{"id":33430,"date":"2024-10-14T17:38:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T22:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=33430"},"modified":"2024-10-31T22:37:37","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T03:37:37","slug":"harris-blasts-trumps-enemy-from-within-comments-at-pennsylvania-rally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=33430","title":{"rendered":"The California community caught between a powerful megachurch and far-right extremists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years, an extremist far-right movement has worked to transform one of California\u2019s most conservative regions. Since gaining a majority on Shasta county\u2019s governing body, they have managed to spark an exodus of government workers, attempted to do away with the voting system<\/a> and fought the state over policies pertaining to Covid-19 and the second amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, voters in the community of 180,000 \u2013 perhaps tired of Shasta\u2019s national notoriety as a hotbed for extremist politics and election denialism \u2013 declared they had had enough. In a stunning rebuke, they voted out a far-right leader by an enormous margin<\/a>, handing his seat to a political newcomer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Plummer, a Yale-educated former college football player who owns a corporate training business, pledged to provide an alternative to the \u201chostility and division\u201d tearing Shasta apart. Supporters view Plummer, with his focus on issues such as crime, roads and homelessness, as someone who can help the community chart a path out of the upheaval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But others are concerned about Plummer\u2019s connection to another powerful and ultra-conservative force that has reshaped the region: Bethel church. The megachurch has more than 11,000 members, including Plummer, and a school of \u201csupernatural ministry\u201d that serves 2,000 students a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bethel leaders once said<\/a> that God wanted Donald Trump to have a second term and have claimed that Joe Biden won the 2020 election by \u201cfraud<\/a>\u201d. Church members have become major players in local government \u2013 three of the five members on the city council in Redding, the county seat, attend Bethel. The city\u2019s vice-mayor is a church elder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The church is involved in nearly every part of Shasta county, and is a cornerstone of the local economy, said Doni Chamberlain, a longtime local journalist and chronicler of the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shasta\u2019s extreme political landscape has forced residents to choose between a toxic rightwing movement and a church that also has deeply conservative and extreme beliefs, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the bind we\u2019re in,\u201d she said. \u201cShasta county is in this weird extremist sandwich where we have the rightwing pushing for guns and splitting the state. And there is the other extreme side of the sandwich that is Bethel church. Then the middle where people are trying to figure out how to survive in this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Shasta county garnered national attention for its fierce opposition to Covid-19 restrictions and efforts to institute a hand-count voting system favored by those who believe lies about election fraud, it was Bethel church that raised the region\u2019s profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are churches \u2013 of which Shasta county has plenty \u2013 and then there is Bethel, a behemoth institution without parallel in the area. First established in a private home in 1952, it now has more than 11,000 members \u2013 more than 10% of the population in the city of Redding \u2013 where the church is based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bethel\u2019s transformation came under the direction of Bill Johnson, the son of a long-serving pastor who began leading the church with Beni, his wife, in 1996. The church has grown significantly, opening a school, a youth outreach program and Bethel Music, a record label that produces popular worship music and reported $18m in revenue in 2023. Justin Bieber is a fan and has filmed himself covering a song<\/a> from a Bethel artist. Today several of Johnson\u2019s children work as senior leaders in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s Bethel\u2019s school of supernatural ministry, which has been called a \u201cChristian Hogwarts<\/a>\u201d, that is often credited with its growth. The program was founded by Kris and Kathy Vallotton, the senior leaders of the church, and teaches students that they can perform miracles and heal through prayer. \u201cStudents will learn how to read, understand, and \u2018do\u2019 the Bible, how to practice His presence, to witness, heal the sick, prophesy, preach, pray, cast out demons and much more,\u201d the school website states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People travel to Redding from around the world, more than 100 countries, to attend the vocational program. Students have been known to approach people in the city, particularly those in casts or with walkers, to offer prayers for healing. The focus on \u201csupernatural power\u201d is fundamental to the church, which in 2019<\/a> asked members to pray for the resurrection of a two-year-old girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bethel has long believed in the power of healing people through prayer. Chamberlain joined the church as a child after her mother died and her siblings were adopted by a local couple who were members. When they learned that Chamberlain and her twin sister had a neurological disorder that caused involuntary movements, church elders came to treat their \u201cdemons\u201d and the children were made to throw away their medications, Chamberlain recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you have a bunch of adults circling around you and putting their hands on your heads and shaking you, it was pretty intimidating,\u201d she said, adding that they coached her on how to speak in tongues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like being waterboarded, you just give up and give in so they leave you alone. Then you\u2019re in the club.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its founding in 1998, Bethel\u2019s supernatural school has brought thousands of people to Redding. They are a visible presence around the city, in its grocery stores and the hip cafes and bakeries operated by Bethel members. And as the church\u2019s footprint has grown, so too has criticism of its role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporters say the church has been a positive force in Redding and that it\u2019s natural for a large institution to attract scrutiny but that members want to be a part of the community in which they live. They often point to local volunteer work or when the church donated money to fund police positions in Redding and began leasing the local auditorium when it appeared the city would have to close it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bethel did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But other Shasta county residents argue the church has changed the fabric of the community and worsened an existing housing shortage by drawing thousands of students to the area while driving up costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you look from the outside in, there seems to be positives. They\u2019ve done good things, but I don\u2019t feel like on balance what they\u2019ve done is for the good of the community in general,\u201d said Robert Sid, a Shasta county resident who supported Plummer. \u201cTheir Hogwarts supernatural ministry has really played into flooding the market and artificially pricing things that the regular Redding person can\u2019t afford.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics have expressed discomfort with church members who hold key positions in local government voting on proposals from Bethel to expand. Some residents have joined a Facebook group to identify businesses connected to the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The owners] tithe to the church. If you patronize a Bethel-affiliated business then now some of those profits are being tithed to the church. You\u2019re kind of indirectly supporting the church by doing that,\u201d said Rachel Strickland, who started the group. \u201cPeople don\u2019t want to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for some in this deeply conservative region, where Republicans<\/a> outnumber Democrats two to one, the church\u2019s political ties have been cause for concern as well. Religious experts have described it as closely related to the New Apostolic Reformation, a movement built around the idea of modern-day prophets and apostles that aims to have Christians transform society and rule over key political and cultural institutions, referred to as the \u201cSeven Mountain Mandate\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson co-authored a book, Invading Babylon: the 7 Mountain Mandate, which advises Christians to exert influence in seven core areas: church, family, education, government, media, arts and commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew D Taylor, a senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish studies who has studied Bethel, argued that the church appears to be trying to implement the Seven Mountain Mandate in its community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think they very much intend to enact this bigger vision of Christian supremacy and Christian dominance in the Redding area. It doesn\u2019t mean they are always overt about that,\u201d said Taylor, the author of a book on the New Apostolic Reformation for which he interviewed Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bethel leaders endorsed Donald Trump, and in 2021 one apologized<\/a> for incorrectly prophesying that he would win a second term. The church has come out against efforts to restrict conversion therapy. In 2019<\/a>, several figures associated with the church attended an Oval Office event with Trump to pray over the president. Bethel has sought to distance itself from January 6, however, Taylor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are trying to tone down public rhetoric and make themselves [seem] less extreme than they are but as far as I can tell they haven\u2019t moderated their extremism. They are just trying to package it in a better way,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The church has long emphasized that the beliefs of individual church members are not necessarily reflective of the church\u2019s positions. Chamberlain, who left the church as a young adult, argues it is important to distinguish between the church leadership and its members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to separate the leaders of the church, the people who are millionaires and drive expensive cars, cars that cost as much as somebody might pay for a house. They have vacation homes and eat at The French Laundry,\u201d Chamberlain said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They live a life of the rich and famous, she added, while some Bethel members, and students, leave their homes abroad and live in extreme poverty to be close to the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members point out that they are not a monolith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Plummer\u2019s journey to Redding began the same way thousands of others have \u2013 with Bethel. He moved to the city in 2016 with his wife and daughters to attend the church, and remains a member, he said in an interview with the Guardian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plummer, who grew up in rural New Jersey where his first job was on a horse farm, was drawn to the region\u2019s access to nature from hiking to swimming holes, he said, and the family has developed deep ties to the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He decided to run for the board of supervisors after working in several political campaigns and seeing the intense polarization and problems that have plagued Shasta county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have tied basically for the highest suicide rate in the state. You have one of the highest rates of childhood trauma and one of the highest rates of kids being born with drug withdrawal effects,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a pretty cool community that has a lot to offer but at the same time if you look at all these dimensions of what makes a community thrive, we\u2019re trailing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had a tough race ahead of him seeking to unseat Patrick Jones, who previously served on the Redding city council and had been a supervisor for three years as well as a leader of the anti-establishment movement that has come to define local politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones, a gun store manager, led some of the county\u2019s most controversial efforts, including attempting to upend the voting system and moving to allow people to carry firearms in public buildings in violation of state law. He also spread conspiracy theories, telling a conservative national news outlet: \u201cElections have been manipulated at the county level for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He once responded to a reporter\u2019s query by telling them to \u201cdrop dead<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While polarizing, Jones was well-known and had been in politics for years, Plummer said, and had the backing of a Connecticut magnate<\/a> who has poured millions of dollars into local elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plummer made up for that by making personal contact, and personally knocked on about 9,000 doors, he said (there are about 23,000 registered voters in his district).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>People care if you show up and meet them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sought to stay out of ideological debates and focus on what residents were worried about, primarily public safety, roads and homelessness. The number of unhoused residents has grown significantly<\/a> in recent years from 793 in 2022 to 1,013 people in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>My opponent had been on the board almost four years and he had been on city council for eight years, which had some jurisdiction over the same things. And they had all gotten worse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His affiliation with Bethel was a concern, he acknowledged, one he tried to address and alleviate. \u201cI\u2019m not speaking on stage and not this type of celebrity at Bethel. I just go there on a Sunday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things I said is: \u2018I\u2019m not running to represent Bethel and so my job is not to defend Bethel\u2019 and so when people would attack Bethel for things, I\u2019d say OK, that\u2019s fine. That\u2019s actually not my priority here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strickland, who has described Bethel as a cult, said the choice put the community in a tough position, but that even in her Facebook group people seemed to be leaning toward Plummer. \u201cFor me Patrick Jones is much more dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plummer received the endorsement of Chamberlain\u2019s publication, A News Cafe, drawing backlash from some readers who started referring to the outlet as Bethel Cafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a tough call. I have a problem with Bethel on a lot of levels, but just kind of putting on your thinking cap sometimes the Bethel candidates were the best choice for the positions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo we vote for Patrick Jones who is pushing guns and open carry? Or do we vote for Matt Plummer who is a Bethel member? He\u2019s also articulate, educated and smart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in the current political climate in the county, Chamberlain mused, few people would want to subject themselves to running for office. \u201cThe Bethel people are kind of impervious to it. It\u2019s scriptural.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

theguardian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For years, an extremist far-right movement has worked to transform one of California\u2019s most conservative regions. Since gaining a majority on Shasta county\u2019s governing body, they have managed to spark an exodus of government workers, attempted to do away with the voting system and fought the state over policies pertaining to Covid-19 and the second amendment. Earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":33435,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1189,2223,9360,1787,30815],"class_list":["post-33430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-california","tag-church","tag-community","tag-extremists","tag-far-right-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33430"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33437,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33430\/revisions\/33437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}