Vance appears at conference hosted by preacher who says Harris is possessed by the devil

Over the weekend, Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance was a featured speaker at a conference, the Courage Tour, hosted by radical preacher Lance Wallnau. In a September 19 appearance on "FlashPoint," Wallnau said that he was shown by God that "Kamala Harris was the one the devil was going to use to push through the White House." According to Wallnau, he had a "vision from the Lord" that a Harris presidency is "how the devil intends to bring in the destruction of this country." Wallnau said the Courage Tour, with stops in key swing states, is an effort by God to stop Harris and the devil. 

At the conference, Wallnau described himself as a "Christian patriot," not a "Christian nationalist," because the latter term was "contrived by the left to create a negative brand image." But, during the conference, Wallnau used "Christian nationalism" and "Christian patriotism" interchangeably. "Yes, I am a Christian nationalist," Wallnau said in a 2021 Facebook video, "I will take the flag that God gave us with his blessed freedom and blessed government and blessed nation. And I will take that flag and lead them to the cross." 

Three years ago, Wallnau described his plan to use Jesus to restore Trump to power. "If we can get the gospel to the rallies, in the name of Jesus, I’m praying that Donald Trump will entertain this idea," Wallnau said. "Because when those 30 million low hanging fruit, souls, come to Jesus—that love America and realize without a move of God, without an awakening, without divine intervention, we’re sunk because we’re up against the beast that is far better entrenched in the high places than we are—if we can get that 30 million out there, if we can get 20 million out there, my God, you have any idea how that will shift permanently the political landscape of America?"

The Courage Tour is how Wallnau is executing this strategy. In a presentation shortly before Vance's town hall, Wallnau suggested America was faced with a choice between anarchy, a Satanic agenda channeled through Democrats, and embracing Christianity under Trump's leadership.

This was a theme throughout the weekend. On Friday, right-wing author and media personality Bill Federer said "the left" was pursuing a "satanist theocracy." 

Right after Vance's appearance, there was a presentation detailing how Christians who believe Trump's lies about election fraud can become paid election workers "in 4 easy steps." Joshua Standifer, founder of the Lion of Judah, said that participants can "monitor polling stations for suspicious activity," and when "they kick all the volunteers out, you can be on the inside making a difference." Standifer described this as a "Trojan Horse" strategy.

The Courage Tour is a window into a powerful right-wing religious ideology with close connections to the Trump campaign. 

Wallnau's theology

During the Courage Tour, Wallnau and other speakers use many terms to describe themselves and their religious movement: “evangelical,” “pentecostal,” “charismatic,” “revivalist,” “prophetic.” One term that is never used is “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR).

But the Courage Tour and Wallnau are part of this fast-growing and increasingly influential conservative evangelical movement.

According to Matthew D. Taylor, a senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies and an expert on the NAR, the movement was founded by C. Peter Wagner, an evangelical teacher and pastor, in the 1990s. Importantly, the NAR is not a denomination and does not have the formal organization and hierarchy.

“The New Apostolic Reformation is built around networks,” Taylor explained in an interview with Popular Information. “[They are] peer to peer networks of leaders who identify as apostles and prophets and who also understand themselves to be generals of spiritual warfare whose mandate from God is to lead the church into victory over the forces of Satan.”

Apostles are the highest spiritual leaders in the NAR, overseeing networks of prophets, churches, and other organizations. They are the leaders of what NAR thinkers call a “five-fold ministry” made up of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Individuals within the NAR feel that they are called by God to inhabit one of these roles and given spiritual gifts to fulfill them, such as healing and speaking in tongues.

According to Taylor, Wallnau is one of the most important figures in the NAR and was instrumental in forging the political aspect of its theology. It wasn’t until C. Peter Wagner met Lance Wallnau in 2001 that the movement began to turn its focus to the world outside the church. By then Wallnau had become the leading theorist behind the “seven mountain mandate,” a Christian-nationalist political theory asserting that Christians should seek dominion over seven key areas: religion, business, government, education, media, entertainment, and family. 

At the Pennsylvania Courage Tour event, Wallnau insisted that the seven mountains mandate is only about influence in each sphere, not about control. According to Wallnau, the media only calls him a "dominionist" to discredit him.

But in Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate, a book Wallnau published in 2013 with other NAR thinkers, he described the mandate in terms of a spiritual battle with existential consequences for Christians. He wrote, “It will require nothing less than the government of God to dispossess and occupy the territory dominated by the gates of hell."

Wallnau's role in Trump's political machine

Wallnau's connection to Trump extends far beyond Vance's participation in the Courage Tour.

Wallnau recalled in one speech over the weekend how he had been included in a meeting of evangelical leaders at Trump Tower in New York in the early days of Trump’s 2016 campaign. He also reminded the audience that he had been one of the first prophets to predict Trump’s victory that year.

According to Taylor, Wallnau and other NAR leaders played a key role in the build up to the January 6, 2021 insurrection. They held events in swing states throughout the election season, similar to the Courage Tour, promoting the idea that Donald Trump was God’s chosen candidate. Speakers at these events not only included NAR leaders like Wallnau, but also right-wing conspiracists like Alex Jones and Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers. Rhodes is currently serving 18 years in prison for his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

These NAR events in 2020 mobilized Christian election-deniers, Taylor said, and provided networking opportunities for future insurrectionists. Wallnau and other NAR leaders were present at the rally that preceded the insurrection, but did not enter the capitol building themselves.

In 2024, Wallnau has partnered with two organizations closely aligned with Trump, Turning Point and the America First Policy Institute (AFPI). Turning Point, led by right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, is training and deploying thousands of volunteers on behalf of the Trump campaign across battleground states. AFPI is a conservative think-tank led by former Trump cabinet members and senior members of his transition team.

What Wallnau is selling

In addition to preaching about the importance of thwarting the influence of Satan and seizing political power, Wallnau — like Trump — hawks dubious products to his growing following. 

In 2020, Wallnau appeared on the Jim Bakker show to sell a $45 Trump branded coin. He told the audience that the coin was a “point of contact” so that their prayers for Trump could be combined with those of other Christians and their power multiplied. (Jim Bakker is a televangelist preacher who lost much of his following in 1987 after paying a secretary to cover-up an alleged rape and went to prison for five years on accounting fraud charges.)

Over the weekend, the Courage Tour was selling a much more expensive product: stem cell therapy. Although stem cell therapy can be a legitimate treatment, it was repeatedly promoted at the Courage Tour as a near-instantaneous solution for many ailments. Wallnau has lauded stem cell therapy by Level 10 Matrix as "the ultimate fountain of youth" and is the author of an ebook promoting the company.

Wallnau described Level 10 Matrix as a "ministry." Pastor Shirley Mitchell Williams was repeatedly featured on the Courage Tour stage to promote the company. “This is an opportunity where we are seeing the natural and the supernatural converge,” Williams told the audience on Saturday afternoon. She went on to describe several people being miraculously healed, including one man who was cured of hearing loss by the time he got home from the clinic. (According to the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, stem cell treatment for hearing loss can take between 90 days and two years to take effect.)

Was there any scientific basis for Williams' claims? She said not to worry about it and to reject medical diagnoses entirely. “Mind you, this is not to ‘treat’ or ‘cure’ any ‘disease,’” Williams said. “Do you know that you’re not your diagnosis? Hallelujah…. And if somebody tries to come and tell you you’ve got something, just reject it.”

According to Williams, each treatment costs $3,500 to $6,500 and "could be what you have been praying for.” For some treatments, Level 10 Matrix recommends more than one session. Wallnau’s role with Level 10 Matrix is unclear and the company has a minimal online footprint.