Michael Brown has worked long and hard to distance himself from the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), only to be caught time and again lying publicly not just about his involvement but the involvement of his friends who are also actively advocating the dominionist agenda of the NAR.
In our previous exposé, we discussed how C. Peter Wagner’s International Coalition of Aposolic Leaders (ICAL) exists to legitimize the NAR and its end-times Apostles, recognizing Dr. Brown’s friends Bill Johnson and Randy Clark as NARpostles. In this article, we re-examine Brown’s claims that Bill Johnson and Randy Clark have no part in the NAR.
In a radio program uploaded on February 05, 2018, titled ‘The Truth About NAR and 7 Mountain Theology‘, Michael Brown advanced the cause of the NAR by giving the impression that Bill Johnson and others of the Toronto Blessing such as Randy Clark know nothing about the NAR. Here is what he said about Bill Johnson on this episode:
“There’s an article in ChristianityToday by Martin Wendell Jones, and it was focusing on Bethel Church in Redding, California. And Bill Johnson is a friend. We’ve spent some time together. Kris Vallotton, Executive Pastor there, is a friend. Spent some time with Kris as well. I don’t agree with everything Bethel teaches or emphasizes but I welcome them as brothers and respect the work God has done in their midst.
In this article about Bethel, there’s a quote with various critics who state,
“Bethel to be instrumental in leading some Christians to embrace tenets of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a movement known for dominion theology and a belief in the continuing ministries of apostles and prophets alongside those of evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Bill Johnson is regularly listed as an NAR leader. He believes in the apostolic and prophetic ministries, but says the church does not have any official ties to the NAR.”
What’s interesting is that Bill Johnson is considered to be one of the senior leaders of this movement. In the article. Martin Wendell Jones asked him,
“So what are your thoughts on the New Apostolic Reformation?
‘I am not completely clear on what it is’. [That’s Bill’s response.]
I laugh with incredulity, but he seems sincere. Dan Farrelly, who is the dean of Bethel’s Supernatural School of Ministry, will later say that he doesn’t know about the NAR either.”
This is not something where you deny you’re part of a secret society. It’s what people say about NAR that’s not accurate. You follow what I am saying? If anybody would know, it would be someone like Bill Johnson who’s considered to be one of the leaders of it. And he’s like, ‘I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about’. It’s not that people are playing games. Trust me, this is the world in which I live, the charismatic Pentecostal world. It’s that there is this bizarre false narrative about this world-wide conspiratorial NAR, that is doing all these different things that everybody is a part of. And that one of the things you do is you deny your involvement. It is just a myth.” [17:26]
Clearly Michael Brown and Bill Johnson are playing word games. If this was a false narrative spread by the critics, why was Bill Johnson acknowledged by the leader of the New Apostolic Reformation, C. Peter Wagner, as one of the 3 apostolic pillars of the NAR back in 2008? Why did Bill Johnson work with the head of the NAR in restoring Todd Bentley to ministry? Why is Johnson still part of the Revival Alliance, which Wagner acknowledged is an Apostolic network? Why does Randy Clark acknowledge Bill Johnson as an apostle and call Johnson’s church an “apostolic network” that “has crossed denominational lines in building relationships that enable church leaders to walk in both purity and power? Why does Randy Clark acknowledge himself as an apostle and speaks with, or associates with C. Peter Wagner and Che Ahn, who openly talk about the New Apostolic Reformation?
Who is actually spinning a false narrative?
Is it the critics who came out of the New Apostolic Reformation exposing these frauds with their own words and materials? Or are the claims of discerning Christians correct? Is Dr. Michael Brown ‘spinning the narrative’ to make Christians out to be liars? Absolutely.
It’s his narrative of NARpostles denying any involvement as a NARpostle in the NAR time and again that appears to be the pattern in all this (emphasis added):
“It’s that there is this bizarre false narrative about this world-wide conspiratorial NAR, that is doing all these different things that everybody is a part of. And that one of the things you do is you deny your involvement.”
As you are about to see, Michael Brown, Bill Johnson and Randy Clark have more to deny than we realise.
MICHAEL BROWN, RANDY CLARK & BILL JOHNSON ALL PROMOTING THE NAR WITH WAGNER
As much as Brown defended Bill Johnson, (claiming he was not an apostle/leader of the NAR in the video above), Brown also gives a false narrative that no one at the Toronto Blessing ‘Light The Fire’ reunion knew what the NAR was.
However, one of the key persons who kick-started the Toronto Blessing was Randy Clark. It was Randy Clark who brought the spirit from Rodney Howard-Browne in Lakeland and the spirit from Claudio Freidzon in the Argentinian revivals to birth the Toronto Blessing (we’ll look more into this later). Bill Johnson acknowledges the fact that the Toronto Blessing birthed Brown’s Pensacola Outpouring:
“Well back in the early nineties, there was an outpouring of the Spirit in Lakeland, Florida. Karl Strader was the host pastor who really made room for God to just do whatever He wanted… A great move of God started in that period of time that ignited and impacted Randy Clark powerfully who went to Toronto. Toronto imparted to England – Steve Hill went to England – got whacked, went to Pensacola and things have spread all over the world. But the coals were first formed in Lakeland, Florida. The Lord is releasing even a greater glory in this hour. Something very significant began a year-uh, a year and a half ago, now in Lakeland.” [Source]
All these movements in the 1990s advocated the New Apostolic paradigm with God apparently restoring the five-fold ministry. The confession of the five-fold ministry is what separates these individuals from orthodox Christianity as this confession places them firmly in the camp of new revelation and visions, not the historic Christian faith. It was in the early 1990s that Wagner noticed the phenomena of people embracing this ‘New Apostolic paradigm’ which he later coined the ‘New Apostolic Reformation’.
Towards the end of the 1990s that C. Peter Wagner started up his Wagner Leadership Institute (WLI) and International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (ICAL) to centralise and spread this New Apostolic Reformation cult.
Wagner was strict in only allowing recognized NARpostles in WLI and ICAL to teach and minister. Remember that ICAL is about legitimizing the New Apostolic Reformation through their National Coalitions (emphasis added):
“ICAL has an existing standard that needs to be consistently applied to those claiming to be (or called to be) apostles. […] As National Coalitions are established, the leaders who know one another best are the most qualified to apply and evaluate these requirements on a case by case basis. This is why it is vital that existing members of ICAL find ways of creating National Coalitions in nations, regions and cities around the world. The AIM Strategy can help make this happen as we endeavor to bring legitimacy to the New Apostolic Reformation.” [Source]
But this is on the WLI website:
“Our faculty is made up of internationally known apostolic leaders.”
Source: Faculty, Wagner Leadership Institute, https://web.archive.org/web/20070514073617/http://www.wagnerleadership.org:80/WhatisWLI/Faculty/tabid/2811/Default.aspx, Accessed May 14 2007
The old WLI website had a profile on their founding NARpostle, C. Peter Wagner and had this to say about WLI (emphasis ours):
“Established in 1998, the Institute equips men and women for leadership positions in churches and translocal ministries. It is designed especially, but not exclusively, to meet the needs of leaders who have become a part of the New Apostolic reformation.”
Source: About C. Peter Wagner, WagnerLeadership.Org, http://old.wagnerleadership.org/Peter.htm, Accessed Nov 27, 2017. [Archive]
And this is in their 2014 Prospectus (emphasis ours):
“THE WLI MISSION
WLI trains and equips men and women for leadership positions in local churches and parachurch ministries. It provides an earned training credential for church and ministry leaders. Our goal is to equip you with the necessary skills for effective ministry. It is designed especially, although not exclusively, to meet the needs of leaders who have become a part of the New Apostolic Reformation. For literally thousands of these leaders, and others as well, the present educational system designed for Christian ministers is virtually inaccessible.”
Source: A New Way To Study and Grow for Christian Leaders, http://rodandjulie.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Prospectus.pdf. (Accessed Nov 27, 2017.) [Download PDF here]
Seeing is believing. While Brown openly confessed he is a member of ICAL, he maligned faithful Christians as liars and conspirators. This is the same men who also taught as an apostle for those of the NAR at WLI. This is the same man who denied the existence of the NAR, denies being an Apostle and deceived the body of Christ by giving the impression he never worked with C. Peter Wagner.
Below is a screen grab of Michael Brown on staff at Wagner’s WLI, advertised with the rest of the apostles on the faculty.
Michael Brown on WLI faculty in 2004
The majority of these NAR Apostles in the above list are heavily involved in ICAL. The list of these apostolic leaders on staff at WLI have clearly grown since then. These two documents below advertise the new apostles on the WLI faculty.
Document 1:
PDF: WAGNER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, 2010
Document 2:
PDF: WAGNER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE, 2012
The WLI Catalogue for 2012 advertises Course AP825 titled ‘Developing Structure for Apostolic Ministry’ (pg. 9). The teachers of this course are Randy Clark, Ché Ahn and C. Peter Wagner. This is how they advertise the course (emphasis ours):
“Presented by three seasoned apostolic leaders in the Body of Christ today, this conference material is a must for anyone desiring to learn more about God’s purpose and design for apostolic ministry Topics include the history of apostles, their function throughout history, the role they are to play today, characteristics and qualifications of an apostle, different types of apostles and unique expressions of each, and an apostle’s relationship to prophets and those he is called to lead. Other subjects discussed include strategies for creating apostolic teams, characteristics of an apostolic church, the importance of impartation, leaving a legacy, the transference of wealth, marketplace apostles and the “New Apostolic Reformation” that we see transpiring in the Body of Christ today.”
In other words, this course is specifically designed to also teach on the New Apostolic Reformation. ‘Transpire’ is the right word to use. They claim that the “New Apostolic Reformation” that we see transpiring [(of a secret or something unknown) come to be known; be revealed] in the Body of Christ today.” Here is Randy Clark next to the top leading apostles publicly teaching on the NAR in WLI NAR course:
In the WLI Catalogue of 2010, this same course is advertised with the same 3 NARpostles (pg 8). Each course in the catalogue appears to be dated when they were first implemented at WLI. This means that this course has been in existence for a minimum of four years. However, Michael Brown has attempted to give the impression that no one at the Toronto ‘Light The Fire Again’ event knows about the NAR – but you can see his good friend Randy Clark speaking with him at this event.
Not only does Randy Clark openly teach about the NAR and is a strong advocate for it alongside the top NARpostolic leaders of this dominionist cult, he also endorsed Michael Brown’s latest book ‘Playing With Holy Fire‘. Was it convenient for Dr. Michael Brown not to ask him at this event?
Who also speaks at theWagner Leadership Institute furthering the agenda of the NAR?
Brian Simmons, Lance Wallnau, Cindy Jacobs (all NARpostles that Brown defends and promotes), and Bill Johnson.
In the 2010 catalogue, Johnson is on the list of the apostolic faculty. His course, Course PW828, is titled ‘Walking in the Supernatural’. It states,
PW828 Walking in the Supernatural
Instructor: Bill Johnson
Course Description: In this faith building series, Bill challenges, instructs and motivates believers to live in the realm of the supernatural by learning to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. He discusses the issues of mind renewal, growing in one’s relationship with Christ, overcoming hindrances to faith, the language of the Spirit and some of the foundational elements required when operating in the gift of healing. This teaching is a must for those who want to be used more effectively in this area. (April 2006)
You will notice that this course appeared to have been instigated back in 2006. If the website ‘archive.org’ is accurate, this means Johnson has been actively and professionally advocating the New Apostolic Reformation as a NARpostle for nearly a decade.
Conclusion? Dr. Michael Brown, Bill Johnson and Randy Clark – their involvement in this lawless and deceitful movement cannot be denied.
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Categories: Apostolic Network of Global Awakening, Bethel "Church", Line of Fire, Wagner Leadership Institute