In 2021, MAGA evangelist Lance Wallnau proudly proclaimed himself to be a Christian nationalist and began urging former President Donald Trump to hold political rallies infused with right-wing Christianity. Such rallies would serve a dual purpose, Wallnau argued, by mobilizing conservative voters while also converting those voters into right-wing Christians.
As Wallnau sees it, a large percentage of Trump voters are nominal Christians who believe in God but don't necessarily live their everyday lives according to biblical principles. But if Trump could get these Americans to attend a political rally at which they were also exposed to the right-wing version of the Christian gospel, it could bring about a spiritual revival "that will shift permanently the political landscape of America," Wallnau proclaimed.
"I will take that [American] flag and lead them to the cross," Wallnau declared.
Last week, Wallnau and MAGA cultist Mario Murillo held a “Fire and Glory Tour” event in Colorado that was an attempt to merge a political rally with a spiritual revival. Filled with overt Christian nationalist rhetoric, the sessions during the day were generally dedicated to political issues while the evening sessions focused on spiritual issues.
During the event, Murillo announced that he and Wallnau were going to take their Fire and Glory Tour to battleground states leading up to the 2024 election because "there are a lot of people that love Trump but don't know Jesus."
"They're going to come to Fire and Glory because there's a practical answer for what's wrong with America," Murillo said. "Then, they're going to meet Jesus while they're there. Then, an army is going to rise up."
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During the event, Wallnau revealed that he and Murillo will soon be teaming up with America First Policy Institute—an organization filled with former Trump administration officials, advisers, and supporters that exists to carry on Trump's agenda and plot his return to the White House—to hold a spiritual revival/presidential forum.
In partnership with Turning Point USA—which has teamed up with multiple Christian nationalist activists and organizations in recent years—and the National Faith Advisory Board—an operation overseen by Trump spiritual adviser and former White House aide Paula White—Wallnau announced the AFPI will host an America First Revival and Presidential Forum in North Carolina in September.
"What would happen if the rallies became revivals?" Wallnau said during the event in Colorado. "What would happen if Jesus wasn't having to be hidden off in a corner with a bunch of nervous Christians? What if we came right up front and said, 'The only hope for America isn't political. I don't care who your candidate is, you need God!'"
"I'll bet you there's 20 million Republicans ready to come into the kingdom of God," he continued. "The low-hanging fruit is staring at us. You can get up there talking about Billy Graham and God bless America and can sing 'Amazing Grace,' they'll all join; they just don't know the gospel."
Wallnau said he urged the AFPI to start holding political rally/spiritual revival events and the organization agreed.
"It's our first experiment at inviting the Republican Party to a major event at a conference and, lo and behold, the gospel shows up," Wallnau celebrated.
In reality, this is hardly the “first experiment” in merging Republican politicking with Christian-right spiritual warfare, which describes plenty of Trump campaign events and “prayer rallies” held on his behalf, including the rally that fired up angry Trump activists on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Wallnau’s current scheme is one more piece of a wide-ranging effort by Christian nationalist activists to convince conservative Christians that America’s political process is a spiritual war between the forces of good and evil, and who are mobilizing to get Trump, who they believe was anointed by God to save America, back in the White House.
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