3 days ago
What is a ‘supernatural church?' Five things to know about a growing Christian branch
'Miracles happen here.'
That's the slogan of one megachurch in southwest Miami-Dade County at the forefront of the fast-growing Christian 'supernatural' movement.
It's an Evangelical offshoot, rooted in Pentecostalism, that leans far more heavily into revelations and prophecy than mainstream Christian churches and wields out-sized powerful political influence.
That was evident last week at King Jesus Ministry, a nondenominational megachurch where President Donald Trump's top spiritual advisor, pastor Paula White-Cain, has been a visitor over the years. The church hosted a three-day spiritual conference called the 'Supernatural School of the Spirit,' where White-Cain and other visiting pastors preached and instructed crowds of followers and local faith leaders on how to 'walk in the supernatural.'
King Jesus is just one of the largest South Florida churches steeped in the movement. Another Miami megachurch with a prominent Haitian-American congregation, Tabernacle of Glory, has credited its large following with its emphasis on the supernatural. The nondenominational church opened its $60 million campus in northern Miami-Dade County last year.
At these churches, it's not uncommon to hear pastors talking about 'dominion' theologies or 'cosmic spiritual warfare.' Sometimes, they may speak in tongues or even perform a 'deliverance' or what most people know as an exorcism, to cast out demonic forces.
Religious scholars say the branch springs from a movement called 'Independent charismatic Christianity' that gained momentum in the 1960s. Its followers, estimated to be in the millions in America, hold supernatural beliefs and goals of transforming secular society. They've built increasing influence in American politics, supporting candidacies of conservative leaders like President Donald Trump.
'Independent Charismatic leaders, who 20 years ago would have been mocked by mainstream religious right leaders, are now front-line captains in the American culture wars,' writes religious scholar Matthew Taylor, in his book 'The Violent Take it By Force.'
The Miami Herald spoke to Taylor to discuss some of the themes and ideologies that are found in these churches and how they intersect with American political circles.
1. What is a supernatural church?
This term is popular in charismatic Christian circles and might refer to a church where supernatural experiences — some not defined by logic or reason — take place.
But the charismatic Christian world also is a 'diffuse' space, where many terms are interchangeable or sometimes defined differently from church to church, said Taylor.
'Sometimes charismatics will call themselves charismatic. Sometimes they'll say they're spirit-filled ... sometimes they'll just say they're Christians. Sometimes they'll call themselves Evangelicals,' said Taylor, a senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore who spent 30 years of his life as an Evangelical Christian.
'To be charismatic is to seek after the more supernatural dimensions of Christianity ... and this is why they're constantly emphasizing prophecy, constantly emphasizing speaking in tongues and healings and miracles,' said Taylor.
The term 'supernatural' is not new, and has been circulating for decades within the charismatic Christian movement. There's an entire Christian media network, for example, led by charismatic leader Sid Roth called 'It's Supernatural! that has been around for decades, said Taylor. Believers will appear on the network to tell stories about the miracles they've witnessed.
READ MORE: Haitian American megachurch, 10 years in the making, opens $60 million campus in Miami
2. What are some of the main elements of a supernatural church?
One belief that unifies this Christian subculture is the idea that God speaks through prophecy. Many of the leaders in this movement — like Pastor Guillermo Maldonado of King Jesus and White-Cain — are considered by the faithful to be modern-day Apostles or Prophets who can perform 'healings' or deliver prophecies during sermons.
Since the movement often operates without a formal connection to more established denominations, leaders may have varying degrees of theological education but will lean on or cite mentors in the movement. The leaders often have ten or hundreds of thousands of followers, or a background in televangelism, and their success can sometimes depend on who they know in the charismatic world — similar, Taylor writes, to how Hollywood operates.
Taylor, who has interviewed many charismatic Christian leaders, describes them as 'idiosyncratic' and 'incredibly compelling' people. 'They're very socially skilled,' he said. 'They're very good at reaching and teaching and providing people with these compelling experiences.'
Many apostolic leaders believe the Christian church has languished for centuries, and that God has brought them in to reinvigorate the church through Holy Spirit-backed leadership.
Common themes focus on 'End-times,' or the second coming of Jesus, and a the idea of 'dominion,' or Christians needing to conquer various aspects of society.
There's also an emphasis, similar to Pentecostal churches, on promoting inner healing through living a more Christian lifestyle. The promise of a better, healthier life can appeal to those who are struggling with addiction problems, health — physical or mental — problems or financial hardship. Prosperity — achieving financial wealth — also is a key theme, one that goes hand-in-hand with financial giving to the church. This idea is common in many churches that ask members to 'tithe,' but this movement stresses that more giving can mean more rewards.
3. Why is this movement growing?
Many followers find a sense of empowerment, contentment and community in the movement, Taylor says.
'There have been studies even on how Pentecostal and charismatic ministries around the world have done a great deal of lifting people out of a lower-class existence economically by empowering them and telling them 'Hey, you have agency.''
At the same time, Taylor points out, those experiences are 'being utilized in this broader political project,' to get more Christians on board with conservative political agendas.
Another theory of why it's so popular: In a modern, industrialized world where knowledge is at the fingertips of everyone with a Smartphone, charismatic leaders could be 're-enchanting' the world for people who want more of a sense of mystery and wonder, said Taylor, referring to the concept of 'disenchantment' made popular by philosopher, Charles Taylor.
'People want a sense of a sublime and powerful force in the universe that's guiding and moving them around,' he said.
According to Taylor, independent charismatics are the fastest-growing religious demographic in the United States and around world. The followers are well into the millions, or hundreds of millions worldwide by some estimates, but the actual number is hard to measure, since the group is not tied to a formal denomination.
'For people who are searching for an anchor in the world or searching for self-confidence or searching for a sense of what their purpose is in life, ... they're scratching where people itch,' Taylor said.
4. How is this different from the Pentecostal denomination?
It's similar, but without the bylaws and bureaucratic oversight that comes with a denomination, or network of churches with an established hierarchy.
'They believe that 'We need the Holy Spirit to be unrestrained. We need the fires of revival prayer,' said Taylor. 'But that same lack of restraint makes it very susceptible to political co-optation, because .. there's not a lot of oversight.'
Pentecostalism, a movement within Protestant Christianity, is a denomination that can be traced back as early as 1900's and emphasizes manifestations of the Holy Spirit — such as supernatural healing and speaking in tongues. In the early years of Pentecostalism, its followers were largely poor Angelo and African Americans, according to Pew Research, and women have always had a large role.
In the late-1940s, various 'healing evangelists' began traveling around the country, filling tents and auditoriums that attracted tens of thousands of people, according to Taylor's book. Some of the preachers, like Oral Roberts, were Pentecostal preachers who found their way on television to bring the movement out of tents and into the mainstream world.
In the 1950s, Roberts teamed up with preacher Kenneth Hagin and began teaching about an ideology called the 'Word of Faith' doctrine, which emphasized a form of faith that rewards devout Christians with healings and blessings. The ideas found in the doctrine gave rise to what is known today as the 'prosperity gospel.'
5. Does the movement have a broader mission?
Some religious scholars, many who are Christians themselves, point out that the movement is also putting spiritual influence to other uses. Leaders aim to exert more influence over everything from popular culture and education to politics. It's that latter field where the supernatural movement and other Evangelicals have arguably had the most success.
Last week at King Jesus Ministry, for instance, White-Cain outlined a vision of a society transformed by Christian ideology, urging believers to play a role in making it a reality.
'You didn't come to fit in, You came to take over. You came to move in your Kingdom calling. That threatens people who don't understand the word of God because their language, their understanding is not like yours. God birthed you to rule, to have dominion,' she said.
White-Cain has been one of the most influential voices in charismatic Christianity, and is someone who was able to bring its ideology into the mainstream and now, as the head of the newly established White House Faith Office, into American politics.
'Very soon our Lord and savior Jesus Christ is going to split the sky and come back,' she said during her sermon. 'This is not your home, this is your assignment. And you and I have to reap the harvest.'
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
