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.
