Earlier in the cycle, a lot of attention was drawn to the rise in influence of the New Apostolic Reformation, a fascistic brand of Christianity that believes it can bring Jesus back by taking over the world and eliminating all "evildoers" who stand in their way. Well, one of the main muckety-mucks in that movement is now a top leader in a "mainstream" religious right organization. Namely, Jerry Boykin. In mid-July, Boykin was named as executive vice president of the Family Research Council--from the looks of it, ranking second only to FRC president Tony Perkins.
Boykin's better known to most Kossacks as the former Pentagon staffer who has made a name for himself as a leading Islamophobe. However, he also has very close links with the NAR. He's a member of the board of directors of the Oak Initiative, a dominionist-oriented organization headed by Rick Joyner, a "prophet" based next door to me at what was once the PTL complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The board is a who's-who of NAR luminaries, including Cindy Jacobs, Janet Porter and Lance Wallnau.
From the looks of it, Boykin's appointment has been in the works since last spring, when Perkins began working more and more closely with Joyner, and even appeared in a video with Joyner in which he declared Christians had a duty to get into all levels of government. The NAR believes that Christians must take over the seven forces, or "mountains," that influence our society--business, media, entertainment, education, family religion and especially government. Then they must purge the world of all "evildoers"--that is, those who dare stand in their way. Then and only then, they believe, can Jesus come back. It's fascism, plain and simple. And now one of the main players in this movement is the number-two guy at one of the most prominent organizations on the religious right.
Just yesterday, we learned that on Thursday, Mitt Romney held a closed-door meeting with Boykin and several other religious right leaders in Denver. There was already reason enough to be concerned about why Romney was meeting with a card-carrying Islamophobe out of the public eye. But now you have to add his ties to an out-and-out fascist brand of Christianity to the list.