Palin and 'Prayer Warriors'

Remember the popular susurration that occurred during the 2008 election after people learned Rev. Muthee had laid hands on former Gov. Palin at her Wasilla church to protect her from witchcraft and demons? Well, apparently it's a more involved story than just witchcraft. In an extremely lengthy article and interview, an AlterNet contributor explores a successful, worldwide Christian spiritual action network that Muthee and Palin are both reportedly a part of, the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). An Alaska branch of the group figures prominently as the article names several major figures in the movement who have passed through Wasilla. According to the story, one chief goal of the NAR is to use prayer networks to conduct what it calls "spiritual warfare" against demons that have taken hold of individuals and whole societies. It also holds that members have a mandate to take control of "Seven Mountains of Culture," which are essentially a society's main institutions. In Africa at least, once the NAR overcomes the demons plaguing a town, its members move in to take over those seven mountains. In the U.S., the group has organized prayer actions against health-care reform and gained influence in political circles, as well as with other protestant churches. The article notes that the organization has been overlooked in the U.S. mainly because it arose within a large, disparate bloc of Protestant Christians, many of whom belong to non-denominational churches. Read more at AlterNet, here. We know many readers who belong to the religious or political right will immediately dismiss any article from AlterNet, but the article linked above is worth reading.