User:StAnselm/Kingdom Now theology

Kingdom Now theology, or Joel's Army is a theological belief within the charismatic movement of Protestant Christianity. It attracted attention in the United States in the late 1980s. It is an apocalyptic movement of 'hyper-charismatic' preachers that claim to have a divine mandate to physically impose Christian 'dominion' on non-believers during end times A subset of this is Joel's army which is a supposedly prophesied group of "Armageddon-ready military force of young people with a divine mandate to physically impose Christianity. It is criticized by "mostly conservative Christians, either neo-Pentecostals who left the movement in disgust or evangelical Christians who fear that Joel's Army preachers are stealing their flocks, even sending spies to infiltrate their own congregations and sway their young people to heresy. And they say the movement is becoming frightening."

Theology
Kingdom Now proponents believe that God lost control over the world to Satan when Adam and Eve sinned. Since then, the theology goes, God has been trying to reestablish control over the world by seeking a special group of believers. Through these people &mdash; known as "covenant people," "overcomers" or "Joel's army," depending on the source &mdash; social institutions (including governments and laws) would be brought under God's authority. These "covenant people" or "overcomers" are "little gods" &mdash; God's "extension" in the world to regain authority from the devil. The church, under the leadership of "restored" apostles and prophets, therefore must take over the world and put down all opposition to it before Christ can return. Anyone who rebels against the church, along with other "evildoers," must convert or be punished.

One of the most controversial tenets of the theology is the belief that secular or non-Christian society will never succeed, since, according to their beliefs, the only valid legislation, social theory, spiritual beliefs, and economic theory are those derived from the Bible. Hence, Kingdom Now opposes a separation of church and state.

Kingdom Now theology has some beliefs in common with the Latter Rain Movement, such as a belief in restored apostles and prophets. It also has a great deal in common with Dominion theology which is the belief that this world can be conquered for Christ by the temporal political, military, and religious powers of a present day Christian superpower. Its eschatology is a dominionist belief that a church-state takeover of the world is awaiting fulfillment.

This theology is preached by a small minority within the Charismatic movement. However, some of the theology's most strident critics are also from within the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

Some have claimed that the non-Charismatic movement known as Reconstructionism holds similar beliefs and that the two movements largely complement one another. There are, however, some major differences. Doctrines such as theonomy (the continued validity of the Old Testament) and Calvinism (particularly predestination and the sovereignty of God) are central to Reconstructionist doctrine. Additionally, Reconstructionists nearly always teach cessationism, in opposition to the defining characteristics of the Charismatic movement. Reconstructionists strongly disagree with many of the doctrines of "Kingdom Now" theology and related theologies such as the Latter Rain Movement and typically consider these movements to be heretical, and are usually very critical of the charismatic movement as a whole.

Connections
Critics have connected KNT to the New Apostolic Reformation, and "Spiritual Warfare Christianity", and Fivefold ministry thinking.

Notable people supporting

 * Todd Bentley