Are WAGNER's APOSTLES
LEAVING? -Andrew Strom.
Last week we published a number of strong statements against
Ricciardelli. For those who are not aware, Peter
Wagner heads up an organization devoted to setting in place
"apostles" over the
church. This is known as the 'New Apostolic Reformation' (NAR),
and it has been very controversial. I myself have never seen it as
any kind of true "Reformation" - because all it seems to do is set up
another level of hierarchy over the existing ones. I also
question whether many of the "apostles" are true apostles - but that
is another story. Suffice it to say, that Wagner runs one of
the most powerful and far-reaching global networks in the Charismatic world.
I don't know if Peter Wagner fully realized what he was
doing when he went down to
Bentley and the 'revival' there. But clearly he started a rift in his own
movement that may very well almost tear it apart.
However, before we discuss this further, it is also important to note that even
some "pro-Lakeland" churches are beginning to
have second thoughts about supporting that movement - as more factual
information begins to emerge about what is really going on.
The following was written by the leader of a "pro-Lakeland" church
-and forwarded to me this week. (I have removed the identity of
both the leader and the church). This really is an amazing admission for such a
"pro-Lakeland" leader to make:
"Hi staff, (Ännu mer och
store lögner om uppståndelse från de döda)
We need to talk, probably as a staff, and go through what I've found out. I had
a long talk with Robert Ricciardelli. He's no revival
critic... He loves revival, believes in healing, prophecy and all the rest and
is delighted to hear about the healings we've had here.
He's a close friend of Stephen Strader... He's in an
accountability relationship with Lee Grady (editor of Charisma Magazine) and is
a writer for Charisma on occasion. He's part of C. Peter Wagner's apostolic
network, recognized by Peter as an apostle. I've seen
the man's website and he's legit, not a heresy hunter.
"The reports he has given me are firsthand, not hearsay. I am deeply
troubled, grieved and tormented at what I'm hearing. He
attributes most of the anointing at
when he leads worship. I can go into detail later about what is surfacing, but
there are huge lapses of integrity going on... Much
embellishment. Many claims have been made that simply are not true. The
Charisma crew has researched it. I want to weep. My
heart is breaking. For now, to be safe and for the sake of integrity, we need
to stop speaking about the claimed resurrections. Three
of them have been checked out with the doctors and EMTs
involved and found never to have happened at all. Todd has been
confronted with this and has not adjusted the numbers in his claims. Not a
single one of the other claimed resurrections can
be substantiated despite diligent effort to do so. Even after Stephen Strader brought it down to 13 (and even those couldn't
be substantiated) Todd ran it back up to 27 and more.
Misrepresentation and embellishment!
"On the financial front, Todd recently told
the crowd that God had told him that there were 1,000 people who would give
$1,000 and
that they would be blessed 1,000-fold. Robert called Stephen Strader to confront the unbiblical nature of that appeal.
It came
out that Todd admitted he hadn't heard that from God, that it
was just an idea he had so that they could raise money to build a big
stadium. Robert challenged them to issue an apology the following night
based on that false claim of being told by God and they
refused to do it on the excuse that it's a different crowd every night.
"That's the flavor of what I'm finding. There's
a lot more. I'm so grieved I can hardly think. I'm not saying the Lakeland
Outpouring
is not of God (God is bigger than the men involved), although good men whom I
have respected all my life are saying just that (that it's
not of God), based on what they know and have seen...
"What I am saying is that we need to back up and not identify ourselves
closely with Lakeland and that we need to stop repeating
claims being made on the air lest we end up getting splattered with the
collateral damage when certain issues of false claims,
embellishments and lapses of integrity begin to come out more publicly. By the
way, no one is saying that some healings have not
happened - only that many false, embellished or unsubstantiated claims have
been made. A number of really good men, champions
of revival through the years, are actually saying that the whole thing is of
the devil and that even the healings are demonically
inspired. I want to be clear that I'm not going there..." [-end quote].
So here we have a 'pro-Lakeland' church checking out these factsfor
the first time and now deciding that they "need to back up and
not identify ourselves closely with
Meanwhile - back to the topic of "apostles" and what is now happening
in Peter Wagner's main 'ICA' organization:
One of Wagner's apostles, Robert Ricciardelli, put
out an email this week saying that he has received a great deal of support for
his stand against Lakeland - the majority of it from pastors. And he also made
the following very significant statement:
"As a member of
I will no longer be involved with that organization and actually have not
tracked well with them and some of their agendas since
I have been involved with them. However, I have enjoyed the many relationships
I have developed from going to the annual meetings.
Most all of those relationships are also disengaging from their affiliation
with
So clearly Robert is now leaving the
Robert wrote to me:
"The
do not, and will not support these beliefs, including the support of
anti-biblical behavior and doctrine
currently being expressed through
Todd Bentley and Freshfire Ministries. In fact
as
embrace many of the same ministries, including "New
Mystic" John Crowder and others. This escalating focus on angels,
experiences, trances, etc is far from the focus of Jesus, His Kingdom, and His
righteousness... Many of us who really enjoyed
the
Robert has also stated that he personally was never into "Dominionist" beliefs
or the "hierarchical NAR agenda." His last
statement to me was: "I think that there is a chance that many may
disassociate with the ICA depending on Todd continuing to
reveal his deceptive doctrine and Peter continuing to support such
doctrine."
I wonder if Peter Wagner ever imagined that by endorsing ToddBentley
he may be sowing huge seeds of destruction in his own
movement? -Perhaps only time will tell.
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God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.
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