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Understanding the Seven Mountains Strategy in Christian Context

The "Seven Mountains Strategy" is a contemporary concept within certain Christian circles that posits a divine mandate for believers to influence seven key societal spheres. While the specific terminology and strategic framework are modern, the underlying idea of Christians engaging with and impacting culture has historical precedents and biblical allusions, though interpretations vary widely.

The concept often identifies these seven "mountains" or spheres of influence as:

  1. Religion
  2. Family
  3. Education
  4. Government
  5. Media
  6. Arts & Entertainment
  7. Business

Proponents of the Seven Mountains Strategy believe that by ascending and transforming these societal "mountains," Christians can bring about cultural and spiritual change, ultimately leading to the advancement of God's kingdom on earth. This perspective often emphasizes a proactive and intentional engagement with secular institutions and systems [5].

The imagery of "mountains" in a biblical context carries diverse meanings. In some instances, mountains symbolize places of divine encounter or revelation, such as Mount Sinai where Moses received the Law. They can also represent stability and strength, as seen in Psalm 65:6, which speaks of God "by his strength setteth fast the mountains" [10]. The prophet Baruch speaks of God bringing down "every high mountain" and filling valleys to make them even, so that Israel may walk diligently to God's honor [1].

Augustine, in his homilies on John, refers to John the Apostle's understanding of the Word as a "mountain... How high among those mountains that received peace for the people of God" [7]. He also interprets "the mountain of God, a mountain fruitful, a mountain full of curds" as referring to Christ, and notes that another prophet speaks of "the mountain of the Lord prepared on the top of the mountains" [8]. Augustine further warns against being led astray by "the empty authority of evil mountains" that "seem to excel," urging believers to prefer Christ and remain in the "Unity of Christ" [9]. These patristic interpretations suggest mountains can represent spiritual authority, Christ himself, or even deceptive powers.

In prophetic literature, particularly Revelation, mountains can symbolize political or spiritual entities. Revelation 17:9, for example, refers to "seven heads and seven mountains," which commentators like Jamieson, Fausset & Brown interpret as requiring "spiritual discernment" to understand. They note the historical association of Rome with seven hills, suggesting a connection between mountains and ruling powers or cities [3]. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist commentator, explains that the beast with seven heads and seven mountains in Revelation 17 represents a "seat of idolatry and persecution," which, though changing in form (from pagan to another sort), remains a "seat of idolatry and tyranny" [4].

The idea of Christians influencing societal structures is not new. The early church, as described in Acts, saw Stephen, "full of grace and power," appointed as one of seven to address complaints within the community, demonstrating an internal organizational structure to manage practical affairs [2]. Charles Hodge, one theologian, discusses how certain Jewish doctrines, such as the "visible kingdom of Christ of splendour and worldly grandeur" and a "church hierarchy," began to spread among Christians, indicating an early interest in the church's role and structure within the world [5]. He also notes a patristic theory that viewed redemption as deliverance from the "power of Satan," suggesting a broader understanding of Christ's work extending beyond individual salvation to cosmic liberation [6].

While the Seven Mountains Strategy is a specific modern articulation, it draws on a long-standing theological tension regarding the church's relationship with the world: whether to withdraw from it, critique it, or actively transform it. The strategy emphasizes the latter, seeking to apply Christian principles to all areas of human endeavor.

Sources

  1. Baruch “Baruch 5:7 (DRC) — For God hath appointed to bring down every high mountain, and the everlasting rocks, and to fill up the valleys to make them even with the ground: that Israel may walk diligently to the honour of God.”
  2. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Stephen — the first Christian martyr, was the chief of the seven (commonly called Deacons) appointed to rectify the complaints in the early Church of Jerusalem, made by the Hellenistic against the hebrew Christians. His Greek name indicates his own Hellenistic origin. His importance is stamped on the narrative by a reiteration of emphatic, almost superlative, phrases: "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," (Acts 6:5) "full of grace and power," ibid. (Acts 6:8) irresistible "spirit and wisdom," ibid (Acts 6:10) "full of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 7:55) He shot far ahead of”
  3. Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 17:9: Compare Rev 13:18; Dan 12:10, where similarly spiritual discernment is put forward as needed in order to understand the symbolical prophecy. seven heads and seven mountains--The connection between mountains and kings must be deeper than the mere outward fact to which incidental allusion is made, that Rome (the then world city) is on seven hills (whence heathen Rome had a national festival called Septimontium, the feast of the seven-hilled city [PLUTARCH]; and on the imperial coins, just as here, she is represented as a woman seated on seven hills”
  4. Revelation (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Revelation 17:7: Here we have the mystery of this vision explained. The apostle wonders at the sight of this woman: the angel undertakes to open this vision to him, it being the key of the former visions; and he tells the apostle what was meant by the beast on which the woman sat; but it is so explained as still to need further explanation. 1. This beast was, and is not, and yet is; that is, it was a seat of idolatry and persecution; and is not, that is, not in the ancient form, which was pagan; and yet it is, it is truly the seat of idolatry and tyranny, though of another sor”
  5. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 78: from the Gospel, and substituting Judaism, somewhat spiritualized, but still essentially Judaic. It is notorious that the Jewish doctrines of the merit of works; of the necessity and saving efficacy of external rites; of a visible kingdom of Christ of splendour and worldly grandeur; of an external church out of whose pale there is no salvation; of the priestly character of the ministry; and of a church hierarchy, soon began to spread among Christians, and at last became ascendant. This being the case it would be strange if the Jewish doct”
  6. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 110: § 2. Doctrine of some of the Fathers . The second theory is that which prevailed extensively among the fathers. It was intended only as a solution of the question how Christ delivers us from the power of Satan. It contemplated neither the removal of guilt nor the restoration of divine life; but simply our deliverance from the power of Satan. It was founded on those passages of Scriptures which represent man since the fall as in bondage to the prince of darkness. The object of redemption was to deliver mankind from this bondage. This coul”
  7. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — CHARTER I. I--5. (part 4): He commanded, and they were created."[5] If "He spoke and they were made," it was by the Word that they were made; but if it was by the Word they were made, the heart of John could not reach to that which he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," unless he had risen above all things that were made by the Word. What a mountain this ! How holy ! How high among those mountains that received peace for the people of God, that the hills might receive righteousness ! 6. Consider, th”
  8. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXV III.[10] (part 17): But here what else would he call fat but fruitful? For there is also a mountain called by that name, that is to say, Selmon. But what mountain ought we to understand by "the mountain of God, a mountain fruitful, a mountain full of curds," but the same Lord Christ? Of whom also another Prophet saith, "There shall be manifest in the last times the mountain of the Lord prepared on the top of the mountains"?[11] He is Himself the "Mountain full of curds,"[12] because of the babes to be fed with grace as though it were wi”
  9. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXXII.(10) (part 4): they prefer Christ to them: lest being led astray by the empty authority of evil mountains (for they seem to excel), they tear themselves away from the Unity of Christ. ... 6. Thus also most pertinently may be understood, "let the mountains bear peace to the people," namely, that we understand the peace to consist in the reconciliation whereby we are reconciled to God: for the mountains receive this for His people. ... "Let the mountains, therefore, receive peace for the people, and the hills justice:" so that in this m”
  10. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 65:6: Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains,.... In the first creation and formation of them, when they were settled on their basis so firmly that they are rarely removed, and when they are it is something extraordinary. Some understand this of the Lord's preparing the mountains with the rain of his strength, for the bringing forth of herbs and grass for the service of man and beast, and of his adorning them with trees; and the Targum is, "who preparest food for the wild goats of the mountains;'' others interpret them of kingdoms and communities, comparable t”
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