, there is no room for complacency in a Christian's response to the culture. In Luke 19:13, part of the point Jesus makes in a parable is that the believer is to occupy until He returns." -- David Hoffman

The entire New Testament is not a call to action beloved. It is a call to repentance. Ironically, he cites the one directive Jesus gives us which is to preach the Gospel. Not to change nations. Not to conquer cultural mountains. Preach the Gospel. God's sovereignty means He is in control. The saddest thing is that in his analogy of the burning building Hoffman fails to see that it is the church that is on fire. While he is off playing Ren and Stimpy, trying to take over the world, his own home is burning to the ground. The church today is no longer a shining city on a hill. It is no longer salt and light to a dying world. It has spent the past three decades trying to cozy up to the world and be relevant to it. It has spent the past three decades removing sin, the cross, and repentance from preaching and worship. Leaving an impotent, false gospel in its wake that saves no one. The bible says if the people called by my name repent and turn from their wicked ways He will heal the land.

"Another way a Christian can respond to the culture is in cowardice. The anti-Christian sentiment within the culture can seem overwhelming at times. As Satan expands his influence in the world, it can easily produce fear. This fear exhibits itself in several different ways. Some Christians embrace an isolationist mindset and try to avoid any and all interactions with the culture lest they be defiled by it. This is an incorrect response. Jesus made it clear that He overcame the world and that He is greater in us than the devil who is in the world. The Bible also says that we are more than conquerors and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. God has the power to change what we can't change, but if we cower and fear, we miss out on the opportunity to be participants in spreading God's influence within this culture." -- David Hoffman

It is true that some Christians live in the Christian bubble, eschewing all things in the world and Hoffman is right to say this is not how it ought to be. Especially in this age where the church has so compromised itself with the world that there really is not that much of a difference. Take music for example. I know Christians who virulently oppose any form of secular music but listen to absolutely horrific and unbiblical "worship" music. The problem here is when Hoffman tries to leverage the bible to make his point. Jesus has not overcome the world so we can physically do the same. This was a spiritual statement that no matter what tribulation we may face in the carnal, we already have victory through Christ in the spiritual. Yes it is true that He that is in us is greater than he in the world but if Hoffman had bothered to read the context, which I have provided in the key verses today, he would have seen that this verse is about discerning false teachers. How painfully ironic. This is why you do not strip mine the bible. You cannot just cobble a few verses together out of context and think you have made a cogent point. Hoffman gives up his true goal here and that is to influence culture. Except the bible never tells us this is our job beloved. We are ambassadors for Christ through the preaching of the Gospel, period. God gives the increase based on His sovereignty, through the preached Gospel.

"Other Christians don't feel compelled to try to escape the world. However, they fear confrontation with the culture. This will often lead to compromise in order to avoid the difficulty, or trials, that would come from challenging it. This type of response doesn't deny Christ, but it also doesn't fully stand for Christ. Instead of standing firm on the word of God, a Christian that responds in fear and cowardice will try to find ways that they can fuse the "truths" of the culture with Christianity. At first glance, it seems noble, and many people probably tell themselves they are making their compromises in an attempt to reach and win the lost. However, nowhere in the Bible are the people of God called to compromise biblical and moral truth and to embrace the world in order to win the lost (1 John 2:15)." -- David Hoffman

Ironies of irony; Hoffman cannot see how he has compromised the Gospel. People need to be saved from the culture while Hoffman is busy trying to actually save the culture. It is a fool's errand however because it is devoid of the only thing that can change the human heart and that is the Gospel. Not legislation or Supreme Court nominees.

"Countless Christians have bought into the lie that God is not concerned with anything outside of the salvation of the lost, so cultural issues really don't matter to Him and thus shouldn't matter to us. If Jesus Christ is Lord of the entire universe, and if He desires to do redemptive work in humanity, can someone really believe that God does not desire to use His people to establish more of His truth, righteousness, and order in the culture in which we live. Let us not forget Jesus' first sermon was Isaiah 61:1. What it really comes down to is that many Christians actually fear being labeled as "radical" and fear being a source of offence to others. I am in no way suggesting that Christians should act strange, intentionally offend, or give cause for accusation from unbelievers, but the reality of the normal Christian life is that it is meant to be a radical one. We as believers are to love the sinners of the world, but we are not called to love the sin of the world. Jesus stood out, the disciples stood out, pretty much every character that we favorably look to in the Bible stood out. As they obeyed God courageously, they offended the culture around them, yet God was with them." -- David Hoffman

The normal Christian life is radical in faith! Not in trying to take over the world! People should see a Christian calm in the storm, supportive during crisis, and never wavering in belief. Then they will want what we have! Then they may come seeking! That is when the Gospel needs to be preached! Hoffman believes in none of that! It is like Hoffman is acting like one of the disciples and petulantly demanding that Jesus deliver them from Rome. Jesus came to save them from their sin, not Rome and likewise today He wants to still deliver people from their sin, not the culture of America. Isaiah 61 is about preaching the Gospel! This is what happens when you worship your country as an idol.

"So that leaves us with our last possible response to the culture, one of courage. God calls His people to be courageous. Christ commanded believers to be salt and light. So how does the courageous Christian interact with the culture. The first and foremost principle is to never back down from standing upon and for biblical truth. The second principle is to assume responsibility for challenging, as lovingly and yet truthfully as possible, the current ungodly movements in the culture that promote what is clearly biblically unacceptable. Jesus said that he would send the Holy Spirit and that He would convict the world of sin. All too often, Christians cop-out on their responsibility and say "see it's the Holy Spirit's job to convict of sin." But who lives in the believer? The Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Holy Spirit not only desires, but also expects, us to be His tools and instruments. The third principle that is necessary for a Christian to be successfully courageous is to count the cost ahead of time. When Christians commit to acting courageously in the culture, they will stand out. Sadly, oftentimes, not only the culture but other Christians will attempt to tear you down if you commit to challenging this culture in the truth and power of God. You have to be prepared to experience resistance, even from people who may name the name of Christ." -- David Hoffman

Be careful here of what Hoffman is espousing. He is making carnal arguments and attributing them to God. The first and foremost principle is to never back down from biblical truth? With the world? Has he even read the bible? The things of God, such as the bible, are utter foolishness to the lost! So according to David Hoffman the best evangelistic technique we have is to cross our arms and defiantly tell people they are wrong because a book they do not believe in says they are. Good luck with that. The second thing he thinks we should do is to "lovingly" challenge the ungodly movements in an ungodly culture, which is presided over by Satan. Seriously. Hoffman admits however his primary sin here. It is the same sin of Lucifer and Eve before him. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict people of their sins, through the preaching of the Word. Remember that faith comes through hearing and hearing through the Word. The Holy Spirit, who is God, does not expect us to try and usurp His throne and do His job. In the Great Commission, Jesus did not say go and convict the world of their sin! He said go and teach them all I have taught you! We are His tools and instruments for the Gospel but the church would rather extend its accusatory finger at the lost and scream, "sinner!" Hoffman's final point here is to poison the well ahead of time. Those that would dare point out the sheer carnality and unbiblical nature of his teaching are branded ahead of time as being resistant and desiring to tear him down. Thankfully, he concludes:

"Courage is necessary in the day we live in. There is absolutely no room for cowardice or complacency. Be a courageous Christian. Take the stands you know God wants His people to take even if you don't see the majority of other Christians doing it. As we are courageous, God will do mighty things in our culture and in our day-to-day lives. Jesus promised that He would be with us always even to the end of this age. You might say "What can I do?" The answer is, do something! Start somewhere! Be honest with yourself. If you are being complacent, or cowardly, don't run away from it in shame. We all fall short of God's standard and expectations. If you have been complacent, or cowardly, repent, and then make a commitment to stand in courage. Ask God to help you to do this. Pray for God to give you opportunities to courageously stand for the Gospel and biblical truth. Encourage other believers to do likewise. Don't be afraid to shine the light of Christ wherever you are and wherever you go. So fellow Christian, believer, confessor of Jesus Christ as Lord, tell me, "Courage, cowardice or complacency, how will you respond to this culture?" -- David Hoffman

Beloved, this is straight up NAR nonsense theology. Only the dominionist mindset seeks to supplant God and do the work of conviction. The bible cannot be clearer. The only thing with the power of God unto the salvation of man is the Gospel. I didn't see a lot of the Gospel in this "take over the world" teaching. Even if Hoffman achieved all of his cultural goals and people started "behaving" better he still saved nobody. Not without the Gospel. Courage is living your life as prescribed by the bible not demanding others do. Complacency is accepting all of the false teachings out here today. Cowardice is in failing to admit that your love America first theology is entirely carnal and beyond doubt idolatry.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- July 11, 2018

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.