Vance Boelter's possible NAR influences
Dominion Theology, spiritual warfare
My initial response to the murder of two Democrats in Minnesota in a politically motivated assassination was that it was an act of right-wing violence, which turned out to be correct, though in the immediate aftermath, there was some ambiguous information reported about the alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, which I acknowledged in an update to my initial post.
Before getting details, we should not forget the names of those he is accused of attacking.
• Melissa Hortman – Former Democratic Minnesota House Speaker (deceased)
• Mark Hortman – Husband of Melissa Hortman (deceased)
• John Hoffman – Democratic Minnesota State Senator (wounded)
• Yvette Hoffman – Wife of John Hoffman (wounded)
There is now credible information available that Boelter was a fellow traveler with the New Apostolic Reformation. I say fellow traveler because NAR is not a denomination. It’s not a formal organization. It’s a loose affiliation of purportedly charismatic evangelicals who have embedded politics (going against the teachings and example of Jesus) into their theology.
Most of the background on NAR I’m sharing comes from Matthew Taylor, a protestant scholar. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Georgetown University and an MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of a book on NAR that focuses on NAR’s role in the Jan. 6 riot/insurrection in the nation’s capital. He is the author of The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Reshaping Religion and Politics in the US. I’ll link to a related podcast series and a couple of his talks on YouTube in the comments.
The New Apostolic Reformation originated with the Latter Rain revival of the late 1940s and the charismatic renewal of the 1960s to 1980s. NAR was formally named and popularized by C. Peter Wagner, who described it as a major shift in church life and governance, emphasizing the restoration of modern-day apostles and prophets with authority over the church.
NAR teaches Dominion Theology, a doctrine with no basis in scripture. Basically, DT says that Christians should rule over all aspects of society, family, religion, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business. They believe in working strategically, or even bluntly – as we saw on Jan. 6 -- to gain total control of these seven pillars of society. They call it the “Seven Mountain Mandate.”
While it might not be fair to say every leader in NAR is a heretic, you will find among them prosperity gospel preachers, such as Paula White, purportedly Trump’s spiritual advisor and leader of this supposed anti-Christian bias task force in the White House.
NAR elevates some people -- or they elevate themselves-- to the status of apostles, even though this goes against scripture since none of these people saw Jesus alive on this earth. This includes Lance Wallnau, who was deeply involved in the events of Jan. 6.
NAR also believes in prophets of the kind who predict future events. Of course, these individuals are false prophets, and we know it because of their failures in prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:22). For example, Shawn Bolz prophesied that COVID-19 would pass quickly and that Trump would be re-elected in 2020. Kris Vallotton also predicted a Trump victory in 2020, as did Wallnau.
Dutch Sheets is another big name in NAR. He promoted the idea that Trump’s defeat was illegitimate and led prayer/prophecy tours to overturn the results, encouraging “spiritual warfare” to keep Trump in office.
How did all these people who were once fringe figures in Christianity become so close to Trump? TV addict Trump took note of Paula White on TV in Florida. He was having a hard time attracting more mainstream evangelicals to support him, so he turned to White for evangelical support, thinking she would open the door to bigger evangelical names. Instead, she introduced Trump to her associates in NAR.
A big part of NAR doctrine is spiritual warfare, but not of the kind you might have learned about in Sunday School. Instead of focusing on personal struggles with sin or temptation, NAR spiritual warfare is about battling what they see as demonic forces controlling entire cities, institutions, and even nations. This approach is far more aggressive and political than traditional spiritual warfare, often targeting other religions, secular institutions, and even specific communities for “deliverance” through coordinated spiritual campaigns. NAR leaders teach that Christians must identify, confront, and “drive out” these territorial or institutional demons through practices like prayer marches, “prayerwalking,” and large-scale rallies.
This is, again, a doctrine without scriptural support.
The Jan. 6 insurrectionists who had an affiliation with NAR believed they were fighting against actual demons in the police officers they encountered, according to Taylor. These beliefs were not metaphorical: NAR-aligned apostles and prophets described the struggle as a real-time battle against supernatural evil, urging followers to engage in “strategic-level spiritual warfare” to drive out demonic powers from the nation’s institutions and leadership.
It should be said, scripture warns against adding to God’s Word or claiming new revelation that contradicts the Bible (Proverbs 30:5–6, 2 Peter 1:16–21).
Here's what we know now about Vance Boelter.
He graduated from Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI) in Dallas in 1990, a Bible college that is widely recognized as a major hub for NAR teachings and leadership. Dutch Sheets is an alumnus.
Various sources have reported that Boelter presents himself as a devout Christian and holds “conservative” (I don’t consider MAGA conservative) political and religious views. Sources also tell reporters he attended Trump campaign events.
Boelter was registered as a Republican voter in Oklahoma in 2004, but Minnesota does not record party affiliation for voters, so there is no current official party registration for him in Minnesota. There is no evidence he was affiliated with the political left or was a DFL (Democratic-Farmer–Labor) Party member.
The Atlantic and other major outlets report that Boelter’s beliefs included elements of spiritual warfare and apocalyptic thinking.
Law enforcement and acquaintances describe his motive as a mix of political grievance, anti-government extremism, and conservative religious beliefs.
Taylor, who has analyzed Boelter’s sermons, states that while Boelter did not explicitly call for violence, his preaching and worldview were influenced by NAR theology—especially the emphasis on spiritual warfare and dominion over society and government.
Jan. 6 and Boelter – the connections: MAGA, NAR, spiritual warfare, dominion theology, political violence.
So why would Christians who truly wish to faithfully follow Jesus affiliate with movements that are doctrinally unsound and rooted in demonizing fellow image bearers, especially to the point of violence against them?
Sources:
Book: The Violent Take it By Force, https://icjs.org/the-violent-take-it-by-force/
Podcast: Charismatic Revival Fury, https://icjs.org/charismatic-revival-fury/
Minnesota shooting draws attention to Bible school with ties to Christian nationalists, https://religionnews.com/2025/06/17/christ-for-the-nations-institute-denounces-alleged-violent-acts-by-graduate-vance-boelter/
The Spiritual Warfare of Vance Boelter
An accused assassin’s religious convictions are not unusual in American life, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/minnesota-shooting-vance-boelter-religious-beliefs.html
The religious context of the Minnesota shootings, https://www.npr.org/2025/06/17/nx-s1-5436762/the-religious-context-of-the-minnesota-shootings
Wikipedia, Seven Mountain Mandate, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mountain_Mandate