MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Investigators are still determining the motive behind the killing of a Minnesota state representative and her husband over the weekend. They say that Vance Boelter had a much larger list of people he was apparently planning to target, including other Democratic elected officials and abortion rights supporters. One area of his background is yielding some insight into the views he held about abortion, and that is his religious connections. NPR's domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef is here to discuss. Hi, Odette.
ODETTE YOUSEF, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.
KELLY: OK, so what do we know about his religious connections, his religious background?
YOUSEF: We know that he graduated from a school in Texas called the Christ For The Nations Institute, which has put out a statement condemning the violence and saying it's not what the school teaches. But the CFNI is considered to be a precursor to a movement that is now referred to as the New Apostolic Reformation. And we know that when Boelter was in Africa two years ago, he spoke during sermons about his belief in modern-day prophets and apostles in the U.S., and experts say this is distinct to NAR theology. And so, you know - now the NAR up until recently has been considered a fringe strand of the evangelical right. It's a neocharismatic expression of Christianity.
KELLY: OK.
YOUSEF: But, you know, a really important aspect of the NAR movement, Mary Louise, is its political aspirations. There's an idea they espouse called dominionism, and that is a belief that they are called to take control over every aspect of society to impose Old Testament biblical governance. And so this has been a powerful anti-Democratic movement that has aligned itself with the MAGA movement and has also fed concerns about rhetoric that could inspire extremist violence.
KELLY: OK, a lot to take in there. You're talking about this has fed concerns about rhetoric, could inspire extremist violence. Is there evidence that would actually give cause for concern that this faith community might turn to violence?
YOUSEF: Well, some leading figures within the NAR were critical in mobilizing and fomenting anger within Trump's base in the period leading to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. But in the context of these attacks in Minnesota, you have to look at the language and framing around the topic of abortion. Fred Clarkson from Political Research Associates says there's reason to be concerned that the NAR is priming the pump for this kind of violence.
FRED CLARKSON: There's been a decided uptick in the rhetoric and vision of violence in the United States from epistolic leaders for some time.
YOUSEF: And within that rhetoric, Mary Louise, you'll hear abortion discussed as ritual child sacrifice and as something that empowers demons.
KELLY: Can we connect this, though? Can we connect extreme rhetoric with the violence we just saw in Minnesota?
YOUSEF: So we know that Boelter railed against abortion in America during at least one sermon abroad, so it was an issue he cared about. And there was an interesting detail in the federal complaint filed against Boelter yesterday, which said that he sent a group text to his wife and other family members a few hours after the rampage occurred, and it said, Dad went to war last night. This language of war is the language that the NAR uses when talking about taking dominion over society. Clarkson says it's clear who's - who the enemies are in that war.
CLARKSON: The NAR views historic Christian churches and civil government and its leaders as enemies, as, you know, infested with demons. These are things that they talk about all the time. The question is, at what point does the rhetoric meet the reality?
KELLY: So in a sentence, Odette, is the case here that the rhetoric met the reality?
YOUSEF: I think it's hard to say at this point, Mary Louise, but we will be learning more as the investigation continues.
KELLY: That's NPR's Odette Yousef. Thank you.
YOUSEF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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