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Disinformation and Misinformation - Becoming Educated About the New Apostolic Reformation
[This is a continuation of the article Why Have the Apostles Behind Rick Perry's Prayer Rally Been Invisible to Most Americans?"] In the second category is the person who wrote the title for an article at Salon using the phrase "Christian conspiracy group." (At many publications the title is not chosen by the author.) The NAR is not a "conspiracy group" just because readers aren't familiar with it. The New Apostolic Reformation is an egregiously underreported sector of the Religious Right - not a conspiracy. Rick Perry is a savvy politician. We can assume he did not throw his lot in with this crowd because they are a conspiracy, but because they have a huge following and an excellent networking and communications system. On the other hand, the apostles are not typical of conservative evangelicals, despite the low-key coverage of Perry's prayer event in most mainstream press. The Religious Right has been promoting a "dominionist" agenda for decades. But the apostles are unique in many aspects of their ideology and activism. Rick Perry may have been counting on the fact that most Americans would not be able to distinguish the apostles from any other conservative evangelicals. There has been some excellent coverage, including from Forrest Wilder at the Texas Observer, and Paul Rosenberg at Alternet. (See Wilders interview on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman.) Talk2action.org contributors have written over 150 articles on the NAR over the last three years. There is no doubt. Perry's apostles are from a distinct movement that has been dubbed by its leadership as the New Apostolic Reformation, whether Jim Garlow will admit it or not. Exhibit A: Jim Garlow and the Apostles Sarah Posner's coverage of Rick Perry's stadium prayer rally included an interview with Jim Garlow, one of the major promoters of California's Proposition 8 and head of Newt Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership. Posner asked Garlow about objections of other conservative evangelicals to the participation of the NAR apostles in "The Response."
"When I asked Garlow about West's [Marsha West] complaint, he shrugged it off, saying that he was not familiar with the term New Apostolic Reformation, even though he knew its founder, Peter Wagner. `I have a lot of confidence in him spiritually,' Garlow said of Wagner."
The Reformer's Pledge
The graphic above is a close-up of the cover of the 2010 book The Reformer's Pledge, which includes contributions from: Apostle Bill Johnson Each chapter is is dedicated to a specific area of reformation. In The Refomer's Pledge, C. Peter Wagner discusses why the long-promised "great transfer of wealth" from the ungodly to the godly, prophesied by numerous apostles, has yet to take place.
"... I believe God was waiting for the biblical government of the Church to come into place under apostles and prophets. But this happened in 2001, when, at least according to my estimates, the Second Apostolic Age began. What more? I now think that in order for us to be able to handle the wealth responsibly, we need to recognize, identify, affirm, and encourage the ministry of the apostles in the six non-Religion mountains. They may or may not want to use the term `apostle' but they will function in Kingdom-based leadership roles characterized by supernaturally empowered wisdom and authority. We have more work to do here." Wagner's "six non-Religion mountains" is in reference to the Seven Mountains Mandate covered in Chapter 8 by Lance Wallnau. This is a campaign promoted by the NAR for their movement's agenda for "dominion" over the arts, business, education, family, government, media, and religion. Jim Garlow is author of Chapter 6, Reformation of Marriage, in this same book. Apostle Chuck Pierce writes in Chapter 10, "Aligning for Reformation" about the apostolic authority structure and "spiritual mothers and fathers." Chuck Pierce is one of several major apostles taking over the leadership from Wagner, who is over 80 years old. Speaking about C. Peter Wagner, Pierce states,
"As we entered the new millennium, he [Wagner] was leader in the restoration of the apostolic gift in the Kingdom of God and mobilized apostles throughout the world. Now he is spearheading a movement to see transformation in the earth realm." A paragraph later, Pierce states,
We have moved from a Church Age to expressing God's Kingdom Dominion in the earth. The Kingdom of God represents God's rule in the earth realm. The King is moving us from just going to church to understanding His Kingdom in our territory. he is bringing us into a place of dominion, occupation, and ruling with Him in the spheres and places He has assigned to us. Peter Wagner calls this shift in the earth "The Third Great Reformation." In Chapter 2, Apostle Cindy Jacobs writes,
"In my book The Reformation Manifesto, I write on the subject of the Great Commission mandate to disciple and teach nations. (see Matt. 28:19 -20). The bedrock foundation of being a biblical discipler is to understand that we have a holy mandate to reform our nations into conformity with the original design of God. The earth belongs to God: therefore the, our nations' laws, governments, entertainment, educational systems, and so forth should please God. Holy reformers will work to infuse the biblical worldview into every aspect of society. It is a moral mandate." Again, Jim Garlow wrote Chapter 6 of this book. What's in a Name? The Reformer's Pledge was compiled by Ché Ahn, who has now taken over as head of Wagner Leadership Institute (WLI), an international training arm of the New Apostolic movement. The WLI is described as "an international network of apostolic training centers established to equip the saints for kingdom ministry." WLI has locations around the country and also in Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, England, Kenya, and Rwanda. Ahn dedicates the book to C. Peter Wagner with the following words, "To C. Peter Wagner, my apostle, mentor, and spiritual father." If we assume that Jim Garlow's contribution did not just wander by accident into a compilation of work with a consistent theme by leading apostles, we might also assume that he shares much of the ideology of his fellow authors, even if he denies knowing the term New Apostolic Reformation. Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals partnered with Wagner in developing the World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs. The two later had a parting of ways, but prior to that Wagner wrote the following in a foreword to one of Haggard's books.
"The New Apostolic Reformation is an extraordinary work of God that began at the close of the twentieth century and continues on. It is, to a significant extent, changing the shape of the Protestant world."The name New Apostolic Reformation was chosen by C. Peter Wagner, the major thinker and organizer behind the development of the movement from an amorphous body of over 400 million Independent Charismatics or neo-Charismatics worldwide. He had originally called the movement "postdenominational" but was encouraged by Jack Hayford to reconsider. This was good advice. Hayford is the former head of the International Foursquare Gospel, a major Pentecostal denomination. In the video below, Wagner is giving a lecture at Wagner Leadership Institute, explaining the block of neo-Charismatics, sometimes called neo-Pentecostals or Third Wave, from which the New Apostolic Reformation has emerged.
In addition to this block of neo-Charismatics, many denominational churches are embracing New Apostolic ideology, including reorganization under apostles and prophets, and the movement's unique Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare. These churches often remain in their denomination. For instance, Sarah Palin's church of over twenty years, Wasilla Assembly of God, is still part of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal denomination. However, the leadership embraced the ideology of the NAR years ago and and numerous national and international apostles have spoken there. Both Jim Garlow, head of Newt Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership (ReAL), and ReAL board member David Barton, have been working with the apostles for years. As described in books by Apostles Cindy Jacobs and Alice Patterson, Barton has been working with Texas apostles for over a decade. Barton's Christian Nationalist histories, in which he portrays Democrats as the ongoing source of racism, play a significant role in outreach to African American pastors. The video below includes: Mike and Cindy Jacobs broadcast on the day after the 2008 elections, talking about Jim Garlow's work on Proposition 8; Cindy Jacobs introducing Garlow at Convergence 09; and Garlow and Lance Wallnau speaking about the Seven Mountains mandate.
Garlow has spoken at the conferences of leading apostles, including Cindy Jacobs' Convergence '09. Cindy and Mike Jacobs are the "Presiding Apostles" of the Reformation Prayer Network, one of the prayer warrior networks. (See promotional video.)
The "prayer warriors" or spiritual warfare network of the movement have had a number of different labels. Wagner initially named the networks the Spiritual Warfare Network; then Strategic Prayer Network (USSPN); then "Global Apostolic Prayer Network (USGAPN)." Garlow was a speaker at The Government Transformation Summit for Visionary Leaders sponsored by Apostle Alice Patterson's Justice at the Gate ministry. This event was headlined by Apostle Ed Silvoso, founder of the International Transformation Network, who has gained access to numerous politicians in the U.S. and other countries, including Uganda. ITN provides the clearinghouse for a program that is signing up prayer warriors to cover American cities - street by street, precinct by precinct. Other speakers at The Government Transformation Summit for Visionary Leaders included C. L. Jackson, Susan Weddington, and David Barton. Patterson and C.L. Jackson flanked Gov. Rick Perry as he spoke at "The Response" on Saturday. Susan Weddington, former chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party, is listed as the Vice President and Director of Alice Patterson's ministry. Here We Go Again Garlow's statement follows a long string of denials about the New Apostolic Reformation apostles. In 2008, when Talk2action contributor Bruce Wilson and I were writing about Sarah Palin's association with leading apostles, many mainstream journalists contacted Charisma Magazine editor Lee Grady. Grady and Charisma writers commented as if they had never heard of the NAR or Palin's involvement, despite the fact that both Grady and the owner/publisher, Stephen Strang were apostles in C. Peter Wagner's International Coalition of Apostles. At that time the list was on the internet, for anyone to see, but few writers knew to question the objectivity of Grady and other Charisma writers about the NAR. Meanwhile NAR prayer warrior networks around the country were posting prophecies about Palin. This weekend Rick Perry is formally announcing his bid for the presidency of the United States. Jim Garlow may prefer that we view the prayer rally that preceded the announcement as typical of American conservative evangelicalism. It was not. It was an event typical of the New Apostolic Reformation. [Author's Note 8/23/11: No doubt the upcoming publicity on the NAR will result in more denials. This has been going on for years. This link is complaints in 2003 from evangelicals that Ted Haggard was dishonest about his involvement in the movement. Haggard partnered with Wagner in developing the World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs adjacent to Haggard's New Life Church.]
Disinformation and Misinformation - Becoming Educated About the New Apostolic Reformation | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
Disinformation and Misinformation - Becoming Educated About the New Apostolic Reformation | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
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Today there are three national networks: the Reformation Prayer Network, under Cindy and Mike Jacobs; the Heartland Apostolic Network, under John Benefiel; and the U.S. Alliance for Reformation, under Dutch Sheets and Robert Henderson. Graphic at right: Sam Brownback with Dutch Sheets and John Benefiel at The Call Nashville on 7/07/07.