PART 3: Great Awakening or Great Deception
- Darren T. Carter
- Mar 5
- 10 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
If you haven't read Part 1 and Part 2 of this article series, I recommend doing so before proceeding with this article. I'll provide a brief review, but it won't cover all the details needed to fully grasp my perspective. If you've already read past articles in this series, proceed to the section titled "Opus Dei". I put links highlighted in yellow throughout this article to provide you with the resources backing up my perspective. I am composing this series of articles and the aim is to assist individuals in understanding the current political and spiritual climate in America. What I'm telling you isn't a conspiracy theory. Each of these movements is real and has direct access to the heart of the Trump administration.
The target audience I am trying to educate is those within the Evangelical community. A primary focus of my ministry is to aid believers in "contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3), which is also the central goal of this article. I have spent my life voting as a political conservative so the focus of this article will be primarily about what I see happening within the Republican party.
The series of articles I am writing are merely an exploration of the MAGA coalition and my observations. My aim isn't to be political, but to aid people in understanding the spiritual implications of the different ideologies within the MAGA coalition. In my concluding article, I will share some personal and spiritual insights to aid you. Our nation has never been on this journey before, and only God understands the path ahead. While history can somewhat guide us, I advise caution as you navigate through these times, as the fog of war can be quite bewildering. We are undoubtedly experiencing historic and significant changes.
Is this an article about politics or spirituality? It's actually about both, as in modern America, the two are inseparable. Historically, America has always intertwined its political and spiritual spheres, but in Trump's era, we've entered a new phase. We're observing an unprecedented merging of the political and spiritual realms and America is undergoing a transformation. As an Evangelical Christian who upholds to the core doctrines of the faith, I pose the question: Is America heading into a Great Awakening or a Great Deception?
Every perspective I will discuss has used apocalyptic language to describe our current political and spiritual environment. The MAGA coalition consists of four interconnected viewpoints that have united in the belief that the existing American system must be dismantled and rebuilt. However, the coalition does not agree on what will ultimately emerge from what they all refer to as a 'Great Awakening'.
The Differing Views of The Great Awakening
What I am hoping to show you is that there are four main views of what many are calling the 'Great Awakening'. It's actually four spiritually infused political movements that have found home in the MAGA Movement centered around Donald J. Trump. Each has a different idea of what this coming Awakening means and there are a lot of differing characters that have hitched their wagon to the Trump Train.
The former political alliances of the Reagan Republican party have been supplanted. The conventional Republican party is fading as it has been consumed by the MAGA movement. This movement is not merely a political ideology but is interwoven with spirituality. It represents a blend of diverse spiritual concepts that have coalesced into a political ideology, with Trump serving as the central force.
I want you to think of this as more of a Game of Thrones alliance for the sake of power than the traditional power sharing of political coalitions. I'm going to identify four main groups, but you will find some individuals move in varying circles. For instance, Peter Theil is the leader of the Silicon Valley Tech Bro's and a gay Christian. Lance Wallnau is a Charismatic Gnostic, but mingles with Tech Bros and is a moderate Christian Nationalist. He also appears on Steve Bannon's War Room Podcast. You will find those who get into power positions are chameleons because the core center they operate by is a thirst for power.
Dark Enlightenment ~ Silicon Valley High Tech Religion
Opus Dei ~ Traditional Catholicism
The New Apostolic Reformation ~ Charismatic Gnosticism
Christian Reconstructionist ~ Christian Nationalist
This series of articles aims to offer you insight. The 2024 election has shifted the nation considerably to the right. My goal is to define the MAGA coalition and, as a believer in Christ, to exercise discernment. Political and spiritual movements are frequently constructed on myths and propelled by emotion. These movements are often driven by common beliefs, a quest for social change, and the pursuit of perceived justice. It is the desire for a better future, typically drawing inspiration from religious or philosophical principles.
America is being transformed from within, and I urge you to analyze and think critically. It's progressing rapidly for a purpose. It's chaotic by design. Its goal is to destabilize and overwhelm you. Historically, revolutionary political and spiritual movements are disruptive, aiming to detach you from the past, disorient you, and establish a new reality. It discourages questioning, and dissenters are silenced. Opposition is not tolerated, and those who resist are labeled as enemies.
Let's take a look at the second leg of this four pronged MAGA coalition.
Opus Dei ~ Traditional Catholicism
Everyone knows what the Catholic Church is, but not many know about Opus Dei. Opus Dei is undoubtedly the most powerful religious community in Washington DC wanting to revert the Catholic Church back to its Traditional form. Let me just name a few of its more prominent members. Kevin Roberts is the architect of Project 2025 and president of Heritage Foundation. J.D. Vance the Vice President of the United States and who is also a disciple of Peter Thiel wrote the foreword to the book published by Kevin Roberts called "Dawns Early Light: Taking Washington Back To Save America". If you watch this short video it will explain Project 2025 and this is from the Wall Street Journal which is a very conservative outlet.
Opus Dei is a Catholic branch that aims to revive the Traditionalism of the early Catholic faith. Many of its members support a return to the Latin Mass and stress the importance of strictly following Catholic teachings, with an emphasis on sanctifying daily life through work and family. They hold that the Catholic Church should impact all cultural aspects, including governmental structure. It's a political theory called Traditionalism pushed by Steve Bannon and Aleksandr Dugin the spiritual advisor to Vladimir Putin who has developed his own form of Traditionalism tailor made for Russia. Yes, Steven Bannon has direct ties to Aleksandr Dugin and other far right Traditionalist worldwide.
Aeksandr Dugin's ideas are actually one of the keys to understanding Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and Putin's support of the Russian Orthodox church. Steve Bannon is a supporter of Opus Dei ideas and like Peter Theil he is a fascinating study. He ties together the far right apocalyptic political theory of Traditionalism directly into an American context. I would encourage you to read this article on Steve Bannon because it will help you understand clearly this leg of the MAGA coalition. If you grasp the political theory of Traditionalism, you will comprehend the purpose of Project 2025, as it represents America's adaptation of the Traditionalist political theory aimed at transforming the American system and society.
Allow me to provide you with a brief history of Catholicism to help you understand this group. I want to make it clear I am not anti-Catholic. I believe that individuals of any religious faith or even atheists can make significant contributions to society. I am helping you understand the ideology of this segment of the MAGA coalition.
Political coalitions are like the layers of a phone. What you are going to find is that these four groups differ and sometimes differ greatly. However, if you step back and look at the big picture what you will find is each one layers on top of the other. It's because they all have the same political ideology which is ultimately top down authoritarianism.
I can hear some of you arguing with me right now, but Project 2025 and Christian Nationalist all talk about the constitution. However, the idea of the Unitary Executive Theory proposed by Project 2025 is eerily similar to Curtis Yarvin's ideas of installing a Caesar or a King. It is an idea that closely resembles a form of authoritarian rule, which is why America originally waged war against the King of England. Here is a video explaining the theory and again this is from the Wall Street Journal what has historically been considered a conservative outlet.
What I aim to help you grasp is that all these groups advocate for the dismantling of the current American system and envision a 'Great Awakening'. Project 2025 seeks to dismantle the Deep State which some call the Administrative State. The Dark Enlightenment aims to dismantle what Curtis Yarvin refers to as The Cathedral. Christian Nationalists want to dismantle the Woke Left and DEI. What unites them is the desire for the resurgence of a new order. It is the idea of a 'Great Awakening' to restore order from chaos and the order they all envision is much more authoritarian than our current system. Now if they are successful the question becomes which vision reigns supreme in the land and that is a Game of Thrones story that will be played out.
The history of Catholicism is one of hierarchal rule through church over state. It was a period of time we called the Dark Ages in Western History. The famous Roman Empower Constantine The Great is the one who is credited with giving favor to Christians in the Roman Empire in 312 AD and convened the first Council of Nicaea from where we get the Nicene Creed. The church experienced what has been called the Great Schism in 1054. It caused a split between what is today called the Eastern Orthodox Church and The Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church ruled over Western Europe in what became known as the Holy Roman Empire. In 1517 Martin Luther published his Ninety-five Theses and the rest is history. The Protestant Reformation, Renaissance and Enlightenment changed the face of Europe and brought to birth the American Experiment. The Catholic Church's authority, wealth and power were shaken to their core. It launched what has come to be known as the Counter-Reformation. The Council of Trent established in 1542 led to the Roman Inquisition which had the authority to interrogate, punish, and even execute those deemed heretics. The goal was to either reintegrate lapsed Catholics into the faith or eliminate those they deemed evil doers.
The modern world forced the Catholic Church to change and Vatican II from 1962-1965 was their attempt to modernize the church. All Catholics are not the same and what is happening in the Catholic Church is a civil war between those who want a more Liberal Church like the current Pope Francis and those who want to return to pre-Vatican II traditionalism. It's a popular movement even among the young called TradCatholic's.
In 1928 Opus Dei was established in Spain and its stated mission is to help its lay and clerical members seek holiness in their everyday occupations and societies. It was during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco that the organization ascended to the upper ranks of Spain's Fascist regime. It took over Spain's largest Bank (Banco Popular) and began a worldwide influence campaign making Washington DC one of it's biggest influence operations. The conservative Pope John Paul II recognized Opus Dei as a personal prelature in 1982 giving it tremendous power within the structure within the Church.
Why is this important to understand? Again I am not writing this from an anti-Catholic position. I am writing this so that as believers in Christ we can understand the motivations behind government policy. The groundwork for a far right movement to take over the very helm of the United States government has been a long time in the making and Traditional Catholics are just one leg of that four pronged coalition.
Opus Dei has extended its influence into our Supreme Court, various branches of government, and the Executive Branch. The appointment of Russel Vought to "The Office of Management and Budget" represents a pinnacle of political influence. Russel Vought is an Evangelical, but is aligned with Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation which have direct ties to Opus Dei. The OMB is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Its primary role is to prepare the president's budget, but it also reviews agency programs, policies, and procedures to ensure they align with the president's directives and coordinates inter-agency policy initiatives. Project 2025 is being implemented by the book. Watch this short video again by the Wall Street Journal:
The OMB acts as the mechanism for deconstructing the federal government via DOGE and installing loyalists within the administration. This is the method for executing Project 2025, and in doing so, it undermines the checks and balances that our system was designed to uphold. No one cast a vote for Project 2025. Trump claimed, "I have nothing to do with Project 2025," among other falsehoods, yet the exact plan he dismissed is being implemented. The individuals who drafted it have been granted significant power that will impact all of our lives. Here is a tracker that shows the progress on Project 2025.
Project 2025 is a Great Awakening towards a government aligned with Traditional values, cultural mandates of morality, and authoritarian structures. You might support Project 2025 and favor Christianity influencing the state. However, the history of Catholicism and Protestantism merging with the state is marked by a lengthy, dark past.
Provide me one example from history or the present where this hasn't led to authoritarian rule. Let me just give a short list in the last 60 years. South Africa, the American Jim Crow laws, and Quebec, Canada, where revolutions were necessary to dismantle the entrenched authoritarian rule created by the fusion of church and state. I could provide a more extensive list of instances where Christian Nationalism has gone awry, but simply consider Islamic nations that implement Sharia law or India which is using Hindu Nationalism. Here is a good article by David P. Gushee who is the University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University explaining the dangers of authoritarianism when mixing church and state.
In ending this article I ask you to watch a short video about Opus Dei's influence on the leaders of our nation in Washington D.C.
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