Daniel Kolenda has taken time from his saving over 22 million souls to bash those that dare discuss the New Apostolic Reformation...

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

Charisma Magazine

In fairness to many, the usage of the term New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) can be quite confusing sometimes. The term NAR has grown and metastasized on the same level as the apostate church because they can be considered one in the same. Therein lies the problem for most heretics who cannot see that they are as wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked as the Church in Laodicea from Revelation. Jesus once warned that when you convince yourself that your darkness is light, how deep is that darkness! We must understand that there are obvious hucksters out there. People like Mike Murdoch or Jennifer LeClaire are obviously doing their schtick for the money. No one truly believes Benny Hinn actually believes the Holy Spirit enters his suit coat before he knocks over the crowd. The bible says however that many false teachers will continue on deceiving and being deceived themselves. Many in the NAR may truly believe they are doing the work of the Lord, even if none of it aligns with His word. Many may truly believe that if they could just get the world to come up for an altar call and say a seven-word prayer that everyone will be saved. That is what passes for evangelism these days. The reason why they may believe their own nonsense is because the bible is not at the forefront of their doctrine or efforts. This is actually a hallmark of the NAR by the way. When you rely upon experiential Christianity and the feelings of your own wickedly deceitful heart is it any wonder you cannot bring yourself to admit that you are part of the end times apostate church? That you believe and espouse NAR theology. The above linked article is from Daniel Kolenda who seems very upset that some have correctly labeled him a heretic or part of the NAR. All we need to know is he inherited the ministry of renowned heretic, Reinhard Bonnke and in his own bio, he claims to have led over 22 million people to Christ. That aside, Kolenda is just the latest in a long line of Charismatics who have tried to pretend that the NAR does not really exist. Just some food for thought. If you truly believed that then why did you take the time to try and debunk it to this extent? The visual in my head as I read through this is of Kolenda stamping his feet like a petulant child trying to convince you that he wasn't the one who drew on the walls with permanent marker. This is a long article and thus a long devotional, so please set aside the time to digest it all because it truly gives us a glimpse into how the apostate church will continue to try and marginalize true believers as the end times deepen. Let us reason together once more.

'Have you heard of the New Apostolic Reformation? Some people say it's a nefarious organization of heretical charismatics who are scheming to take over the entire world. The conspiracy theories surrounding the NAR range from mere speculations to full-blown Illuminati-type accusations. However, after talking with those accused of being a part of the NAR, I realized they had never even heard of the group and were shocked to find out they were among its "members." In fact, I now believe these theories point to nothing more than the discord between traditional evangelicals and charismatics that we've known about for years.

After hearing questions about the NAR come up multiple times from our listening audience, I took several months to research this subject to make certain I had the full picture. Then I decided to share what I discovered in a recent episode of my new podcast, Daniel Kolenda, Off the Record. During the podcast, I play audio recordings and published quotes from the accusers, addressing each of their accusations head-on. I will summarize my findings in this article, but for more detail, please listen to the podcast. My quest began when I received a question from one of my podcast listeners named Max, all the way from Germany. He had heard rumors about the NAR in his congregation and was shocked to hear I had been named as one of its members. Max wrote, "At some point, I read that Daniel Kolenda is a part of this movement and that he would believe [its teachings] himself. My first thought was, definitely not! After everything I've read and heard from you, I can't even imagine that you believe [like the NAR] even in part. But since statements from some of these 'members' find their way into our congregation, I would be very interested in what is this New Apostolic Reformation all about, and what exactly are the goals of this organization/movement."' - Daniel Kolenda

The first trick usually employed by those trying to dismiss the NAR is to mock the notion that it could exist. Kolenda tries that here with the term Illuminati. This notion however that those who are NAR feign ignorance is not uncommon. Neither is the presentation of the NAR as an organization, which it is not. The NAR is more like a collection of heretical doctrine that is widely accepted throughout the apostate church system. So, while it is correct to say Bethel Church is NAR it is more accurate to say that they teach NAR doctrine. It is interesting here that Kolenda floats the notion that this is really a discord between evangelicals and Charismatics. While the false signs and lying wonders of Charismania is certainly part of the NAR it falls well short of defining it. The discord however, is between sound doctrine and utter heresy. It is about churches that are leading millions of people down the broad path that leads only to destruction.

Significant Trend or Concerning Movement? Where did the term New Apostolic Reformation originate? C. Peter Wagner, a church growth expert and professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, coined the phrase. Unfortunately, Wagner died in 2016, so we can't ask him to address the matter. However, he lived long enough to see the beginnings of the snowball effect he unintentionally started. He gave a public response, explaining the reasons he coined the terminology, in an article published on August 24, 2011, on Charisma News: "The NAR is not an organization. No one can join or carry a card. It has no leader. I have been called the 'founder,' but this is not the case. One reason I might be seen as an 'intellectual godfather' is that I might have been the first to observe the movement, give a name to it and describe its characteristics as I saw them. When this began to come together through my research in 1993, I was professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary, where I taught for 30 years." This means there is no organization, ministry or denomination called the NAR. Wagner simply coined a phrase to describe a real phenomenon he had seen happening all over the world for the past 50 years or so. He noticed the shift because, for most of church history, there were basically one or two main Christian denominations, but then thousands of nondenominational church movements began experiencing exponential growth. Some of these church movements grew so large they dwarfed the mainline denominations in some regions.

It is always hysterical when someone denying the existence of the NAR has to admit that it actually did originate with C. Peter Wagner. Wagner's heresy started much earlier than 2011 though. You see Wagner thought God was putting the band back together and he was one of the chosen apostles. Hence, the new apostolic reformation. Over the years however Wagner expanded on the NAR. He was also clear that his vision did not include a change to fundamental doctrine, but I still doubt that Kolenda might denounce what the NAR has become. Wagner saw instead the apostate church growing and would be organized through these new apostles. This culminated in 2008 when he had his apostles, including Bill Johnson from Bethel, come to Lakeland Florida to anoint Todd Bentley a prophet. And they did, oil poured over his head and everything. The very next day Bentley would fall from grace for an affair with his secretary. God will not be mocked and He waited so He could expose the entire NAR along with Bentley.

This isn't just a Pentecostal or charismatic movement; it's a significant trend that crosses over into all sectors of the church at large. This is why Wagner described it as "independent," and he was correct. Had he gone with the term "postdenominational" as a title for the movement rather than the "New Apostolic Reformation," I doubt there would have been any backlash. Instead, critics have grabbed hold of his term and taken full advantage of Wagner's innocent, albeit unfortunate, attempt to describe this type of church growth. I now believe the critics have done this as a way to push a nefarious agenda of their own. The Wikipedia entry for the NAR is a great example. Here's what this online outlet gives as a definition: "The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a movement which seeks to establish a fifth branch within Christendom, distinct from Catholicism, Protestantism (which includes Pentecostalism), Oriental Orthodoxy, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The movement largely consists of churches nominally or formerly associated with Pentecostal denominations and Charismatic movements but have diverged from traditional Pentecostal and Charismatic theology in that it advocates for the restoration of the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of prophet and apostle." If we examine the source for this entry, we find only one citation for the definition of the NAR, and it points to one Charisma News article from 2011. When we compare the Wikipedia entry to the source itself, we realize it doesn't support anything Wikipedia says other than the part about advocating for the restoration of the offices of apostles and prophets. The rest is completely unsubstantiated. I mention this because I find this typical, not only for this Wikipedia entry, but more generally for people who discuss the NAR. Much of what they say is pure and simple nonsense.

The Kolenda's of the world cannot see so they do not get it. This has nothing to do with the word "new", "apostolic", or "reformation." It has everything to do with God's word however. As for this example, Kolenda seems to now be getting desperate. He brings up a silly entry on a Wikipedia page and then uses it to dismiss anyone who discusses the NAR as nonsensical. I do not know who made this entry but it does fall well short of defining the NAR today. I agree with Kolenda that the NAR is not seeking to become a fifth branch of Christendom. It is far more greedy than that. It does however seek this false authority paradigm regarding apostles and prophets but that is merely one spoke in the tire.

Doctrinal Issues or Dangerous Heresy? The whole NAR question reminds me of a spectrum. On one end, we have some truth and a few facts, even if they're mostly misunderstood, and on the other end, we have extreme full-blown "Illuminati type" conspiracy theories. There in the middle, where most of the NAR criticism lands, we find pure speculation or exaggeration. Even when a critic raises a good point about a questionable doctrine or practice, when we uncover its root, it has nothing to do with something called the NAR. It's just a doctrinal issue that needs to be addressed. Those who talk about the NAR are almost always critics who never have a clue what they're talking about. They usually use the term as a sort of catch-all, generic label to brand people they dislike as heretics. There may have been a handful of doctrinal issues typically associated with the NAR in the beginning, but that list has morphed into anything and everything the critics find distasteful in others' theology.

Notice that Kolenda offers up no proof, no examples, no support for his unsustainable positions. He offers a spectrum he created solely to again dismiss legitimate criticisms. At best, he claims some may possess a truth, a few facts, or a good point but at worst it is Illuminati conspiracy theories. Right. Even when someone might have a point about false doctrine that certainly is not associated with the NAR and is just a small doctrinal matter to be addressed. Let's be clear, something like the seven mountains mandate is sheer and utter heresy. Believing in personal experience over biblical fact is heresy. These are not small matters and no matter how much they are addressed, they remain uncorrected. No matter how Kolenda tries to dismiss the NAR critics as merely addressing something distasteful remember that we are talking about heretical doctrine that will end up landing a person before Christ bemoaning "Lord Lord." I also agree that the term NAR has become a bit of a catch all but it must be when you look at the scope of heresy embraced. Just look at Bethel, ground zero for the NAR. They fully support, embrace and defend prosperity gospels, healing on demand, dead raising teams, grave sucking, false signs and lying wonders, dominionism, and experiential Christianity just to name some off the top of my head. So yes, the term NAR has become a catch all for a cesspool of false teachings that will lead people straight to hell.

One of the main doctrinal issues that can brand a person as belonging to the notorious NAR is a concept known as "dominion" or "kingdom now" theology. This is taught in various ways, but the common denominator is the idea that as Christians, we're called to do more than just hang on until Jesus comes and rescues us from this God-forsaken world. No, we are called to be salt and light. We are here to make a real difference. Part of our assignment as the church is to influence society and culture through our gifts, our talents and our lives in general. Most Christians would agree with what I've just stated. If that applies to you, you might be surprised to learn that this could cause the critics to call you an NAR heretic. How do I know? Because I've been branded this way. Yet as far as "dominion theology" goes, what I just described is what I believe and teach.

At last we get into the false understanding of the bible that is the calling card for the NAR. Salt and light refers to how we live as Christians in a fallen society not how we stop that society from falling. The NAR is constantly chasing a false vision of revival in a world that was never alive to begin with. Dominionism is central to the NAR. It is purely carnal and political disguised with a thin veneer of piety. Do you know where Kolenda even got this teaching? C. Peter Wagner:

"Dominionism. This refers to the desire that some of my friends and I have to follow Jesus and do what He wants. One of the things He does want He taught us to pray for in the Lord's Prayer: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This means that we do our best to see that what we know is characteristic of heaven work its way into the warp and woof of our society here on earth. But where does dominion come in? On the first page of the Bible, God told Adam and Eve to "fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, etc." (Genesis 1:28). Adam, Eve, and the whole human race were to take dominion over the rest of creation, but Satan entered the picture, succeeded in usurping Adam's dominion for himself and became what Jesus calls "the ruler of this world" (John 14:30). When Jesus came, He 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 here on earth. This is what we mean by dominionism." -- C. Peter Wagner

At least Wagner was honest about his false beliefs. God giving Adam dominion over the fish does not mean God gives us dominion over other human beings who do not share our beliefs. The notion that God needs us for anything, let alone to bring peace to the world in advance of His coming is patently absurd. Remember though; the NAR adherents worship this world not the eternal life. This notion of "on earth as it is in heaven" is bastardized by Bethel routinely. They espouse literally bringing heaven to earth. That is not supported anywhere in scripture. This world is falling away. At the time Jesus walked the earth His followers had real problems with the rulers of the world, Rome. Yet Jesus mentioned this zero times. He taught about how to represent Him in that word zero times. He discussed the politics of that world, zero times. Jesus did not instruct us to push back against Satan but rather to resist him and even that was for our personal lives not on an international basis. Our assignment is not to influence culture beloved. It is to show people the love of God so they might be willing to come out from among that culture. The church however has spent the past two decades trying to find relevance with the evil world and the NAR has succeeded immeasurably. The world no longer sees the church as a shining city on a hill but rather as a corrupt entity that is the easily compromised accomplice to one of the major political parties in this country.

A more radical view of dominion theology is post-millennial eschatology, or the belief that Jesus will return to set up His kingdom after the millennium rather than before. Essentially, this eschatological system sets forth the idea that the church will usher in the return of Christ by taking over in leadership. People like Charles Finney, John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards, whom the Calvinists usually revere, all ascribed to a post-millennial eschatology. Have these evangelical heresy-hunters accused Jonathan Edwards of being a heretic, part of the NAR or someone who believed in dominion theology because of his post-millennialism?

Of course not. He's one of their heroes. Yet they call charismatics "NAR heretics" on the basis of less radical views on the same subject. How is that consistent? How is that fair?

Strawman argument. I have met no one who criticizes the NAR even remotely discussing eschatology. Why? Because that is not the issue with dominionism. Dominionism loves this world. It wants the sins of the world. It idolizes this world. It could care less about end times theology because it is too busy abusing this day theology. They insist that there are seven cultural mountains that Jesus wants the church to conquer before He returns. The initial teaching was that Jesus could not return until this was accomplished but modern-day NAR adherents realized this was so unbiblical that they quickly shifted to "influencing" instead of conquering. Oh, by the way, wonder where they got such a bad theology like the seven mountains garbage? C. Peter Wagner:

"The way to achieve dominion is not to become "America's Taliban," but rather to have kingdom-minded people in every one of the Seven Mountains: Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment, and Business so that they can use their influence to create an environment in which the blessings and prosperity of the Kingdom of God can permeate all areas of society. -- C. Peter Wagner

Except that logic only works if you convert everyone to your belief system. Last time I checked the Crusades didn't work either. Even though most NAR folks dabble in the notion of Christian media or entertainment, the primary focus from the seven mountains heresy is in politics. Dominionism has become the last idol of the church age. So many churches are infected with this and it only has grown over the past few years. Without getting overly political, realize that the same people who invaded the Capital last year, beat the police within inches of their lives, defecated in the well of the Senate and threatened to hang the Vice President started their infiltration with prayer and by praising Jesus Christ. The church does not conquer societal mountains because it cannot. More importantly, it should not. Do we really need another alleged Christian production like "The Chosen" or alleged Christian book like The Shack?

Jealousy or Charismatic Cabal? The second part of the whole NAR conspiracy is the charismatic connection. This part is pretty easy to understand because evangelical heresy-hunters have always disliked charismatics. Why? Much of it boils down to jealousy. The Bible tells us that even Jesus was delivered up by the Pharisees because of jealousy (see Matt. 27:18). It's easy to understand why the critics are jealous. The largest spiritual movements in the world are charismatic. The most popular worship music is charismatic. Most of the large churches in the world are charismatic. There's energy and excitement and, more importantly, abundant evidence of fruit in the charismatic camp.

Yes, the largest spiritual movements in the world are Charismatic but it is not the Holy Spirit they move in. Realize that Daniel Kolenda is bragging about things like the Toronto Blessing where Christians rolled around on the floor making animal noises whole claiming the Holy Spirit made them do so. I am not jealous of that Daniel. It saddens me because it is a stain on Christianity. Likewise, the Pensacola outpouring was a stain. Videos of this event still show people violently shaking and uncontrollably spasming. You do realize that self-control is literally one of the fruits of the spirit! Check the key verses if you are unsure! Fast forward to Lakeland Florida and the ministry of the aforementioned Todd Bentley. His entire routine was punching and kicking people to allegedly impart healing from the Holy Spirit. He claimed to have a personal angel named Emma. This was someone you guys anointed a prophet! He is still in ministry today despite newer allegations off cheating on his second wife, who was his secretary from the initial infidelity. Remind me again why we should be jealous of this? Just because your music is popular does not mean it is biblical or even remotely "good" for Christians. Generations ago we sang about how great thou art and today we sing about how much God loves us. One of those is not worship. Comparing this to the jealousy of the Pharisees only further cements that Daniel Kolenda does not understand scripture. If anything, Kolenda's critique here is more akin to the Pharisees delivering up Jesus because He threatened their power and money-making schemes, you know like discernment ministers doing the same to the NAR folk today? Whatever fruit resides in your camp it is rotten, but you cannot see it. I will give you the energy and excitement but people have always been excitable about their sin. For the record, I do not hate Charismatics and I still fancy myself one. I just hate bible twisting and abusing the gifts of the spirit. If you trusted the bible you would see this.

What's more, the charismatics expose the complete spiritual bankruptcy of these critics. If what the charismatics experience is indeed authentic, what does it say about their critics? Of course, it makes them look bad. It makes it look like they're missing out on something really importantand they are! But rather than repent and seek God, it's a lot easier just to attack charismatics, accuse them of heresy and claim everything they're doing is counterfeit Christianity. That way they can feel better about themselves and save face in front of their friends without having to change the very attitudes and doctrines that keep them unfruitful, miserable and critical. The NAR narrative was the devil's gift to the critics for their help in His divide-and-conquer plan.

Yeah. No. Sorry Daniel but that dog don't hunt. The problem of course is with your premise because what you are experiencing is not authentic. How do I know? Because the bible says so. Self-control Daniel. Self-control. Did you see your charismatic compatriot running for Senator last week claim that she speaks to her 18-month-old toddler in tongues? Full conversations! What about your gaggle of false prophets who wrongly said Donald Trump was going to win a second term? Do you support Jennifer LeClaire who claims there is a sneaky squid spirit stalking her and routinely releases the angels of abundant harvest? Believe me when I tell you that I am not even trying here. Charismania is littered with garbage like this every single day because the underpinnings of NAR theology are simply unbiblical and inauthentic. My writing about it does not make me feel better about myself. The entire debacle makes me sad for those caught in your web of lies who will pay the eternal price one day unless they come out from among you.

For years now, they have been painting the charismatic movement as heretical and unorthodox, but thanks to the NAR conspiracy theory, they can now make it seem diabolical and nefarious as well. They took over all of the leftist talking points, added a few of their own, made a few new guilt by association connectionsand created a theory designed to divide. They created a picture of Christian leaders dedicated to taking over the world by any means possible and working in the shadows to accomplish their goal.

Leftists talking points? See how easily they weave politics into this? Let's also clarify that a Charismatic simply believes that the gifts of the spirit are for today. A biblical Charismatic however recognize that you cannot set up a fake supernatural school to teach the gifts like Bethel has done for example. The gifts are apportioned by the Holy Spirit as He wills. These are not political arguments but rather biblical ones. Please stop with your obvious strawmen. While hardcore NAR believers might think that the church will take over the world no one mainstream does. They just want to worship their idol and reap the carnal rewards. When is the next leadership conference? When is the next campus expansion? When is the next book signing deal?

The truth is that there is no secret charismatic Illuminati. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone. I know the world would be a lot more interesting if there were things like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster, and if Elvis and Tupac were still alive, but these theories are simply untrue. I think a lot of these conspiracy theorists are bored out of their minds and longing for mental stimulation. There is no secret cabal of charismatic leaders behind the scenes, pulling strings, trying to take over the world. Wagner coined the term NAR, wrote about it in several books and preached on it. In his mind, that terminology was a good way of categorizing the largest, most diverse and most influential swath of Christendom the world has ever known, but that was Wagner's terminology. It was his category. The people Wagner described would have identified as charismatics, Pentecostals, nondenominational or as part of one of countless independent church movements. They never agreed on terminology, joined an organization or signed a particular statement of faith. In fact, they didn't even realize the term existed. I think these critics have vastly overestimated Wagner's influence. I spent my entire life in the charismatic world and rarely heard him mentioned. The charismatic world is massive. There are up to 700 million people who identify as charismatic, according to some sources, and few of us, relatively speaking, have any connection to Wagner. If I happen to believe something Wagner also believed, such as the relevance of the apostolic and prophetic offices, I promise there is no direct connection. I believed that way long before I heard Wagner's name. I didn't get my views from his or anyone else's book but from the Bible itself.

Pathetic. Daniel Kolenda has offered zero proof thus far and every time he referenced scripture he missed by a country mile. He has tried over and over again to marginalize and mock those who correct the NAR's dangerous theology by comparing the correction to Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. People who exercise discernment are not conspiracy theorists. Considering the overall NAR position on vaccines it is comical to lodge this accusation. We know there is no secret cabal of charismatic leaders plotting to take over the world. There is however a blatantly open group of Charismaniacal leaders who worship this country and teach the absolute worst and heretical doctrines imaginable. I do not overstate Wagner's influence. It was his idea. He coined the term and a lot of his teachings remain in it. The NAR has moved on however well past Wagner. The issue is not with Wagner. It is with what his false teaching has grown into.

If we listen to these critics for long, we notice many seem to have great difficulty suspending their preconceived biases to evaluate in a fair and objective way. Maybe they're just irrational people. I don't know them personally, so I can't say. But they may tolerate irrationality on this particular issue because it confirms their bias. Frankly, to dismiss our beliefs with this silly argument is lazythe equivalent to a concession of defeat. When these heresy hunters talk about the NAR, we should interpret their words as though they're describing full-gospel, Bible-believing, Spirit-filled Christians. That's all we have in common. The people accused of being part of the NAR don't share a set of doctrines or beliefs beyond some basic ones, such as believing the gifts of the Spirit are for todaya belief held by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

It is mildly amusing to watch a man who has displayed confirmation bias for so long then accuse his detractors of the same. Once again however he misses the point. The NAR beliefs are not minor. They are not basic. It is not about believing in tongues for example. It is about believing your 18-month-old is speaking in tongues. It is not about believing in words of knowledge. It is about using your smart phone to glean information and the pretend to be a prophet imparting words of knowledge, like Shawn Bolz of Bethel does. The people associated with the NAR certainly adhere to a core set of false beliefs.

Do the NAR critics understand the difference between correlation and causation? Just because I believe apostles exist today and Wagner believed that apostles exist today doesn't mean one caused the other. This seems to be the central issue. Yes, millions of people believe apostles exist, probably more like hundreds of millions. We're called charismatics, not disciples of Wagner. We will continue to stand for the gifts of the Spirit and the full counsel of Scripture, no matter what Wikipediaor anyone elsesays we believe.

The final strawman. No one is saying this about Wagner. He is important historically to see where some of the heresy emanated from but he is largely irrelevant otherwise. Today this is about Daniel Kolenda pretending that talking to other NAR people is "research." It is then about him presenting his attacks and thinly veiled snark as a means to dismiss any worthy criticisms of the heresies he traffics in. It is however the norm from the NAR and the defenders of it, such as Dr. Michael Brown. You would think that someone who believes he has personally led over 22 million people to Christ would have better things to spend his time on but there is nothing more important to the NAR than defending the brand. Since they cannot use the bible to do so, they try to dismiss, marginalize and mock any rightful criticism of it. We can expect more of this as those criticisms continue to hit so close to home for those who claim the mantle of Christ but have no intention of following His teachings.

Reverend Anthony Wade - January 26, 2022

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.