“A Curious Record Of The Visions Of A Drug Addict” - George Bernard Shaw
Who knew?
We’ll admit, we were halfway stumped.
Halfway…
‘Cause, truth be told, we were searching for something else (to which we will return in a few paragraphs), when we discovered “peak bagging.” It only made sense – at least the phrase did. At our ages and having lived most of our lives at sea level, peak bagging is something we will never attempt.
In the world of peak bagging, the granddaddy (emphasis on grand) of ‘em all is Oklahoma-born, Texas-reared and Yale University graduate when he was only twenty years old is Richard Bass – the world’s first super peak bagger.
A Korean War era U.S. Navy vet (aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Essex), he was running the family oil and gas business and ranching operation in Texas when he and Frank Wells, future president of The Walt Disney Company, climbed to the highest peaks of six of the world’s seven continents – Denali (Mount McKinley, at the time), North America; Aconcagua, South America; Mount Elbrus, Europe; Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa; Vinson Massif, Antarctica; and Mount Kosciuszka, Australia. On April 30, 1985, Bass and his guide – sans Wells - conquered Mount Everest, Asia. Simultaneously, Bass became the (then) oldest person to conquer Everest and the first to complete the Seven Summits Challenge.
[If you noted that Australia wasn’t on the list, you’re right. We have no idea why, except that Australia, while a continent, is the smallest, lowest, flattest and (after Antarctica) driest continent on earth. Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko tops out at 7,310 feet – barely a mid-afternoon stroll for Seven Summits folks.]
Peak baggers set goals – highest in a state, or on a continent, or along a range (You get the picture.) – and “bag ‘em.”
While we admit that mountains are involved, we caution that those pursuing the Seven Mountains Mandate aren’t concerned with peaks, except, perhaps, those of political power, (dare we use the word?) coercion, and re-making America in the image of their (undemocratic, male-controlled, racist, xenophobic, and “evangelical”) image.
Dating to the mid-1970s, the Seven Mountain Mandate is an ideology/theology – ideological theology - that preaches that God has commissioned followers to instill Christian values across seven critical societal pillars: religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business in order to facilitate the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Somewhat contradictorily, supporters maintain that their mission is not about domination but about bettering society.
Bill Bright (1921-2003), who founded the nondenominational Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as “Cru” – an advertising technique: Hide your real identity and purpose under a name no one understands) and Loren Cunningham (1935-2023) based their “mandate” on two very specific passages of the Judeo-Christian scriptures:
In Genesis 1:28, God tells Adam to “fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
In Chapter 17 of the Book of Revelations (“Apocalypse”), the author has a vision of a beast with seven heads. Upon the beast rides a woman representing Babylon. Verse 9 reads, “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.”
First, a similar “subdue… (and)… rule” command does not appear in the Genesis 2 account of creation, including the creation of human beings. Despite traditionalists’ claims that Genesis was the work of Moses (c 1450-1499 BCE), modern scholarship indicates that Genesis was actually composed – from oral and written traditions - by a number of different authors (or groups of authors) – Yahwist, Elohist and priestly sources - and over centuries, ending around the sixth century BCE.
Second, no one – and we mean no one – can offer an absolutely certain interpretation of Revelations or the seventeenth chapter. The individual casually reading the last “book” of the New Testament (although we can’t imagine a reason for “casually” reading Apocalypse) will appreciate George Bernard Shaw’s description of the text as “a curious record of the visions of a drug addict.”
With the exception of some parts of the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Scriptures, Revelations has no literary parallel in the Old or New Testament.
Interviewed recently on the podcast “Jesuitical,” sponsored by America: the Jesuit Review, St. John’s University (Collegeville, Minnesota) School of Theology and Seminary professor Micah Kiel makes the point that, in large measure, Revelations is about condemning empires – specifically the Roman Empire – and the practice of making a god of the emperor. [The Kiel interview is available at https://www.americamagazine.org/podcasts/2025/10/31/jesuitical-revelation-apocalypse/]
Kiel notes that Revelations is not about the future – or foretelling the political developments of the twenty-first century; it is about grappling with the problems of the moment in which it was written – the late first century CE – and finding solace and hope in the idea that God is in charge of the Universe. It was – for its originally intended audience – a call for total commitment to their Christian vocation rather than to the Empire, the emperor or the dominant culture.
Some point to various phrases within the overall text as referring to the Empire and its emperors – past, present and the last one to come; or the Roman Catholic Church; perhaps the ecumenical movement of the twentieth century, or evil in general. Ultimately, interpreting Revelations 17 is akin to deciphering a seventy-line first century parchment on which only every fifth line is recoverable. We’ll never fully understand precisely what the author(s) meant.
Here's where things get complicated – sorta like Russian nesting dolls.
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), is a charismatic form of Pentecostalism, a fundamentalist Christian belief that God directly interacts with His followers through the Holy Spirit. The NAR focuses on the power God gives to his followers as His (God’s) “apostles.” Emphasis is placed on spiritual leaders as miracle workers and combating Satan, who is actively engaged in a spiritual war for the souls of humanity.
The Mandate incorporates Dominionism, a set of extreme beliefs that aims to establish a nation governed by Christians who base their laws and policies on their interpretations of “biblical law.”
Dominionism has three primary characteristics:
The theocratic idea that Christians are called by God to exercise dominion over every aspect of society by taking control of political and cultural institutions including government and public education, and eliminating rights related to bodily autonomy.
The promotion of religious supremacy, insofar as it does not respect the equality of other religions or even any version of Christianity except their own; the Ten Commandments are the foundation of their idea of the biblical law that must form the basis of all American law; the Constitution merely serves as a tool for implementing biblical principles.
Dominionism is the underlying ideology, providing an outline – an agenda – for christian nationalism.
The Mandate founders claim God inspired them to create a list of seven spheres of society (“pillars”) – religion and the church, family, government, education, arts/entertainment/sports, the media, and economics including business, science, and technology. According to Mandate philosophy, by infusing Christian values into these seven pillars, followers will bring about the “Second Coming” of Jesus Christ – and hasten the realization of the phrase from Jesus “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
C. Peter Wagner (1930-2016) was critical in spreading the message of the NAR; trained at Princeton Theological Seminary and with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, he urged “Christians” to take authoritative control of cultural institutions and was critical in the development of “dominion theology,” calling for spiritual warfare so that God’s kingdom would become manifested “on earth as it is in heaven.”
In recent years, advocates of the SMM have adopted a spiritual militancy that blurs the lines between faith and authoritarianism, promoting “dominion” over society in the name of spiritual warfare. SMM and Dominionism advocate for reshaping the United States (and the world) according to their vision of God’s will. NOTE: Their vision….
Writing in The Conversation (“What is the Seven Mountain Mandate and how is it linked to political extremism in the US?” July 8, 2025) Art Jipson noted that Bill Johnson, leader of the California-based Bethel Church (a charismatic megachurch that broke away from the Assemblies of God) and self-described “prophet” and Seven Mountains preacher Johnny Enlow took
“…the original idea of the Seven Mountains Mandate and reshaped it into a more aggressive, political and spiritually militant approach. Spiritual militancy reflects an aggressive, us-vs.-them mindset that blurs the line between faith and authoritarianism, promoting dominion over society in the name of spiritual warfare.”
It is this approach to “spiritual warfare”- seeing the world as a battle between divine truth as determined by their understanding of Sacred Scripture and demonic deception - that has allowed NAR proponents like televangelist Lance Wallnau to declare Donald Trump as anointed by God to reclaim the “mountain” of government from demonic control.
Unlike most Americans who perceive areas like science, sports, entertainment, government, and education as fundamentally neutral and unrelated to religion or religious beliefs, adherents to the SMM see battlegrounds and demonic forces and believe their role is to claim control through leadership, and, if necessary, through the use of force. Advocates of NAR and SMM see electoral contests as struggles between “godly” candidates and their opponents who are moved by “satanic” forces. Among their targeted “demonic ideologies” are sex education, LGBT+ inclusion or discussion of systematic racism. Therefore, elections are spiritual battles. Because they are involved in in a holy war to dominate and “save”” American society (and societies worldwide), Dominionists and SMM adherents see themselves as “soldiers’ in a holy war.
Jospin estimates “about 3 million people in the U.S. attend churches that openly follow NAR leaders…
“At the same time, the Seven Mountains Mandate doesn’t depend on centralized leadership or formal institutions. It spreads organically through social networks, social media – notably podcasts and livestreams – and revivalist meetings and workshops…
“It encourages individuals to see themselves as spiritual warriors and leaders in their domains – whether in business, education, government, media or the arts.
“Small groups or even individuals can start movements or initiatives without waiting for top-down directives… The only recognized authorities are the apostles and prophets running the church or church network the believers attend..
“The framing of the Seven Mountains Mandate as a divinely inspired mission, combined with the movement’s emphasis on direct spiritual experiences and a specific interpretation of scripture, can create an environment where questioning the mandate is perceived as challenging God’s authority.”
It should (but probably doesn’t) come as no surprise that with all this warrior mentality and the need to dominate, SMM, NAR and Dominionism are not very open to the idea of women in leadership roles (or women at all).
They are, in fact, barely “Jesus oriented” or “Matthew 25-driven.” When it comes to “the poor in spirit… those who mourn… the meek… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… the merciful… the pure in heart… the peacemakers….” (Matthew 5:1-12), forget it! Those whom Jesus referred to as “blessed” have no place in the longed-for Dominion.
In “mountain baggers’” theology – and by extension in their politics and world view, the writings of Paul (who, apparently relied heavily on the generosity of women for his missions, housing and the food on his table) and the laws of the Old Testament that they find convenient – are their guiding principles.
Here’s an example:
“I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
St. Paul’s First Letter to Timothy 2:12
“A wife is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.”
1998 Official statement of Southern Baptist Convention
And consider that not once did Jesus ever mention anything about sexual orientation or preference or identity. Don’t forget that line “Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23) What?!?!?!? [EDITORS’ NOTE: We deliberately chose the King James Bible version.]
The SMM, NAR and Dominionism world is so worried about what kids read in libraries or people of different skin tones “poisoning the blood of the nation” and how they are going to command the nation that they forget:
“A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another:
just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.”
John 13:34
“This is my commandment,
that you love one another
as I have loved you.”
John 15:12
Not to worry!
Since our days of “peak bagging” are over, we’ll keep coming back to the SMM, NAR and Dominionism crowd and confronting them with the words of Jesus – (the “red- letter” words they seem to forget).
[EDITORS’ NOTE: First published 1901, “red-letter words” bibles are characterized by having the words directly attributed to Jesus printed in red. Taking a guess as wild as peak bagging and after some research, we estimate the number of English translations currently available at 450; few are red-letter.]