In the United States, among the most significant and far-reaching parts of the NAR infrastructure is its "prayer warrior" networks. Today, all 50 states have a network under the authority of a statewide apostolic leader. The prayer warrior networks regularly distribute guides in preparation for elections, "educating" participants on political issues. They also sponsor training events and conferences and serve as a link between individuals and various NAR ministries.

Calls for prayer, especially public displays of prayer and repentance, are the movement's most vital organizing and energizing tool. One of the NAR's most influential institutions, the International House of Prayer (IHOP or IHOPKC), is headquartered in Kansas City and organizes 2,000 people (staff, students, and interns) to maintaining prayer sessions that are open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to its mission statement, IHOP "is committed to praying for the release of the fullness of God's power and purpose, as we actively win the lost, heal the sick, feed the poor, make disciples, and impact every sphere of society--family, education, government, economy, arts, media, religion. IHOP claims that its volunteers work fifty hours a week "as they go from the prayer room to the classroom and then to ministry outreaches and works of service." Lou Engle is part of IHOP's leadership team and IHOP's founder, Mike Bickle, was part of Peter Wagner's original Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders. Bickle's work in Kansas City has been the model for more than 400 more "houses of prayer" in the U.S.

To date, the most highly publicized of NAR's calls to prayer or "solemn assemblies" took place in Houston in the summer of 2011. Texas Gov. Rick Perry aggressively promoted it at a time when he was a leading contender for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. The rally attracted 30,000 people and was broadcast to churches around the world. Several familiar figures from the Christian Right appeared on stage with Perry and leaders of the NAR. The result was that apostles and prophets who had for years remained under the radar were suddenly subjected to scrutiny from the media, including an interview with me conducted by Terry Gross on the NPR program Fresh Air.

Exposed to this scrutiny, NAR's leaders publicly distanced themselves from some of their more radical ideology. Webpages were removed and websites were amended to explain that the NAR's apostles are either not Dominionists, or that the term simply means to gain influence in society. Peter Wagner himself granted two unprecedented interviews with mainstream media outlets in October 2011. He explained to Terry Gross, for example, that the NAR respected religious pluralism and that Dominionism was not about ruling: "In terms of taking dominion, we don't--we wouldn't want to--we use the word dominion, but we wouldn't want to say that we have dominion as if we're the owners or we're the rulers of, let's say, the arts and entertainment mountain."

Compare that explanation with what Wagner said about Dominionism at an NAR conference in 2008: "Dominion has to do with control. Dominion has to do with rulership. Dominion has to do with authority and subduing and it relates to society. In other words . . . what the values are in Heaven need to be made manifest here on earth. Dominion means being the head and not the tail. Dominion means ruling as kings. It says in Revelation Chapter 1:6 that He has made us kings and priests--and check the rest of that verse; it says for dominion. So we are kings for dominion."

The magazine Charisma, owned and published by a former member of Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles, published an issue of articles about the growing influence of Pentecostals within American politics. Charisma attributed the negative press to "anti-Pentecostal bias" and the Left's demonization of "any high-profile leader who takes a stand for Christian values." Writing for the Washington Post, Lisa Miller quoted the head of the largest evangelical public-relations firm in the nation: "You would be hard-pressed to find one in 1,000 Christians in America who could even wager a guess at what dominionism is"--though knowing the definition of Dominionism is hardly relevant to following the lead of apostles in religious and political activism.

After Rick Perry's campaign for president began to visibly collapse, interest in the NAR waned, and it was back to business as usual. On November 1, 2011, Lou Engle and Mike Bickle led TheCall Detroit, which had been preceded by a year of events and conference calls discussing "spiritual warfare" against the Muslim community, though it was publicly billed as reconciliation between whites and blacks.

On November 20, 2012, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed a proclamation declaring December 8 a "Day of Restoration" in Kansas. It was accompanied by a video in which he invited citizens to attend a prayer event in Topeka, called ReignDown USA, to be held near the capitol building. "For about three hours Saturday," a local paper reported on December 8, "Topeka held the eyes, ears, hearts and souls of followers of Jesus Christ throughout the nation and world as host of a religious movement within a stone's throw of the governor's mansion." The event, which was broadcast globally via satellite television and the internet, had an estimated audience of up to 30 million people.

Three days earlier, Peter Wagner had published an essay titled "Why You Must Take Dominion Over Everything." He explained how, as a younger man, he had been seduced into the error of Pre-Trib thinking, in part by The Late Great Planet Earth: "Now I look back on those days with a strange combination of regret and amusement," he wrote. "How is it that I was so wrong for so long? As I analyze my change, I can sum it up by admitting that I simply did not understand the kingdom of God."

And what is the key to understanding the kingdom, according to Wagner? Dominion theology.

"Now I take the Great Commission more literally," Wagner wrote, "when it tells us not to make as many individual disciples as we can but to disciple whole social groups--such as entire nations. This is kingdom theology. . . . The battle will be ferocious, and we will suffer some casualties along the way. However, we will continue to push Satan back and disciple whole nations. We are aggressively retaking dominion, and the rate at which this is happening will soon become exponential. The day will come when `The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever."