Thanks for this post, John. I served Faith Covenant Church in Colorado Springs from 1988 - 1998 and witnessed the rise of Life Church and Ted Haggard into the tip of the spear, so to speak. Wagner joined forces with Haggard and created the World Prayer Center on the New Life campus at the north end of Colorado Springs. At the heart of it, from what I could see, was the audacity to name and confer legitimacy to new so-called apostolic leaders. Dobson was nearby, of course, just down the road, and he had clearly turned toward political engagement. I remember hearing about gatherings, usually on the east coast at, shall we say, exclusive venues, where self-appointed leaders gathered. It was, from what I could figure out, a blend of serious money and charismatic personalities. There is a direct line from that to what you see today. Interesting that the university in Colorado Springs has created this center fairly recently to focus on this topic. I hope it has some objectivity and am encouraged you are at the table.
Taylor's podcast Charismatic Revival Fury does a nice job covering the same topic as the book.
Thanks for this post, John. I served Faith Covenant Church in Colorado Springs from 1988 - 1998 and witnessed the rise of Life Church and Ted Haggard into the tip of the spear, so to speak. Wagner joined forces with Haggard and created the World Prayer Center on the New Life campus at the north end of Colorado Springs. At the heart of it, from what I could see, was the audacity to name and confer legitimacy to new so-called apostolic leaders. Dobson was nearby, of course, just down the road, and he had clearly turned toward political engagement. I remember hearing about gatherings, usually on the east coast at, shall we say, exclusive venues, where self-appointed leaders gathered. It was, from what I could figure out, a blend of serious money and charismatic personalities. There is a direct line from that to what you see today. Interesting that the university in Colorado Springs has created this center fairly recently to focus on this topic. I hope it has some objectivity and am encouraged you are at the table.