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Apologia Report 17:2 (1,094)
January 19, 2012
Subject: C. Peter Wagner defends "apostolic" movement
In this issue:
BIBLICAL APOLOGETICS - the argument for proof-texting
EMERGING CHURCH MOVEMENT - a New Kind of Christianity (and the old kind of rebellion)
THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION - C. Peter Wagner attempts to quiet the storm
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BIBLICAL APOLOGETICS
"In Defense of Proof-Texting" by R. Michael Allen (assistant professor of systematic theology at Knox Theological Seminary) and Scott R. Swain (associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary) -- the authors begin: "Proof-texting has been maligned as of late, charged in the court of theological inquiry. Many biblical scholars snicker and jeer its employment, while many systematic theologians avoid guilt by association."
Allen and Swain use courtroom terminology to argue that "proof-texting is not necessarily problematic. What is more, historically it has served a wonderful function as a sign of disciplinary symbiosis amongst theology and exegesis. We believe that a revived and renewed practice of proof-texting may well serve as a sign of lively interaction between biblical commentary and Christian doctrine. ...
"Proof-texting has been charged with three errors.
"The first charge ... is that proof texts fail to honor the specific contexts of biblical texts. ...
"The second charge ... is that proof texts too easily suggest that doctrinal language is the biblical language with no sensitivity for the horizon of the interpreter or the hermeneutical task involved in working with the biblical language. ...
"The third charge ... is that proof texts interact with ecclesiastical history rather than biblical history."
The authors give examples of each and respond at length. Then they observe that "All of the charges brought against the use of proof-texts in Christian theology could be lodged against the Bible's own use of the Bible. ...
"We must not confuse citation techniques (e.g. proof-texting) with hermeneutical method, whether we are considering Scripture's use of Scripture or theology's use of Scripture." Following a discussion of this, Allen and Swain present the work of Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin as "two models that might aid in recovering a positive understanding and use of proof-texts."
The authors conclude that "For these theologians, proof texts did not subvert exegetical care - they symbolized and represented its necessity. Understanding the way in which doctrines develop out of and beyond the explicit statements in biblical texts is crucial for grasping the kind of claim behind [those] made when one gives a proof text: it does not necessarily suggest that the doctrine as stated can be found there, but it does claim that the doctrine is rooted there in principle, when viewed in its larger canonical lens and when its implications are fully teased out."
Allen and Swain emphasize that the practice should not stand alone without exegetical support. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 54:3 - 2011, pp589-606.
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EMERGING CHURCH MOVEMENT
A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith, by Brian D. McLaren [1] -- reviewers Amy Devine and J. Scott Horrell (Dallas Theological Seminary) report that McLaren "expresses concern that conventional Christianity is not working. ... He invites readers to join him in 'the quest for a new kind of Christian faith,' much as did the followers of Martin Luther."
McLaren argues: "Christians must discover the true biblical story by reading Jesus 'forward' through the lens of Adam, Abraham, and the unfolding Jewish version of life rather than 'backwards' through Paul, Augustine, and the traditional church. ...
"True Christian faith must be grounded in the full revelation of Jesus Christ as seen in the synoptic Gospels."
McLaren "rejects literalism and dispensational eschatology, warning of the dire political consequences that such views carry. Rather than the Book of Revelation depicting a literal, linear view of God's judgment, McLaren says the future is a constant continuation of liberation.
"Addressing 'The Pluralism Question' McLaren says that Jesus is not the way, the truth, and the life as people have understood it. Rather, all religions will be reconciled to God through living out the gospel message of love and fraternity as part of the kingdom of God."
Devine and Horrell explain: "McLaren's response to the problems [of the traditional church] is to reinvent Christian faith. He has made up his own religion, cobbled from almost anyone who is not a traditionalist. His solution to the ills of traditional Christianity is to set aside all passages that affirm God's holiness, justice, and wrath and to elevate all that is happy, nondivisive, and optimistic. McLaren rightly scorns traditionalism's selective exegesis that favors biases, but then he himself does precisely the same thing. ...
"Jesus is the full perfection of God's revelation. Yet McLaren does not say much about Jesus other than that the real Jesus is not at all like what conventional Christians have 'precritically' assumed. ...
"McLaren denigrates just about all mainstream Christianity over two thousand years. He deems as 'immature' all those who are cautious of the new 'conversation' and unimpressed with McLaren's novel ideas. Ironically his 'new Christianity' of love, peace, and reconciliation includes just about everyone except traditional Christians. ...
"[U]nderneath McLaren's soft tones is an American elitism and spiritual arrogance. Brisk, invigorating expressions of biblical faith are needed, but abandoning primary Christian doctrine, as McLaren has done, is the road to powerless, irrelevant religion." Bibliotheca Sacra, Oct/Dec '11, pp480-482.
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THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION
"The Truth about the New Apostolic Reformation" [NAR] by C. Peter Wagner -- the former Fuller Seminary professor (now head of the Wagner Leadership Institute <www.wagnerleadership.com>) begins by acknowledging that he has felt driven to clarify the political discussion regarding the NAR and Texas governor Rick Perry. However, the brevity of this piece will do little to quiet related discussion.
"NAR represents the most radical change in the way of doing church since the Protestant Reformation. ... [T]he quality of church life, the governance of the church, the worship, the theology of prayer, the missional goals, the optimistic vision for the future and other features constitute quite a change from traditional Protestantism. ...
"I might have been the first to observe the movement, give a name to it and describe its characteristics" offering 1993 as the year it "began to come together. ...
"NAR has no official statements of theology or ecclesiology, although a large number of us do happen to agree upon many somewhat radical conclusions."
Wagner then highlights several specific areas for clarification. Regarding "apostolic governance," he simply refers to Ephesians 4:12 and quips: "Most of traditional Christianity accepts evangelists, pastors and teachers but not apostles and prophets. ...
"I strongly object to journalists using the adjective 'self-appointed' or 'self-declared' when referring to apostles. No true apostle is self-appointed. They are first gifted by God for that ministry; then the gift and its fruit are recognized by peers and the person is 'set in' or 'commissioned' to the office of apostle by respected and qualified leaders. ...
"Every apostle needs alignment with prophets, and every prophet needs apostolic alignment."
In regard to "dominionism," Wagner concludes: "Jesus brought the kingdom of God, and He expects His kingdom-minded people to take whatever action is needed to push back the long-standing kingdom of Satan and bring the peace and prosperity of His kingdom on earth. ...
"The usual meaning of theocracy is that a nation is run by authorized representatives of the church or its functional religious equivalent. Everyone I know in NAR would absolutely reject this idea.
"The way to achieve dominion is not to become 'America's Taliban,' but to have kingdom-minded people in every one of society's [areas of cultural focus] so they can use their influence to create an environment in which the blessings of prosperity of the kingdom of God can permeate all areas of society. ...
"Some object to the notion that God communicates directly with us, supposing that everything God wanted to reveal He revealed in the Bible. This cannot be true, however, because there is nothing in the Bible that says it has 66 books. It actually took God a couple hundred years to reveal to the church which writings should be included in the Bible and which should not. That is extra-biblical revelation. ...
"The one major rule governing any new revelation from God is that it can't contradict what has already been written in the Bible. It may supplement it, however. ...
"One critic claimed that NAR has an excessive fixation on Satan and demonic spirits. This is purely a judgment call, and it may only mean that we cast out more demons than they do. So what?" Any questions? Charisma, Nov '11, pp40-44.
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith, by Brian D. McLaren (HarperOne, 2011, paperback, 336 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/7qlafc9>
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