Sarah Palin’s Churches and The Third Wave New Apostolic Reformation

By Bruce Wilson from here

“Sarah Palin’s churches are actively involved in a resurgent movement that was declared heretical by the Assemblies of God in 1949. This is the same ‘Spiritual Warfare’ movement that was featured in the award winning movie, “Jesus Camp,” which showed young children being trained to do battle for the Lord. At least three of four of Palin’s churches are involved with major organizations and leaders of this movement, which is referred to as The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit or the New Apostolic Reformation. The movement is training a young “Joel’s Army” to take dominion over the United States and the world.

Along with her entire family, Sarah Palin was re-baptized at twelve at the Wasilla Assembly of God in Wasilla, Alaska and she attended the church from the time she was ten until 2002: over two and 1/2 decades. Sarah Palin’s extensive pattern of association with the Wasilla Assembly of God has continued nearly up to the day she was picked by Senator John McCain as a vice-presidential running mate. Palin’s dedication to the Wasilla church is indicated by a Saturday, September 7, 2008, McClatchy news service story detailing possibly improper use of state travel funds by Palin for a trip she made to Wasilla, Alaska to attend, on June 8, 2008, both a Wasilla Assembly of God “Masters Commission” graduation ceremony and also a multi-church Wasilla area event known as “One Lord Sunday.” At the latter event, Palin and Alaska LT Governor Scott Parnell were publicly blessed, onstage before an estimated crowd of 6,000, through the “laying on of hands” by Wasilla Assembly of God’s Head Pastor Ed Kalnins whose sermons espouse such theological concepts as the possession of geographic territories by demonic spirits and the inter-generational transmission of family “curses”. Palin has also been blessed, or “anointed,” by an African cleric, prominent in the Third Wave movement, who has repeatedly visited the Wasilla Assembly of God and claims to have effected positive, dramatic social change in a Kenyan town by driving out a “spirit of witchcraft.”

The Wasilla Assembly of God church is deeply involved with both Third Wave activities and theology. Their Master’s Commission program is part of an three year post-high school international training program with studies in prophecy, intercessory prayer, Biblical exegesis, authority and leadership. The pastor, Ed Kalnins, and Masters Commission students have traveled to South Carolina to participate in a “prophetic conference” at Morningstar Ministries, one of the major ministries of the Third Wave movement. Becky Fischer was a pastor at Morningstar prior to being featured in the movie “Jesus Camp.” The head of prophecy at Morningstar, Steve Thompson, is currently scheduled to do a prophecy seminar at the Wasilla Assembly of God. Other major leaders in the movement have also traveled to Wasilla to visit and speak at the church.

The Third Wave is a revival of the theology of the Latter Rain tent revivals of the 1950s and 1960s led by William Branham and others. It is based on the idea that in the end times there will be an outpouring of supernatural powers on a group of Christians that will take authority over the existing church and the world. The believing Christians of the world will be reorganized under the Fivefold Ministry and the church restructured under the authority of Prophets and Apostles and others anointed by God. The young generation will form “Joel’s Army” to rise up and battle evil and retake the earth for God.

While segments of this belief system have been a part of Pentecostalism and charismatic beliefs for decades, the excesses of this movement were declared a heresy in 1949 by the General Council of the Assemblies of God, and again condemned through Resolution 16 in 2000. The beliefs and manifestations of the movement include the use of ’strategic level spiritual warfare’ to expel territorial demons from American and world cities. Worship includes excessive charismatic manifestations such as hundreds of people falling, ’slain in the spirit,’ and congregations laughing, jerking, and shrieking uncontrollably.

In early 2008 an outbreak of those phenomena commenced at the palatial former ministry estate of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, recently bought up and restored by prominent Third Wave author and leader Rick Joyner’s Morningstar Ministries. The (spiritual) “breakout” lasted for many weeks and was publicized in an extensive collection of video footage available on YouTube. Healing services in the Third Wave movement claim to heal the sick and injured through methods that in some cases can appear bizarre – including, as in recent cases involving Todd Bentley, the patient being head butted or kicked by the anointed healer. Recipients of such “spiritual” or miraculous healing make a wide range of astonishing claims – to have been cured of life-threatening illnesses, had joints repaired or replaced, been given gold teeth or gold fillings, regrown stunted limbs and even had deformed skeletal structures straightened and reshaped. Worldwide mission efforts of the movement are built around the idea of combating witches, warlocks, and generational curses, which prevent churches from being able to take root.

Thomas Muthee visited Wasilla Assembly of God and gave 10 consecutive sermons at the church, from October 11-16 2005. As both Palin and Wasilla AoG Head Pastor Ed Kalnins have attested, Thomas Muthee ‘prayed over’ Sarah Palin and entreated God to “make a way” prior to Palin’s successful bid for the Alaska governorship. Muthee made a return visit to the Wasilla Assembly of God in late 2008. Thomas Muthee’s Word of Faith Church is featured in the “Transformations” video which details an account on how Muthee drove “the spirit of witchcraft” out of Kiambu, Kenya, liberating the town from its territorial demonic possession and enabling a miraculous societal transformation. The “Transformations” video set is used as an argument for social improvement through spiritual instead of human means, and as the best method for fighting corruption, crime, drugs and even environmental degradation.

In the video, producer George Otis declares that after Thomas Muthee and his followers banished the “spirit of witchcraft” from the town, the crime rate in Kiambu dropped almost to zero, along with the rate of alcoholism, and according to Otis most of the residents of the town joined churches. The “Transformations” video has helped spark a network of ‘Transformation’ ministries and mission organizations and ‘transformation’ has become a buzz word for change based on supernatural instead of human efforts.

The Third Wave, also known as the New Apostolic Reformation, is a network of Apostles, many of them grouped around C. Peter Wagner, founder of the World Prayer Center. This center, which was built in coordination with Ted Haggard and his New Life Church in Colorado Springs, was featured in an article by Jeff Sharlet in Harpers, May 2005, “Soldiers of Christ.” Sharlet was one of the first to write in the secular press about the World Prayer Center which is often referred to by those familiar with the Third Wave as the ‘Pentagon for Spiritual Warfare.’ It features computer systems that store the data of communities around the world, mapping out unsaved peoples’ groups and spiritual mapping information for spiritual warfare. Wagner has his own group of about 500 Apostles in his council and each of these Apostles has ministries under their authority, sometimes hundreds or thousands. Recently various networks of Apostles came together to form the Revival Alliance. Leaders of the Revival Alliance including Rick Joyner of Morningstar anointed Todd Bentley whose Lakeland Healing Revival has recently been a controversial topic in the Evangelical world.

Wagner’s top leaders often conduct spiritual warfare campaigns against the demons that block the acceptance of their brand of Christian belief, such as ‘Operation Ice Castle’ in the Himalayas in 1997. Several of their top prophets and generals of intercession spent weeks in intensive prayer to “confront the Queen of Heaven.” This queen is considered by them to be one of the most powerful demons over the earth and is the Great Harlot of Mystery Babylon in Revelation. (The “Great Harlot [or 'whore'] of Mystery Babylon” theme also figures prominently in the sermons of Texas megachurch pastor and Christians United For Israel founder John Hagee, former endorser of John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid.) Wagner and his group also claim that the Queen of Heaven is Diana, the pagan god of the biblical book Ephesians and the god of Mary veneration in the Roman Catholic Church. Following the ‘Operation Ice Castle’ prayer excursion which included planting a flag for Jesus on Mt. Everest, one of the lead prayer intercessors from the excursion, Ana Mendez, reported that there had been dramatic results including, “millions have come to faith in Asia… and other things happened which I believe are also connected…an earthquake had destroyed the basilica of Assisi, where the Pope had called a meeting of all world religions; a hurricane destroyed the infamous temple ‘Baal-Christ’ in Acapulco, Mexico; the Princes Diana died… and Mother Theresa died in India, one of the most famous advocates of Mary as Co-Redeemer.”

Mike Rose, senior pastor of Juneau Christian Center has a long relationship with Rodney Howard -Browne, credited with being the instigator of the outbreak of ‘Holy Laughter’ around the world, including the Toronto Airport Revival.

Church of the Rock, led by Senior Pastor David Pepper, has taken their youth to participate in ‘The Call, Nashville.’ This event is held at various locations around the country under the leadership of Lou Engle, also featured in the movie “Jesus Camp.” At these events youth are worked into a frenzy of anger and consternation at supposed national moral corruption. Engle, who shuffles while he preaches in imitation of Jewish prayer, is featured toward the end of the “Jesus Camp” video documentary.

The Third Wave movement is cross-denomination and is not synonymous with any specific denomination, nor is it synonymous with Evangelical or Fundamentalist. Although the movement emerged from Pentecostalism, it draws its support from a variety of denominations and religious streams. They believe they are forming a post-denominational church to take the world for the end times. To date, all of the writing and objections to this movement have emerged from other Evangelicals and Fundamentalists who believe the movement to be unbiblical. Also, it is other conservative churches that refuse to embrace the ‘outpouring of the Spirit’ that are targets of much of the anger of the movement.

You can find more information on the Third Wave movement and additional links to the activities of Palin’s churches on www.Talk2action.org in the following articles:

Sarah Palin’s Churches and the Third Wave, Part One

Sarah Palin’s Churches and the Third Wave, Part Two (with embedded video.)

The video is also posted here.

Documentation of the Video and Supporting Articles
Sarah Palin’s Churches and the Third Wave
Also posted as Palin’s Demon Haunted Churches

Video Clips
(Note that all video clips are taken from original sources or sources promoting and supporting the Third Wave/New Apostolic Reformation.)

Bishop Thomas Muthee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBvxWl7jXr0
Transformations I, Trailer
George Otis, Sentinel Group

Morningstar Ministries clips including cellphone anointing, portal to Jesus
http://www.prophetic.tv/morningstar/
Holy Spirit Breakout Day # 1 and 2, Day #9, and Week #15
On Prophetic TV, Morningstar Ministries full Breakout series

Wasilla Master’s Commission
http://www.mcwasillaalaska.com/
Main website with links to Master’s Commission, Master’s Commission videos and photos

Wasilla AoG bulletin graphics, Wasilla AoG sermons, Wasilla AoG videos
http://www.wasillaag.org/
Wasilla Assembly of God main site clips used:

Music repeated in video and sermon with chants of `Jesus, Jesus’
Wasilla AoG sermon by Pastor Todd Stafford, “In Desperate Times”, January 15, 2007.

Master’s Commission Graduation Ceremony, June 8, 2008
Sarah Palin giving Master’s Commission speech
Posted on the Wasilla AoG site on June 8, 2008

Anointing of Leaders from auxiliary site
http://app.razorplanet.com/acct/40149-8554/tmpl/index.php?s=gl&am p;nid=53521&preview=true
From Wasilla AoG links to site

Quote about demonic strongholds and generational curses
Ed Kalnins, sermon, September 26, 2004
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:gF16SYYnXC0J:www.wasillaag.n et/2004.html+Kalnins,Canaanite&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1& ;gl=us

Lou Engle, Rick Joyner from Underground
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7sSZ7Ux3Hg
Underground by www.underthethreshold
Production of Brian Wages, Music/Art Director, Oakleaf Christian Fellowship

Photos at Our Hand at Youth Conference 2008
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile& amp;friendID=49580719
Photos posted on site of Wasilla AoG staff member, Buster Barlow

`One Lord Sunday’
http://gov.state.ak.us/large_photo.php?id=153
Event photos from Wasilla AoG posted on Alaska State Government website

____

Supplemental Documentation
(Hundreds of sources have been used in this research. Following is list of websites of featured organizations and a selection of previously published articles and books used as sources.)

Bishop Thomas Muthee

http://www.wofchurchke.org/
Word of Faith Church, Muthee’s ministry in Kenya

http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:3z9krIjeCUcJ:www.charismamag. com/display.php%3Fid%3D786+Thomas+Muthee+witch&hl=en&ct=c lnk&cd=5&gl=us
Charisma Magazine, January 2001, Strang Publishing

http://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0923/p15s1.html
Muthee’s story in Christian Science Monitor,
Also includes information on George Otis, Sentinel Group and Transformations videos

“C. Peter Wagner, head of Global Harvest Ministries in Colorado Springs, Colo., is in the vanguard of the movement. He defines three levels of spiritual warfare: “Ground-level” involves casting demons out of individuals; “occult-level warfare” involves more organized “powers of darkness” [They target here New Age thought, Tibetan Buddhism, Freemasonry, etc.]; and “strategic-level warfare” directly “confronts ‘territorial spirits’ assigned by Satan to coordinate activities over a geographical area.”

Transformations Videos, George Otis, Sentinel Group

http://www.sentinelgroup.org/
Sentinel Group website

http://www.sentinelgroup.org/vsg2001.asp
Transformations video marketing

http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/15_4_PDFs/ijfm_15_4.pdf
George Otis article, Recognizing and Defeating the Powers of Darkness
International Journal of Frontier Missions, Vol. 15:4, Oct – Dec. 98
Pp 183 – 192

Morningstar Ministries

http://www.morningstarministries.org/
Morningstar Ministries website

http://www.morningstarministries.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=10000296 27
Holy Spirit Breakout site with links

http://www.prophetic.tv/morningstar/
Holy Spirit Breakout links for all sessions

http://www.morningstarministries.org/Groups/1000012510/MorningSta r_Ministries/Councils
link to ministries including CSCL

http://www.morningstarministries.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=10000125 10#CSCL
Link to Comenius School of Creative Learning

http://www.prophetic.tv/morningstar/index.php?p=2
Access to Holy Spirit Breakout videos

http://www.morningstarministries.org/PaymentGroup/Registration.as px?payment_group_id=1000000639
Worship and Warfare Conference, September 22 – 24, 2008

http://www.morningstarministries.org/Groups/1000017258/MorningSta r_Ministries/MSU.aspx
Morningstar University, Releasing a Supernatural Army to Transform the World

Lou Engle, The Call

http://www.louengle.com/
Lou Engle ministries site including The Call and Justice House of Prayer

http://www.thecall.com/
The Call

http://www.thecall.com/Groups/1000029166/TheCall/About/Advisory_T eam.aspx
The Call advisory board and promo video for upcoming event

http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/
Jesus Camp, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, Magnolia, 2007

New Apostolic Reformation
C. Peter Wagner, Global Harvest Ministries, World Prayer Center

http://jeffsharlet.com/articles/soldiers_of_christ.pdf
Soldiers of Christ, Harpers, May 2005

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/may/2.36.html
Prayer Warriors, Christianity Today, May 2003

http://www.globalharvest.org/index.asp?action=newapostolic
C. Peter Wagner’s Global Harvest Ministry, ministry website archive
Summary of book Churchquake explaining the purpose of New Apostolic Reformation
Wagner describes how he named the movement and how they will change the church.

“The majority of the new apostolic churches not only believe in the work of the Holy Spirit, but they also regularly invite Him to come into their midst to bring supernatural power. It is commonplace, therefore, to observe active ministries of healing, demonic deliverance, spiritual warfare, prophecy, falling in the Spirit, spiritual mapping, prophetic acts, fervent intercession and travail, and so on in new apostolic churches”.

https://kidsinministry.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=107&Itemid=93 Website for ministry of Becky Fischer, minister featured in the movie, Jesus Camp
Kids in Ministry International

http://www.generals.org/
Generals of Intercession, ministry of Cindy Jacobs
General Council of Assemblies of God

http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_endtime_revival.cfm

Response to Resolution 16, Adopted by General Presbyter, August 11, 2000

Spiritual Warfare, Spiritual Mapping

-C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Powers (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996)

-C. Peter Wagner, Confronting the Queen of Heaven ( Colorado Springs, Colorado, Wagner Publication, 1998, 2001

-C, Peter Wagner, editor, Praying Through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window (Seattle, WA, YWAM Publishing, 1994)

-Cindy Jacobs, Possessing the Gates of the Enemy: A Training Manual for Militant Intercession (Grand Rapids, MI Chosen Publishers, , 1994)

-Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds (Arrow Publishers, Division of Frangipane, Inc., 1996)

-Steve Thompson, You May All Prophecy (Shippensburg, PA , Destiny Image Publishers, , 2003)

-Rick Joyner, The Final Quest (, New Kensington, PA ,Whitaker House, 1997)

-Rick Joyner, The Torch and the Sword (Charlotte NC, Morningstar Publications and Ministries, 2006)

http://www.lausanne.org/nairobi-2000/overview.html
Deliver Us From Evil Consultation
The Lausanne Movement, Consultation on Spiritual Warfare

http://www.lausanne.org/nairobi-2000/documents.html
documents from Deliver Us from Evil,Lausanne Consultation

http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1997i/Hart.html
The Gospel and Spiritual Warfare: A Review of Peter Wagner’s “Confronting the Powers”Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Spring 1997 — Volume 10:18

http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/dissertations/2008-0710-20070 6/holvast.pdf
Spiritual Mapping: The Turbulent Career of a Contested American Missionary Paradigm, 1989 – 2005
De Turbulente Carriere van een Omstreden Americkaans Zendingsparadigma, 1989 – 2005
Rene Holvast
Universeit Utrecht
Doctoral Thesis , July 11, 1008

http://books.google.com/books?id=ulsXtyX7JY4C&dq=occult-level +warfare&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
Discerning the Spirit(s): A Pentecostal-charismatic Contribution to Christian Theology of Religions
By Amos Yong
Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000
ISBN 1841271330, 9781841271330
392 pages

http://books.google.com/books?id=rixQ7tW0ZBQC&dq=%22covering+ theology%22&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
Spiritual Warfare: A Struggle for Truth
By Russell Sharrock
Published by Lulu.com, 2007
ISBN 184753094X, 9781847530943
408 pages

http://blogs.salon.com/0003494/stories/2004/10/31/christianitySpi ritualWarfareAndSatanicPanic.html
Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion
Compilation of articles on Spiritual Warfare and Satanic Panic

Master’s Commission and Curriculum

http://www.mcin.org/modules.php?name=MC_Info

http://www.transformingmelbourne.org/au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=122:the-ana-mendez-story&catid=54:testimonies&Itemid=74 Master’s Commission International

http://icitc.org/
France Frangipane, In Christ Image Training materials

http://app.razorplanet.com/acct/40149-8554/tmpl/index.php?s=au&am p;nid=3731&news_id=759&null=0
Frangipane teaching notes on Wasilla site

http://frangipane.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pag ename=FaithHighway/Globals/DisplayTextMessage&PROJECTPATH=100 00/1000/728&sermonid=textsermon_1218730599145&customerTyp eLabel=Weekly&sermontitle=Elijah,%20Jehu,%20and%20the%20War%2 0Against%20Jezebel
Frances Frangipane Articles
We must stop living for comfort as long as her harlotries and witchcrafts are so many in our land. We must refuse to settle for a false peace based on compromise and fear, especially when the Spirit of God is calling for war!

General History

http://books.google.com/books?id=QYpD4CEqgrUC&dq=george+warno ck+latter+rain&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
Spirit of the Last Days: Pentecostal Eschatology in Conversation with Jürgen Moltmann
By Peter Althouse
Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003
ISBN 0826466850, 9780826466853

http://books.google.com/books?id=syUupeVJOz4C&dq=george+warno ck+latter+rain&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0
Encyclopedia of evangelicalism
By Randall Herbert Balmer
Published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2002
ISBN 0664224091, 9780664224097
654 pages
Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Holiness Church expelled Latter Rain leaders from the Church”