Faith vs. Fascism: The Language That Could Save Democracy
Language shapes reality — and the words we use about our opponents can either protect democracy or incite its downfall.
The Spiritual Warfare That Becomes Political Radicalization
In a previous essay, I explored how the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) accuses others of occultism while secretly embracing many of the same practices — prophetic visions, ritual warfare, hidden councils, angelic communications.
But the deeper danger isn’t hypocrisy.
It’s how they use spiritual language to radicalize political followers — not as metaphor, but as a system of dehumanization.
The NAR doesn’t just say their opponents are wrong. They say we are demonic.
This isn't fringe theology. It’s radicalization wrapped in prayer language — and it’s already shaping American politics.
What Jesus Actually Modeled
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons (Mark 5:1–20). He doesn’t destroy the man. He restores him. The demons are cast out, but the man is healed and sent home with dignity.
The NAR — and the Christian nationalist movement it fuels — flips this completely.
Some people aren’t oppressed by demons, they say. They are the demons.
No healing. No restoration. No humanity.
Just elimination.
This Demon Talk Isn’t Metaphor…And It’s Not Fringe
Many Americans hear phrases like spiritual warfare and assume it’s symbolic. But for NAR leaders, it’s a literal framework for political conflict.
After the January 6th insurrection, Colorado dominionist Andrew Wommack told followers:
“We’re fighting against demonic powers, and you have to get violent, angry against the devil… Sometimes if a person is doing the devil’s bidding 100 percent, it may be impossible to separate the evil that is motivating that person from that person.”
— Colorado Newsline
Other examples:
Joe Oltmann, election denier and MAGA influencer tied to NAR circles, has publicly called for political opponents to be executed, including former President Biden — frequently invoking demonic language as justification.
Lance Wallnau preaches that Democrats are operating under the spirit of Jezebel — a codeword for demonic usurpers who must be destroyed, not debated, and that Harris “was the one the Devil was gonna try to use to take Trump out.”
In Colorado, dominionist preacher Andrew Wommack has led organized takeovers of school boards and city councils, proclaiming: “We are taking back territory from the demon-possessed left.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville said the 2024 election was “anti-American vs. American,” and that “There’s not one Democrat that can tell you they stand up for God.” He also declared on his Instagram that “@thedemocrats are a Satanic cult.
Cindy Jacobs, prophet, televangelist, and NAR influencer warns of "compromised churches” — i.e. any outside NAR’s purview — and demons influencing society at large.
Ché Ahn, NAR prophet and pastor of Harvest Rock Church, said, “I decree it by faith that Trump will win on November the 5th…. and Kamala Harris will be cast out,” using a term frequently found in both the NAR and some Bible translations in conjunction with demons.
Paula White, Televangelist and Senior Advisor to the Trump’s new White House Faith Office, famously summoned “angelic reinforcements from Africa and South America” to battle demonic opposition to Trump’s reelection.
The Radicalization Pipeline
Here's how spiritual rhetoric becomes political permission for violence:
Opponents are spiritually deceived.
Then compromised.
Then controlled by demons.
Then they are the demons.
And demons must be destroyed.
No human remains — just a vessel of evil to be purged.
The Gaslighting Loop
One of the most dangerous features of this theology is how opposition becomes proof of possession.
If you argue, you’re “manifesting.”
If you disagree, you’re “under spiritual attack.”
If you demand accountability, you’re “a tool of Satan.”
It’s spiritual gaslighting — and it leaves no room for dialogue, only escalation.
The more people push back, the more “spiritual warfare” these leaders claim to see. And the more warfare they see, the more violent their rhetoric becomes.
Yet if language can radicalize, it can also heal.
A New Tool to Interrupt the Cycle: The Dignity Index
In response to rising political contempt and dehumanization, Tim Shriver — chair of the Special Olympics and a longtime advocate for inclusion and peacebuilding — helped develop a powerful new tool: The Dignity Index.
Backed by research teams at the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Hinckley Institute of Politics, the Dignity Index scores public language on a scale from 1 (contempt) to 8 (dignity). Its goal: to interrupt the descent into division and violence by helping people recognize when our speech strips others of their humanity.
Instead of focusing on the speaker, the Dignity Index is a bipartisan tool that focuses on language itself — and how it influences culture, conflict, and community.
It scores public speech on a scale from 1 (contempt) to 8 (full dignity).
Think of it as a thermometer for democracy.
Level 1 language implies opponents aren’t even human — and that violence is justified.
Levels 7–8 emphasize shared humanity, curiosity, and mutual worth — even across disagreement.
This isn’t just civility. It’s political inoculation against dehumanization.
When people score candidates and public figures using dignity-based criteria, they begin to see how language escalates or defuses violence — often before the violence even starts.
Imagine if churches, political parties, or school boards used the Dignity Index as a standard.
Imagine if sermons were scored this way.
What We Can Do
If we care about democracy — or about the soul of our faith tradition — we can start here:
Learn how to recognize dehumanizing spiritual language.
Call out demon-talk, even when wrapped in “godly” packaging.
Share tools like the Dignity Index to shift public conversations toward peace.
Support leaders whose language includes, not incites.
Demand better from pulpits, politicians, and ourselves.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t a theological disagreement.
It’s a battle between language that restores humanity and language that prepares for violence.
Christian nationalists have perfected the art of weaponizing faith-based demonology to seize political power.
If we want to defend democracy — and protect one another — we must disarm their language, and replace it with something deeper, stronger, and more faithful:
Dignity.
Hello, Enthusiast! I’m a former military intelligence analyst turned nonprofit lifer—with two decades in housing, crisis response, recovery services, disability support, and mental health advocacy. The G.I. Bill funded my M.Div., which I used to study world religions and contemplative practice.
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