Whom Do We Listen To? Part 10

Whom Do We Listen To? Part 10
Monday, May 4, 2026 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Apostasy / Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / Spiritual deception / Spiritual warfare / The church / Thought for Today / Truth telling

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Have we been captivated by one of their apostles or prophets? Have we bought into their teachings, unaware?

Just as liberal inclusive “Christianity” may appeal to those who are more left leaning, there is much in the NAR that appeals to conservative Christians. They sound biblical. They quote lots of Scripture. They promise to teach adherents how to live a life saturated in spiritual gifts and the miraculous (note: I am not writing from a cessationist viewpoint).

They promise that Christians will come to dominate all current world structures, thereby bringing in a Christian world utopia. For many Christians, that sounds great. After all, doesn’t that have a greater appeal compared to the difficult end-times Scripture declares, a time that if God doesn’t shorten, no flesh would survive? In addition, there is evidence that the NAR is the fastest growing segment within conservative Christian circles.

But, are their teachings biblical? Do they quote Scripture accurately? What does the NAR proclaim? What matters most is their core beliefs, their underlying concepts, not necessarily their “popular” writings. Original sources matter. When one explores their earlier writings from roughly 1995–2005, what one finds is deeply troubling, or worse, often flat out biblically erroneous. What follows is based on and taken from the writings of key NAR founders: especially the writings and prophecies of Bill Hamon, but also C. Peter Wagner and Che Ahn.

NAR churches or groups often hide who they are. The key identifying mark is the belief in latter-day apostles and prophets, that a new apostolic age has arrived. The five-fold ministry will be restored: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Per NAR doctrine, since the apostolic age, the initial birthing of the church in the first century, apostles and prophets were lost. But they have reappeared during these end time last days, the second apostolic age. If you see the term “five-fold” and/or a reference to Ephesians 4:11 on a church’s website, that particular church is part of the NAR.

There are significant warning signs. First, little true accountability exists within the NAR. Yes, their apostles supposedly hold people accountable, but as we’ve recently seen, a painful cover-up culture exists. Sadly, the apostles and prophets are frequently not held accountable.

The NAR is not a formal denomination, rather they consist of independent churches and other interlocking networked groups. There is no overarching structure per se. While they have roots in historic Pentecostal denominations, churches have left so they can pursue their own ends, unhindered. For example, Bethel left the Assemblies of God near the end of 2005, since the Assemblies of God biblically denies the authenticity of NAR apostles and was against Bethel’s pursuit of signs and wonders. Given that each church is independent, it is all too easy for a church to veer into biblical error. The history of the NAR International House of Prayer, Kansas City (IHoPKC) serves as a sad example.

The second warning sign is that the NAR denies the sufficiency of Scripture. Che Ahn is honest enough to state that the Reformation was in error to rely on “Sola Scriptura,” Scripture alone. Why? The Reformation’s view of Scripture doesn’t allow for the new revelatory prophetic words spoken by NAR prophets and apostles. As previously discussed in this blog, whenever one finds “Scripture and…” the “and” eventually supersedes Scripture. That holds true whether it is Scripture and tradition (as in Roman Catholicism), Scripture and culture (as in Progressive Christianity), or as is the case here, Scripture and prophetic words, signs and wonders.

Instead of holding to what Scripture declares, the NAR responded by publishing their own Bible version, “The Passion Translation,” written by Brian Simmons. As past blog entries covered the deep-rooted problems of that “translation,” nothing more will be said here. One other example: the NAR insists that their “prophets” will make mistakes as they learn and grow how to operate as prophets. Biblically, what is the standard? 100 percent accuracy, including even Samuel as a young boy. Per the NAR, those standards no longer apply, as they are Old Testament, not under the new covenant.

What are the core teachings of the NAR? Why are they so dangerous? We will start to look at those questions in the next post.

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