Nevin Kallepalli                                                                               

UC Berkeley California Local Reporting Fellow at Shasta Scout.




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How Bethel Church Leverages the Power of “Prophecy” To Influence PoliticsTHE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MEGACHURCH IS PART OF A MOVEMENT THAT’S BECOME KNOWN AS THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION. AT THE CHURCH’S ANNUAL SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS CONFERENCE, ATTENDEES PAID HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO HEAR FROM GOD TO CREATE POLITICAL CHANGE.
    Shasta Scout

    Bethel’s hands-on approach to steering politics is one of the features that aligns the Church with a growing and influential revivalist movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation. Churches identified by religious scholars as part of the NAR movement, share a common goal of uniting the nation under a religiously-motivated doctrine known as the Seven Mountains Mandate. Each “mountain” represents a pillar of society that observant Christians should take an active role in shaping, including the areas of government; religion; media; business; education; family; arts and entertainment. While it qualifies as a church under tax law, Bethel is more than a religious institution. From Bethel’s educational institutes and media channels to its outsized role in city politics, the Church’s sprawling enterprise has already begun to create a blueprint for what a Seven Mountains future might look like.