08/24/2026
Thought for Today, August 24, 2026
Revisiting the NAR: Part 1
Are the problems within the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) that we’ve discussed, real? Sadly, yes. But, what might happen if NAR leaders would repent? After all, biblically speaking, there aren’t that many things that we absolutely must agree about.
Part of the problem, as we will see in some of the following quotes, is that given how much of their writing is profoundly dismissive of, and at times outright hostile to, current non-NAR churches and church leaders, as well as those still worshipping in what they consider now outdated historical churches, coming along beside them seems impossible, at least under current circumstances. As we will see in future posts, they have provided themselves with a built-in system to deflect any and all criticism.
Yet there is one concept popularized within the NAR, that is something to take note of and even heed: the concept of the seven mountains of influence. At its core, but specifically only in its original concept, it has merit. Due to the NAR’s extreme views (to be covered in subsequent posts) about the seven mountains, we all too easily dismiss the concept.
The idea of the seven mountains of influence traces to a meeting between Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, and Loren Cunningham, of Youth with a Mission, two stellar Christian leaders, back in the mid-1970s. In prayer, prior to the meeting, the Holy Spirit revealed to both men the same thing: there were seven main areas of influence where godly impact was needed. These seven areas were (and are): government, education, media, arts and entertainment (including sports), education, business (including science and technology), and the church. Thus, the core idea of the seven mountains arises prior to the birth of the New Apostolic Reformation. That is the key.
As Christians, we do need to be actively involved in each of these areas. One of the things that the NAR tends to forget/neglect is that the Protestant Reformation brought about what became known as “the Protestant work ethic.” Unlike the situation under Roman Catholicism of the Middle Ages, all work was considered honorable. All work meant all work, not just those working inside the Church as was generally the case under Roman Catholicism. Regrettably, over the centuries that followed, that concept was often lost, and in our current secular culture even the idea of work is now largely absent.
Unfortunately, the NAR has twisted the original seven mountain concept, even supplanting the biblical gospel with a “seven mountain mandate.” Consider the most prolific writer on the seven mountains, the NAR recognized prophet Johnny Enlow. In his various writings, he states that “the salvation gospel” is incomplete, even of secondary importance, if that. Rather, bringing God’s kingdom to, and becoming the primary influencers of, those seven mountains is the true goal (the start of 1 Corinthians 15 says something quite different).
Worse, in his book “The Seven Mountain Renaissance,” page 61, he goes on to state, “Calvinism laid the foundation, through the doctrine of predestination, for blacks, Indians, and women to essentially be considered disposable.” He does admit to being 100% in the “freewill” camp, and as we saw a long time back, some in the 100% freewill camp consider Calvinism to be another gospel and therefore outright heresy (note: I’m not a Calvinist, but neither am I 100% free-will).
The difficulty with these types of outlandish false statements is that it causes one to reflexively reject core concepts that have genuine merit. Enlow also equates the Puritans to Islamic terrorists, due to Puritan excesses. There were Puritan excesses, but to compare the two is utterly astounding. In the end all it does is show Enlow’s own extremism.
None of this is biblically helpful. The NAR insists that unity must be achieved within the Church, albeit unity that is only possible under NAR headship. With these sorts of incendiary remarks, all that will result is increased rancor and division, particularly when key “prophets” are making these sorts of outlandish statements.
Consider God’s warning in 1 John 4:20 (NAU): “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Oh, that there would be true repentance within the NAR! As we will see in the next post, there are serious problems with how the NAR deals with the seven mountain mandate.