New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) leaders and NAR propaganda organisations like Christianity Today and Charisma Magazine are doing their best to downplay their role this incredibly deceitful international movement.
Some have even attempted to down play the NAR’s existence by calling it the “so-called NAR.” Christianity Today (CT) and Michael Brown were good examples of this. Apostles, prophets, pastors, leaders and teachers of this cult have also been trying to downplay (or hide) their involvement with this movement. Downplaying their title or role is one of the key characteristics of this movement’s leaders. (See Bill Johnson, Michael Brown, etc)
So it’s no surprise to see that even Rolland and Heidi Baker have tried to downplay their own apostolic leadership in this movement.
For instance, here is a cover article by Christianity Today where Heidi Baker lied about her apostleship:
Miracles in Mozambique: How Mama Heidi Reaches the Abandoned
Just like “Papa” is title for male NARpostle, “Mama” is a title for a female NARpostle. Are Christianity Today deliberately protecting their Apostles (John Arnott is the Baker’s Apostle in the “Toronto movement”)?
“Though they have lost financial support due to their association with the Toronto movement, the Bakers are loyal to its leaders and attend their Catch the Fire conferences in North America every year. Several leaders involved are active in the so-called New Apostolic Reformation, a controversial charismatic movement. But the Bakers do not promote the New Apostolic Reformation or consider themselves to be modern-day apostles.”
The fact that CT reported the Bakers “do not promote the New Apostolic Reformation” tells us that CT and/or the Bakers are lying to the body of Christ. The claim that the Bakers do not “consider themselves to be modern-day apostles” is simply deceitful.
In the NAR, people will claim the title of ‘apostle’ to further their own agendas. In the past, they have used these titles to grow in prominence and be treated as ‘royalty’. (Phil Pringle, Brian Houston, Frank Houston, Sunday Adelaja are just some examples.)
But when claims begin to come across as too controversial, they drop this title. NARpostle and prophet David Cartledge gives us insight into how and why this title-dropping occurs. Read more here.
“Almost all Australian apostolic ministries are quite emphatic that they will not use the title ‘apostle’.”
Source: David Cartledge, The Apostolic Revolution, Australia: McPherson’s Printing Group, Published 2000. pg. 393.
However, according to the ministries of Heidi and Rolland Baker back in 2011, their Iris Ministries claim they ARE NARpostles:
“Who is your pastoral covering?
As an Iris Global missions base, our direct apostolic covering are our founders, Heidi and Rolland Baker.” – Iris Ministries, FAQ, Iris Nashville, http://www.irisnashville.com/faq/, (Nashville) [Archive]
The Covering Doctrine is an invention of the NAR to try to unite/rally Christian churches under their NARpostolic Governance. It is often known as an umbrella system and is also connected to the NAR ‘Alignment Theology’. These theologies exist to force ministries and churches to be under Apostles to be spiritually accountable and to receive God’s protection from attacks from Satan, his enemies and the world. (Chris Rosebrough did a brilliant job exposing how this theology fails on a practical level in the NAR leadership structures.)
As we know, John Arnott is also considered to be an NAR Apostle. He was a catalyst for the NAR revival known as the Toronto Blessing at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) in January of 1994. Partners In Harvest is a family of churches and ministries worldwide that was birthed as a result of the ‘revival’ that began in Toronto in 1994 under the ministry of John & Carol Arnott. [Source]
This NAR revival was a catalyst that then started the Pensacola Revival. NARpostle Bill Johnson, NARpostle Che Ahn and Healing NARvangelist Todd Bentley all talking about the fact that Todd Bentley’s Lakeland was an outcome of this revival in 2008.
However, Talk2Action reported that in a 2012 bulletin, Che Ahn described Revival Alliance was in development prior to 2008.
“In 2005, Bob Jones prophesied to Heidi and Rolland Baker to form a new network that would be the container for the one billions souls coming in. He named John and Carol Arnott, Bill and Beni Johnson, Randy and Deanne Clark along with Sue and me among those to be involved. God also revealed Georgian and Winnie Banov’s involvement as we all met together to pray and strategize.The baby was born around Easter in 2006 where we came together and formed the Revival Alliance. God lead us to map out the world and our respective areas of greatest strength at that time: The Bakers, Africa; the Arnotts, Canada and Europe; the Johnsons, Australia, New Zealand and the USA; the Banovs, Eastern Europe, and HIM in Asia and India.
Since submitting ourselves to each other and God’s larger mission, our HIM churches have doubled to more than 10,000 and every ministry within Revival Alliance cites the same exponential growth.” [See article at the bottom]
While we can not find this 2012 Bulletin, Che Ahn confirms this at Lakeland and specifically mentioned that God spoke to “Prophet” Bob Jones to “Bring the Revivalists together.” (Revivalists is another code word for Apostle.)
“And so Heidi Baker got that word. Shared it with John Arnott, Bill Johnson, with me. And so we gather together…”
While Che Ahn was talking, Todd Bentley interrupted to add this important detail:
“I mean you, John Arnott, Randy Clark, Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, I mean, you guys are the real generals of revival.” [Source]
Here is an image of all these Revivalists/Generals/Apostles gathered together by Heidi Baker prior 2008.
Chris Rosebrough critiqued this audio and pointed out that when Todd Bentley called these people “Generals,” he was calling them “Apostles.” Furthermore, Che Ahn, John Arnott and Bill Johnson were recognized as apostles at Todd Bentley’s Apostolic Alignment Ceremony. The leading Apostle of the NAR, C. Peter Wagner, who lead the ceremony, even compared Che Ahn, John Arnott and Bill Johnson to the New Testament Apostles “James, Cephas, and John” and applied the attribute of “pillar” to them as the Bible did to the 3 Apostles. So it appears that the Baker’s are intrinsically involved in the NAR and are indeed Apostles.
But that’s not all.
A NAR Renewal Movement in Australia (that claims to be Lutheran), seems to be drawing some sort of theology from the Toronto Blessing. Speaking at this conference is Rolland Baker. These people are convinced that Heidi and Rolland Baker carry an “apostolic mantle” and appear determined to have the Baker’s “apostolic mantle” imparted to them at this Lutheran Renewal conference.
“The aim of the conference is to receive an “apostolic mantle” (a mantle of authority by the Spirit of God) for Australia. Rolland Baker, together with his wife Heidi, is carrying one for the nation of Mozambique (and they reach many other nations) and, at the conference, we want to be on a journey of humbling ourselves and exercising faith for an impartation of what God has placed on Rolland and Canon Andrew White.”
Source: That They Be One (Free Event), FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/events/998979780190849/, Published 15/08/2016.
CONCLUSION
We notice that whenever the NAR attempt to flex its ‘authoritarian’ muscles and as a result receive strong criticism, they pull back and attempt to (once again), redefine themselves. In fact, when the film ‘Jesus Camp’ gained international attention, there was a deliberate attempt by certain movements to pretend they were not even remotely connected to this (NAR) nonsense.
The NAR are ‘shape-shifters’.
And now, as many discernment ministries are exposing the unbiblical methods of these NAR Apostles, they try to downplay the concept of an NAR Apostle! For instance, the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA) have renamed themselves the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders. In the year 2000, Brian Houston and the National Executive led their (apostolic) leadership to unite with (apostolic) church groups to form Australian Christian Churches (ACC). Brian and his Apostles were all about the Apostolic network. However Brian Houston is attempting to hide this when he describes his movement as:
“A network committed to the apostolic anointing of leaders who are desperate to see the Church of Jesus Christ rise up to live the un-lived life within her.” [Source]
These are simply word games. And the body of Christ has finally become more discerning and are standing up in unison to expose these false teachers.
When Iris Ministries claims that their “apostolic covering are [their] founders, Heidi and Rolland Baker,” when a Lutheran Renewal conference wants to receive “an impartation” of Rolland Baker’s “apostolic mantle,” and when Heidi Baker is lumped with other Apostles in Lakeland as a Revivalist or General by NAR leaders, people should be very concerned that the Bakers (and “not so Christian” media) are not telling the truth about their claims to Apostleship.
For more information that exposes the reporting of Baker’s Apostleship and their heavy involvement in the NAR, read this article:
Christianity Today Should Retract or Correct Cover Article on New Apostolic Leader Heidi Baker
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Categories: Iris Global, New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)