I first came into contact with the Vineyard Movement several years ago when I heard that some young men from various assemblies of believers, interested in church planting, were being encouraged to learn how under the ministry of John Wimber and C. Peter Wagner. Who were these men? I wondered. What did they believe? The answer shocked me.
John Wimber’s wife convinced him that the Charismatics were right about “signs and wonders.” However, those in the movement deny they are Charismatics (on a technicality–they don’t believe in the “falling away doctrine” or that everyone must speak in tongues). Yet there is little difference today.
Leaving his post at Fuller Seminary (where he was replaced by Wagner), Wimber took over his wife’s Bible study and turned it into the first Vineyard church. There are now 400 such groups in the U.S. alone.
Reading his books and a series of articles Wagner wrote in Christian Life magazine, I discovered that Wagner believes there are verifiable resurrections in the world today. He believes that Christ is the head of the church, but minimizes the role of elders, saying that “the pastor is the nervous system.” He believes that prophets speaking for God today can give extra-biblical revelations (but can also be wrong). He believes the Bible is not inerrant. And there was much more.
With Wimber, Wagner teaches that this movement is the Third Wave. The First Wave was the Holiness Movement at the turn of the century, which really only touched a few smaller Pentecostal groups. The Second Wave was the Charismatic Movement that offered some form of rejuvenation for the largely dead mainline churches. Now this Third Wave, they say, will sweep the world.
Another descriptive phrase used by those in this movement is “power evangelism.” One of the issues discussed at great length in Fuller Seminary was the concept of “world view.” The conclusion was drawn that the affluent West has only a two-part world view while the rest of the world sees three parts. The Western mind only thinks of the present material world and the afterlife, while the rest of humanity adds the netherworld–the region of goblins, ancestors, and other spirit beings. Those who believe in such things move freely between the two worlds, aided by their witch doctors, shamans, fortune tellers, et al.
From this, it was concluded that if Christian missions wanted to make an impact around the globe, they must embrace this three-part view. We cannot expect a hunter in Africa to follow Christ unless we can show that He can lead the hunter to better prey than his ancestors would. As an example, Wagner speaks of a man from India who placed a piece of camel dung fuel in front of each of his gods, and one in front of a picture of Christ. When the dung in front of Christ’s picture burst into flame, the man became an evangelist, according to Wagner. No mention of sin or judgment or repentance. What evangel was it that the man intended to preach?
It is contended that every time this gospel is preached aright, an explosion of power occurs. Hence the term, “power evangelism.”
The latest manifestation of this untested spirit (1 Jn. 4:1) is known as the “Toronto Blessing” because the activity surrounds a Vineyard congregation there. It is characterized by “holy laughter”–falling to the floor in uncontrolled hysteria (“doing carpet time”) and being “drunk in the Spirit.” Others bark like dogs or roar like wild animals.
“We bless what the Father is doing,” says pastor John Arnott, “[but] we don’t know exactly what it is.” Wimber confesses, “There have been times in the past when we’ve attempted to cast demons out of people who made ‘animal noises.'” “But now,” observes Larry Thomas of Amazing Grace Ministries, “when you do that, it’s evidence that the Holy Ghost is doing something great in your life!” Wise Christians will keep a very healthy distance from such forbidden fire.