We need to understand the depth of “voo-doo-group-think” that’s infected our culture right now. From our congressional halls, to our church gatherings, millions in our nation are being swallowed up in what social-psychologists call, “the cult of personality”. And it was on full, text-book display during Pam Bondi’s (February 11, 2026) hearings with the House Judiciary Committee. [C-SPAN] 

Instead of answering specific questions about justice issues at hand (what a United States Attorney General does for a living), Bondi repeatedly (on five separate occasions) launched into what Max Weber (1864-1920) called “APOTHEOSIS” – the technical term for the exaggerated, unquestioning adulation, and extreme idealization of a leader that involves the use of propaganda, conspiracy, legend-telling, vilification of detractors and persecution complex to portray a leader as heroic, infallible, and worthy of manifest worship. APOTHEOSIS is sometimes described as “abdication syndrome”, where followers surrender their critical thinking to a parental figure, who becomes the “savior” for the population in question, providing their subjects with the narratives that tell them how to understand, and operate within their society. 

APOTHEOSIS is often fostered by totalitarian regimes (like Stalin, Mao, Sadaam Hussein, and smaller communities like Charles Manson and Jim Jones) to ascend to greater degrees of unrestricted power.

What distinguishes APOTHEOSIS from normal popularity is 
A. the “demand for verbal adulation”, (the effusive glorification we heard from Bondi yesterday) 
B. unquestioned, final control over the narrative, and 
C. a “circle-the-wagons” defense of the leader himself, (what we see in Dutch Sheets’ appeal below) 
…all of which flows from the living leader him/herself.

THE antiChrist will demand APOTHEOSIS – AND be more cunning and serpentine in his constraint for it, than any figure ever.

From a Christian standpoint, what we are witnessing is a significant part of the power of a “strong delusion” (2 Thessalonians 2:11) overtaking the critical analysis, and Berean thinking of a people-group. This is a supernatural distortion of reality that the Lord Himself will give to those who take increasing pleasure in unrighteousness. (v.12)

Will our American evangelical family escape the vortex of cult adulation that has engulfed SO MANY of our sisters and brothers in Christ throughout history? Will we take refuge in the sure arms of our King, and His ways? ONLY WHEN we realize what forces we’re experiencing, (and that, by Holy Spirit revelation) and take the prayerful, supernatural, humble, and crucifying measures to bring our flesh, and the ways of our flesh (that loves a good idol) to death.

In short, our Christian response to APOTHEOSIS is the cross.

If you’re curious: Here’s a very accessible, thorough, non-political article that helps break down the human components of cult-dynamics, (including apotheosis) so that they become more easily identifiable in our every-day world.

DEFANGING AUTHORITARIANISM by Daniel D. Barber (June 8, 2023)

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JSB • February, 2026