The following is a paper I recently wrote for my History of Christianity II class at Lee University's Charlotte Center on the Third Wave Movement. Comments welcome! :)
The Third Wave Movement
Introduction
A number of observers have seen in the closing years of the twentieth century a new movement sweeping across Christianity known as the "Third Wave"(#1) or "Neocharismatics."(#2) The Third Wave is identified as being a third major subsequent move of the Holy Spirit; with the Pentecostal movement in the early twentieth century being the "first wave"; and the Charismatic movement of the mid-twentieth century being the "second wave."(#3) The origins of the Third Wave movement are often traced to a controversial course taught by John Wimber with the help of C. Peter Wagner(#4) in 1982, at a Fuller Theological Seminary class called, "MC 510: Signs, Wonders and Church Growth."(#5) Though, to trace the origins of the Third Wave back to this class can be a little misleading, as according to Wagner, "its roots go back a little further."(#6) However, Wagner takes much liberty with his definition of the word "little," as there are traces of this movement as far back as 1864 in Africa, where there may have been as many as 900,000 adherents by 1900- the year before the "official birth date" of Pentecostalism!(#7) However, the Third Wave movement is not seen as gathering significant momentum until the 1980's.(#8)
The sheer size of the Third Wave is impressive. The movement "comprises 18,810 independent, indigenous, postdenominational denominations and groups."(#9) The Third Wave eclipses numerically all Pentecostals and Charismatics combined,(#10) with 295,405,240 adherents worldwide, while Pentecostals and Charismatics number 65,832,970 and 175,856,690 respectively.(#11) The Third Wave's greatest success is in the prophetic African independent churches; in Asia, especially amongst the House Church movement in China; and in Latin American countries, especially Brazil.(#12) It is estimated that by the year 2025 that the Third Wave will be able to claim nearly a half-billion members.(#13)
Third Wave Beliefs
Due to the massive number of people across the globe who comprise the Third Wave movement, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact beliefs of those who are riding this wave. Wonsuk Ma says, "Ultimately, there is no organization, coalition, or church that may represent the entire Third Wave movement."(#14) A distinguishing feature of movement is that individuals in the Third Wave do not care to be classified as Pentecostal or Charismatic, despite sharing Pentecostal-like experiences.(#15) Within the movement, "the sick are being healed, the lame are walking, demons are being cast out, and other New Testament manifestations of supernatural power are seen."(#16) Third Wave leaders such as C. Peter Wagner say that one of the main reasons they do not care to be called either Pentecostal or Charismatic (despite respect for the prior two waves) is largely due to social stigmas associated with the prior movements.(#17)
The most notable doctrine within the Third Wave movement concerns what is known as the "power encounter." The power encounter centers on beliefs concerning spiritual warfare, as well as divine healing and deliverance ministry.(#18) A power encounter can be divided in two groups: "lower level" and "higher level" power encounters. Lower level power encounters are primarily concerned with deliverance ministry. Higher level power encounters are aimed at strategically defeating evil cosmic forces.(#19)
It would be a mistake to think of lower level power encounters as simply casting demons out of possessed people. Charles Kraft, a leader in the Third Wave movement, resists the term "demon possession," preferring instead, "demonized" when speaking of demons living inside of a person.(#20) Perhaps the reason individuals such as Kraft prefer to think of people as demonized instead of possessed is because it appears they think of man much like a house, containing many different rooms- body, soul, and spirit. A demon may be found dwelling within any one of these rooms. This tripartite view is perhaps best exemplified in the fact that Kraft believes (through personal experience) that even a Christian can be demonized. While Kraft denies that a demon can inhabit the spirit of a Christian, he believes that a demon could live within a Christian's body or soul.(#21)
Those within the Third Wave movement see passages such as Daniel 10:12-13 and Ephesians 6:12(#22) as referring to higher level spirits (also known as "principalities and powers") that reign over various regions of the world, that act as demonic supervisors of lower level demons. These higher level spirits can be found over cities, regions, and various nations. They can also be over various organizations, including churches and governments. The higher level spirits seek to encourage various sins such as prostitution, abortion, homosexuality, etc. In order to defeat such higher level spirits through a power encounter, a technique known as "spiritual mapping" is practiced, where believers attempt to discern and identify these cosmic level spirits so that strategies can be developed in order to oppose and defeat them.(#23) Such strategies include "authoritative prayer," where somebody takes the authority of Jesus over conditions that are against the will of God, and asserting this authority against the enemy.(#24) It is believed that if these higher level spirits can be discerned and their power broken, then the gospel will have a greater impact on the people who hear it.(#25)
Conclusions
While having some biblical foundations for their rather peculiar views concerning spiritual warfare, much of these doctrines do not come from a historical-critical approach to studying the Scriptures. This can be seen by such scholars as F.F. Bruce, who notes the vague ways that terms are combined in the Scriptures when speaking of the various orders of the angelic realm, warns us against any attempt to reconstruct a fixed system from them.(#26) Rather than basing their doctrine on the Scriptures, much of Third Wave doctrine comes from their own personal spiritual experiences.(#27) Literature written by Third Wave leaders shows very little exegesis of the Scriptures to back their claims; rather, personal experiences and revelations are constantly spoken of and seldom critiqued. Some, such as Kraft even go as far as to base their doctrines on what, "demons consistently speak of,"(#28) when attempting to cast them out.
In exalting experience over Scripture, the Third Wave movement diminishes the saving power of Christ, as well as the power of the gospel. It diminishes the saving power of Christ in saying that a demon can inhabit the flesh or soul of a Christian. Such is contrary to Scripture where Jesus says, "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (Jn 8:36; NASB). It also diminishes the power of the gospel, in saying that higher level cosmic forces can act as a filter that weakens the potency of the gospel. Such is contrary to Scripture, for if the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16; KJV), then surely it is able to cut through whatever fog the enemy may put up. It is rather ironic, that while attempting to exalt the authority of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Third Wave movement actually diminishes both.
Due to its size, it cannot be doubted that the Third Wave movement is making its mark upon Christianity and the world. However, what can be doubted is if this movement is a genuine "wave" of the Holy Spirit. Because of its size, diversity, and rather independent nature, caution must be exercised in attempts to draw conclusions about the movement as a whole, as one congregation's beliefs might be very different from another church just down the street that considers itself part of the Third Wave. While it might be tempting to broad brush when attempting to discern this movement, each church must be examined on its own merits and its own statements of faith, before any final conclusions are made.
Footnotes
1 C. Peter Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit: Encountering the Power of Signs and Wonders Today (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1988), 13.
2 Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds., The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, rev. and expanded ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 17.
3 Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 16-17.
4 Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 24.
5 Wonsuk Ma, "A 'First Waver' Looks at the 'Third Wave': A Pentecostal Reflection on Charles Kraft's Power Encounter Terminology," Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 19, no. 2 (Fall 1997): 189.
6 Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 18.
7 Burgess and van der Maas, introduction to The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 20.
8 Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 18.
9 Burgess and van der Maas, introduction to The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 20.
10 Ibid., 17.
11 Ibid., 286.
12 Ibid., 17.
13 Ibid., 286.
14 Ma, "A 'First Waver' Looks at the 'Third Wave,'" 190.
15 Burgess and van der Maas, introduction to The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 20.
16 C. Peter Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 18
17 Ibid., 54.
18 Charles H. Kraft, "Spiritual Warfare: A Neocharismatic Perspective," in The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, rev. and expanded ed., eds. Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 1093.
19 Ma, "A 'First Waver' Looks at the 'Third Wave,'" 190.
20 Kraft, "Spiritual Warfare," 1095.
21 Ibid., 1095.
22 Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 59-60.
23 Kraft, 1094-95.
24 Ibid., 1092.
25 Wagner, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, 58.
26 F.F. Bruce, The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. New International Commentary on the New Testament. (Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1984), 64.
27 Thomas D. Pratt, "The Need to Dialogue: A Review of the Debate on the Controversy of Signs, Wonders, Miracles and Spiritual Warfare Raised in the Literature of the Third Wave Movement." Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 13, no. 1 (Spring 1991): 22.
28 Kraft, 1095.
Bibliography
Bruce, F.F. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1984.
Burgess, Stanley M. and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds. The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Rev. and expanded edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
Kraft, Charles H. "Spiritual Warfare: A Neocharismatic Perspective" in The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Rev. and expanded edition. Edited by Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002: 1091-1096.
Ma, Wonsuk. "A 'First Waver' Looks at the 'Third Wave': A Pentecostal Reflection on Charles Kraft's Power Encounter Terminology." Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 19:2 (Fall 1997): 189-206.
Pratt, Thomas D. "The Need to Dialogue: A Review of the Debate on the Controversy of Signs, Wonders, Miracles and Spiritual Warfare Raised in the Literature of the Third Wave Movement." Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 13:1 (Spring 1991): 7-32.
Wagner, C. Peter. The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit: Encountering the Power of Signs and Wonders Today. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 1988.
_________________ Jimmy H
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