New Apostolic Reformation
What is the New Apostolic Reformation? The New Apostolic Reformation can be characterized by six big ideas:
1. Postmillennialism
Postmillennialism says Christ’s kingdom is being established upon the earth today. Many fine Christian scholars (e.g., B. B. Warfield and Charles Hodge) have held this view before the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). But the NAR version of postmillennialism involves dominionism. This is the belief that the church has a God-given mandate for establishing the kingdom of God on earth before Christ returns.1 This is accomplished by the church infiltrating key areas of culture and society.
2. Restorationism
NAR teaches that the office (not gift) of apostle was lost and needs to be restored. These modern apostles are believed to have the same authority as the New Testament apostles.
3. Manufactured continuationism
NAR proponents believe the charismatic or “sign gifts” are still in operation today. While many Christians also hold this view, what we are seeing today with the New Apostolic Reformation is the manufacturing of “sign gifts,” or charismania.
4. Reconstructionism
NAR teaches that it is the duty of believers to directly engage in warfare against the forces of darkness to restore dominion lost from the Fall. It is taught that power and wealth must be taken from the world and given to the church. This is accomplished through spiritual warfare methodologies and by infiltrating key areas of culture.
5. Experientialism
Experience, especially “manifestations” of the Holy Spirit take priority over Bible study.
6. Pragmatism
Whatever brings greater numerical results is thought to have been validated by God. The movement’s numerical success is thought to vouch for its credibility.
Conclusion
All six beliefs and practices of NAR are unbiblical and should be avoided along with the movement itself. For complete info, see “Six Big Problems With The New Apostolic Reformation.”
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- Petri Laitinen, “Spiritual Gifts According to C. Peter Wagner” (diss., Abo Akademi University, 2014), https://www.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/100059/laitinen_petri.pdf, 112.