I noticed that, in the 2008 Election, there were a lot of Obama supporters taken aback when he made these stupid comments about how much he admired Reagan. It might have been pure BS ... something similar to Reagan's claim of being inspired by FDR. Or it might have been a clue that he didn't know the basic history of the New Deal and Reagan's role in dismantling it, and had little appreciation for economic issues, which he delegated to Larry Summers and Tim Geitner. Obama is a weak and ineffectual leader, who arrived at a time when he could have been the next FDR....if he was bold, he may not have had a chance at getting re-elected, but he had a mandate to make a difference....and he tried to play it safe down the middle and forgot all about the people who got him in the White House!
To me, present day America is starting to look like Weimar Republic Germany...just before you-know-who showed up as the charismatic leader to solve all of their problems. Unfortunately, I see a similar pattern developing, with America as an empire about to collapse under the load of accumulated debt, that will end up with Republican leaders that are so far to the right, that Ronald Reagan wouldn't even qualify for membership today, let alone as a candidate for the presidency!
I wish Rick Perry was someone who thought like Reagan! Reagan was somewhat of a pragmatist -- Perry is the new George Dubya Bush....but less intelligent and more belligerent.
Back in Reagan's time, he threw a few bones to the Religious Right -- did photo ops with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson...and mentioned God a few times in his speeches, but people are starting to look seriously at this new version of Dominionism that is working behind Governor Perry, after an expose by Rachel Maddow on the role an organization called the New Apostolic Reformation led Rick Perry's raindance and pray-for-rain rally back in August:
Meet The Radical Evangelical Army Behind Rick Perry read more: Rick Perry: The Evangelicals Behind The Response
These new evangelicals are part of the New Apostolic Reformation, an increasingly influential American Christian movement whose leaders consider themselves modern-day prophets and apostles. Many of the organizers for The Response are New Apostles, and the event's official endorser list reads like a roster of virtually everyone important to the movement.
In a
article for The Texas Observer, reporter Forest Wilder notes that the New Apostolic Reformation has been quietly expanding on the fringes of Christian fundamentalism since the 1990s. The New Apostles' beliefs which focus on Christian dominion and End Times are extreme, even for other conservative Christians.
As mainstream evangelical influence wanes, however, the New Apostolic Reformation is gaining broader acceptance among conservative Christians. The Response, whose endorsers also include more mainstream fundamentalists, is evidence of the New Apostles' emerging influence and of its leaders growing appetite for political power.
Here's what you need to know about the fastest-growing religious movement you've never heard of.
To achieve their goal of Christian dominion over the world, leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation are training a new generation of so-called "super-believers" to cleanse the world before the Second Coming.
This new breed of Christians known as
"Joel's Army" in the early days of the NAR movement is now commonly referred to as the
"Elijah Generation," or the "Elijah Revolution." NAR leaders refer to this youth movement in strikingly militant terms, referring to international missions as "military bases" and local churches as "armories."
The New Apostolic Reformation believes in a Christian dominion theology known as
Reclaiming the Seven Mountains, which seeks to put believers in control of the seven forces that shape society: Business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, family, and religion.
Infiltration of civilian government is key to fulfilling this mission:
Wagner, the top leader of the New Apostolic Reformation, prophesies that God will soon transfer wealth from the "ungodly" to the faithful.
"We can expect that God will release the wealth of the wicked that He has been promising to the righteous, large sums of wealth that will be used to bring about significant, measurable transformation,"
New Apostolic Reformation founder Wagner said in 2006.
In the New Apostolic Reformation, "Market Apostles" are charged with establishing Christian dominion over the "mountain" of business. Apostles are encouraged to combine their ministries with business and use
paid prayer intercessors to facilitate financial growth.
