Last month, we noted that right-wing pseudo-historian David Barton plans to launch a "School of Practical Government" at Andrew Wommack's Charis Bible College in Colorado, which will be based heavily in Seven Mountains dominionism.
Seven Mountains theology teaches that conservative Christians are to take control of the seven primary institutions, or "mountains," that shape and control our culture — (1) Business; (2) Government; (3) Media; (4) Arts and Entertainment; (5) Education; (6) Family; and (7) Religion — and use them to implement biblical standards and spread the Gospel.
In a promotional video from the new school, Barton again specifically linked it to Seven Mountains theology, saying that Christians are commanded to take control of the Seven Mountains but have failed to do so when it comes to government, which is why he is launching a school of "practical" government to train people on how to do just that.
"The Charis School of Practical Government is designed to make a difference in the culture," Barton said. "It's designed to transform the culture, community by community and state by state. In Luke 16:8, Jesus lamented that the children of this world are wiser and more shrewd than the children of light. This shouldn't be. We have the wisdom of the scriptures and insight of the Spirit, so God's people, of all folks, should be shrewder and wiser than others and this is particularly true in the political arena. After all, Joseph was certainly head and shoulders above all the other political folks in his day, as was Daniel in his day and Nehemiah in his day and so many others in their day."
Explicitly citing the "major Christian teaching today about the Seven Mountains," Barton said that Christians are to be engaged in all seven of these areas in order to transform America into "what God wants it to be," especially government.
"After all, when God founded His nation of Israel," Barton stated, "He delivered to them a comprehensive code of 613 laws that covered every aspect of public policy, from criminal justice to education, from the military to immigration, from foreign policy to economics to taxes and everything in between. So the Bible definitely gives us much guidance in each of these areas, but too many Christians today that God is silent in the areas of government and public policy, but He is not."
It is worth remembering that Barton is not only an influential Republican activist but also runs one of the main super PACs supporting Ted Cruz.
