French Evangelicals and the Quest for Global Influence

Introduction

Since the 2000s, one word keeps coming back in the French media whenever evangelicals are discussed: conquest. Patrice de Plunkett's shock book, the election of Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro's rise to power, Arte's 2023 documentary: with every cycle, the same question resurfaces. During this "Soirée du 72" at the Central Paris Baptist Church, historian and pastor Alexandre Antoine, professor at the Faculté de théologie évangélique de Vaux-sur-Seine, takes the time to separate the true from the caricatured. And he throws an uncomfortable question back at you: if you were the majority, if your Judeo-Christian values were under attack, wouldn't you too be tempted by power?

Message Outline

1. Understanding the American context before judging

• In the United States, Protestantism has historically been the majority faith, whereas in France evangelicals represent barely 1% of the population.
• The American nation was founded on the rejection of European models of Christendom, with a "laïcité of protection" (First Amendment) very different from ours.
• Two evangelical movements born in the early twentieth century have shaped the landscape: the fundamentalists (defense of doctrinal and ethical points: biblical inerrancy, heterosexual marriage, defense of life) and the Pentecostal-Charismatics (miracles, total evangelism, the imminent return of Christ).
• Missiologist Peter C. Wagner theorized in the 1980s the Pentecostal "third wave" and the New Apostolic Reformation: highly charismatic apostles, a spiritual marketing borrowed from Rushdoony, and the idea that the Seven Mountains (Church, education, media, government, culture, arts, economy) must be influenced to bring about the reign of Christ.
• This is what's called dominionism: dominating not by weapons, but by influence, by embedding oneself in every sphere of society. Donald Trump, elected in 2016, found a reservoir of votes there, hence the images of Paula White praying over him at the White House.

2. And where does France fit in?

• We are a minority (about 3% Protestant, around 1% evangelical), so the direct temptation of power doesn't even cross our minds.
• Our country carries several centuries of Christendom: from Constantine to Charlemagne, from Hugh Capet to Saint Louis and the monarchy by divine right. School has taught us to be wary of it.
• French laïcité is not a laïcité of protection, but a laïcité of separation: we are constantly reminded that politics and religion do not mix.
• But is the separation really clean-cut? Debates over nativity scenes in town halls, the "separatism" law of August 2021, the sense that laïcité itself is becoming a religion: all of this shows that the boundaries are more porous than the official narrative would have you believe.

3. Should we defend a "Judeo-Christian model"?

• We are heirs of a society built on the alliance between politics and religion: this heritage propelled Christian values forward, but it also produced some dark chapters.
• As long as your daily life runs smoothly, you don't seek power. But if your values are threatened (marriage, end of life, surrogacy), do you remain just as democratic? The Manif pour tous showed that no, not always.
• The evangelical mayor exercise: on the first day, a pastor asks for land. The next day, an imam. The third day, a satanist association. Where does your democratic consistency stop?
• Three remarks: (1) historically, the alliance between political and religious power has never ended well; (2) Jesus, in the Gospels, refuses to be made king while denouncing injustice; (3) Calvin saw it clearly: only Christ can hold the three offices of king, prophet, and priest. No human being can hold all three at once.
• Jeremiah 29:7 ("seek the welfare of the city") does not call you first to run for mayor, but to do good for the city through your concrete, social, everyday actions.

4. A world under influence: learning to detect it

• The internet has torn down theological borders. An American sermon, a political speech, a worship song: everything circulates, and without training, you no longer detect the vocabulary of domination.
• Denominations, too, have fallen: the theological Berlin Wall no longer exists. You can attend any evangelical church, but you still need a bit of "evangelical geography" to understand what you're hearing.
• Music is an underrated vector of influence. Alexandre cites the song "I Was Born to Influence", a French translation that shifts the meaning of the English original and injects dominionist vocabulary right into our times of worship.
• Olivier Roy, in Holy Ignorance, puts his finger on a real vulnerability: French-speaking evangelical Protestantism suffers from a deficit of theological intellectualism. Without depth, you fall under influence without seeing it.
• The evangelical theological sector in French-speaking Europe is in crisis: not enough vocations, not enough thinkers. This is an issue for you, for your church, for the coming generation.

Key Takeaways

• The title "evangelicals conquering the world" is a shortcut: it should be "some evangelicals," since this political fringe represents only a part of a very diverse forest.
• Dominionism is not a conspiracy fantasy: it is a theology born from the Pentecostal third wave, structured around the Seven Mountains, which seeks to influence every sphere of society.
• The difference between the United States and France comes down to three things: majority versus minority, rejection of Christendom versus a heritage of Christendom, laïcité of protection versus laïcité of separation.
• Historically, the alliance between political power and religious power has never ended well. This lesson deserves reflection before dreaming of conquest.
• Only Christ can hold the offices of king, prophet, and priest at once. No man, no party, no church can claim to hold all three.
• Cultivating your own historical, theological, and spiritual garden (in the image of Christ), is worth more than chasing a cultural influence that will devour you.

Personal Application

1. When you listen to an online sermon, an American podcast, or a worship song, do you take the time to notice where the vocabulary comes from, especially when it talks about "influencing," "taking authority," or "conquering"?
2. If you were mayor or a member of parliament tomorrow, and an imam, a rabbi, or an atheist association came to ask you for the same thing a pastor asked for, would your answer be the same?
3. On which issue (marriage, education, end of life, abortion, laïcité), are you ready to give up on democracy to "defend" your values? This limit says something about your theology of power.
4. How do you apply Jeremiah 29:7 in your city, concretely? Through social action, community involvement, invisible service, rather than a dream of media influence?
5. What are you doing to grow theologically (beyond your local church), so as not to fall under influence without seeing it?

Verses Cited

• Jeremiah 29:7 · "Seek the welfare of the city…"

Further reading

• Bible Verses on Teamwork: 20 Texts
• 20 Verses on the Unity of the Church
• Bible Verses on Leadership: 25 Biblical Texts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dominionism and the "Seven Mountains"?

Dominionism is a theology born in the American Pentecostal-Charismatic circles of the third wave, around missiologist Peter C. Wagner. It teaches that Christians must "dominate" (not by weapons, but by influence), seven spheres of society: Church, education, media, government, culture, arts, and economy. This influence is meant to anticipate the reign of Christ. Alexandre Antoine notes that this doctrine was heavily mobilized in evangelical support for Donald Trump in the United States and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.

Are French evangelicals really "conquering the world"?

No, not in the sense the Arte documentary suggests. In France, evangelicals are a minority (about 1% of the population), laïcité of separation governs their public action, and the heritage of Christendom makes political-religious alliances culturally suspect. But the question isn't entirely closed: if you were the majority, if your Judeo-Christian values were being challenged, wouldn't you too be tempted by political influence? The Manif pour tous showed that the temptation exists.

Why does Alexandre Antoine place so much emphasis on theological training?

Because the French-speaking evangelical world is particularly exposed to American influences through the internet, social media, worship music, and church networks. Without historical and theological training, it becomes very difficult to detect the dominionist vocabulary that creeps in. Alexandre cites Olivier Roy and his book Holy Ignorance: when faith is separated from intellectual depth, you end up falling under influence without seeing it. He calls for supporting the careers of theologians, men and women alike, in French-speaking Europe.