Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology — Unit 9: Charismatic and Third-Wave Theologies: Sacramental, Reformed and Evangelical Forms

Key Verse

"endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:3-5, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Explain how the charismatic movement and the Third Wave differ from classical Pentecostalism in history, teaching and practice.

2. Describe the sacramental form of charismatic theology, as found among Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans.

3. Describe the Reformed and evangelical forms of charismatic theology and the Third Wave teaching of John Wimber and C. Peter Wagner.

4. Name the main points where classical Pentecostals agree with these streams and the main points where we differ.

5. State the main objections each side raises against the other and give the classical Pentecostal answer.

The Voice of This Unit

This course is written from inside classical Pentecostalism, for students who belong to it. It is conservative and Trinitarian. In this unit we study Christians who share our love of the Holy Spirit but who do not always share our doctrine. We rejoice in what the Spirit has done among them. We also say, kindly and clearly, where we hold a different conviction. Our standard is the one Paul gave: "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Three Streams, One Family

Course 1 told the history of these movements, so here we only recall the outline. Classical Pentecostalism grew out of the revivals of the early 1900s. The charismatic renewal began to appear widely in the 1960s, when Christians in older churches received experiences like those in Acts and stayed in their own churches. A well-known early moment was in 1960, when an Episcopal priest, Dennis Bennett, spoke publicly of his experience of the Spirit in Van Nuys, California. In 1967 the renewal reached Roman Catholics at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. The Third Wave came later, in the 1980s, among evangelicals who wanted the power of the Spirit but did not wish to be called Pentecostal or charismatic.

Many writers speak of these as three waves. We prefer to think of one river with three streams. All three speak of the present work of the Spirit, of gifts such as healing and prophecy, and of lively worship. But they do not teach exactly the same things, and a pastor who ministers among them must know the differences.

The Sacramental Form

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican and Episcopal churches and some Lutheran churches, the charismatic renewal grew inside a strong sacramental tradition. For these Christians, baptism and the other sacraments are the normal ways God gives grace. So they usually do not describe Spirit baptism as a new gift that begins after conversion. Catholic theologians, such as the Benedictine Kilian McDonnell, have taught that "baptism in the Spirit" is the release or renewal of the grace already given in Christian initiation: baptism, confirmation and the life of the church. The renewal brings that grace into conscious experience, and the gifts of the Spirit become active. Prayer groups, healing services and singing in tongues often continue alongside the Mass and the liturgy.

What we can affirm

We praise God for the hunger for the Spirit that this renewal has brought to millions. Many Catholics have returned to the Bible, to prayer and to the gifts because of it. We also value their care for worship and for the unity of the church. Peter's words on Pentecost, "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off" (Acts 2:39), show that the Spirit is not owned by one denomination.

Where we differ

Classical Pentecostals do not teach that grace comes through the sacraments in the way sacramental churches teach. We believe a person is saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that the new birth is the work of the Spirit in response to faith, not something given automatically in a rite. We also do not accept some Catholic teachings, such as the authority of the pope and the place of Mary in prayer, because we find them without support in Scripture. We say this without anger. Many charismatic Catholics love Jesus and trust Him for salvation, and we call them brothers and sisters in Him wherever we see that fruit.

The Reformed and Evangelical Forms

Another stream comes from Protestants of Reformed and wider evangelical background. Some of these Christians did not leave their churches either. They were persuaded by Scripture, and often by experience, that the gifts of the Spirit have not ended.

Here we must be careful with names. The Welsh Presbyterian preacher D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones taught that baptism with the Holy Spirit is different from conversion, and that it brings assurance and power to a believer. He did not call himself Pentecostal and he did not teach that tongues must be the first sign. Later evangelical writers, such as Wayne Grudem, Sam Storms and Jack Deere, taught that the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy and healing, are for the church today. Deere's Surprised by the Power of the Spirit (1993) tells how a Bible teacher who once taught that the miraculous gifts had ended came to a different conclusion. These writers are often called "Reformed continuationists" or "open but cautious."

Typically the Reformed and evangelical charismatic holds four points:

1. Every believer is baptized in the Spirit at conversion, based on 1 Corinthians 12:13: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."

2. After conversion, believers may be "filled" again and again with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

3. The gifts of the Spirit continue, and they must be tested by Scripture and exercised with order.

4. Tongues are one gift among many, not the necessary first sign of Spirit baptism.

On points 1 and 4 we, as classical Pentecostals, hold a different view. On points 2 and 3 we rejoice to agree.

The Third Wave

The name "Third Wave" was used by C. Peter Wagner, a professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary in California. He used it for evangelical Christians who were open to the power of the Spirit but who were neither classical Pentecostal nor part of the charismatic renewal. John Wimber, the leader of the Vineyard movement, became its best-known teacher. In the early 1980s Wimber and Wagner taught a course at Fuller on signs, wonders and church growth, which drew wide attention.

The main ideas of the Third Wave are these.

Kingdom of God, already and not yet. Wimber drew on the evangelical scholar George Eldon Ladd. Jesus brought the kingdom in His first coming, but it is not yet complete. So we may expect the signs of the kingdom, such as healing and deliverance, even before the final victory.

Power evangelism. Healing and other signs open hearts to the gospel. Wimber taught that the church should expect God to show His power when it proclaims the good news.

Spirit baptism at conversion. As in the Reformed stream, Third Wave teachers hold that the Spirit is received at conversion. Later experiences are called fillings or empowerments. They do not teach tongues as the necessary first sign.

Ministry by all believers. Ordinary church members pray for the sick and use gifts, and not only pastors and evangelists.

Neo-charismatic networks

From these roots, and from many independent movements in Africa, Asia and Latin America, has grown the large and varied family called neo-charismatic. Some of these networks teach that apostles and prophets must rule the church today. We mentioned them in Course 1. A pastor should weigh their claims by Scripture, especially claims of special authority for leaders. The Assemblies of God in the United States, for example, publicly rejected certain extreme teachings of the New Order of the Latter Rain in the late 1940s, because they believed those teachings went beyond the Bible. The Bible gives us the test: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1).

Points of Agreement and Difference

We can sum up how classical Pentecostals compare with the other streams.

We agree that the Holy Spirit works today in power, that the gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 are for the church, that healing and prophecy are real, that worship should be open to the Spirit, and that all gifts must be tested by Scripture.

We differ on four main points.

1. The meaning of Spirit baptism. We teach that it is an experience for power in witness, distinct from and usually after the new birth. Sacramental Christians link it to the sacraments. Reformed and Third Wave Christians link it to conversion.

2. Tongues as initial evidence. We teach that tongues are the first sign of Spirit baptism, as Unit 5 explained. The other streams usually do not.

3. The sacraments and church order. We practice baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as ordinances, and we do not teach that grace comes automatically through them.

4. Authority and structure. We hold that Scripture is the final authority, and we are cautious about claims of new apostolic rule over the church.

Objections and Our Answers

Objection 1: Insisting on tongues divides the body of Christ.

Charismatic and Third Wave writers say that the Pentecostal teaching on initial evidence makes believers feel they are in two classes, and that Paul asked, "Do all speak with tongues?" (1 Corinthians 12:30), with the answer "no."

Our answer. We do not teach two classes of Christians. All believers have the Spirit. The question is about the further fullness and power promised in Acts. We also keep two things apart: the gift of tongues in the assembly in 1 Corinthians 12, which is given to some, and the sign of Spirit baptism in Acts 2:4, 10:46 and 19:6. We teach this as our conviction from the book of Acts, and we do not use it to despise other Christians. Paul's call to keep "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" applies to us as well.

Objection 2: Pentecostals are narrow and proud, and the Spirit has moved beyond them.

Some leaders in the renewal say that classical Pentecostals fought the charismatic movement at first, and that the Spirit is working through many other forms of church life.

Our answer. There is truth in the first part. In its early years some Pentecostals were slow to welcome Christians from older churches. David du Plessis, a Pentecostal leader, spent years building bridges with them, and his own church body withdrew his ministerial standing for a time because of this. We should learn humility from this. But humility is not the same as giving up our teaching. We welcome the work of the Spirit among all, and we keep what we find in Scripture.

Objection 3: The sacramental form teaches salvation by rites, which is not biblical.

This is the classical Pentecostal and evangelical worry about the sacramental teaching.

Our answer. We state our worry plainly: Scripture teaches that we are justified by faith (Romans 5:1). Yet we do not need to deny the new life of a Catholic or Anglican brother who trusts in Christ and loves the Lord. We can pray with him, share the Scripture and invite him to follow what he finds in the Word, while recognizing that on baptism and the church we still differ.

Objection 4: The Third Wave and the neo-charismatic networks go beyond Scripture in their claims of power and authority.

Cessationists and many Pentecostals alike raise this concern.

Our answer. We share the concern and yet we do not condemn the whole movement because of its excesses. Paul never told the Corinthians to throw away the gifts because they were abused; he taught them to order the gifts in love. The test is fruit, doctrine and love (1 John 4:1-3; Matthew 7:16). Leaders who claim authority that Scripture does not give them need correction, and every pastor needs accountability, as Course 4 will explain.

Pastoral Application

A pastor in a Mexican town is told that a woman in his church, a longtime member, has begun to attend a Catholic charismatic prayer group with her neighbor. She tells him she does not want to leave her church, but she says, "They pray for the sick and they speak in tongues, and I feel at home. Is it wrong for me to go?"

The pastor first thanks her for being open with him and asks her what she has seen and heard. Second, he does not call the group false or bring a harsh judgment on the neighbors. He asks whether they love Jesus, honor the Scriptures and show the fruit of the Spirit. Third, he teaches her from the Bible, opening Ephesians 4 and 1 John 4 with her, so that she can see both the unity we owe other believers and the need to test teaching. Fourth, he reminds her what the church believes about salvation by faith and invites her to keep praying with her neighbor while staying firm in the Word. He offers to meet the neighbor himself over coffee, as one brother to another.

Summary

Classical Pentecostalism, the charismatic renewal and the Third Wave are three streams of one river of renewal by the Holy Spirit. The sacramental charismatic, found among Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans, understands Spirit baptism as the release of grace already given in the sacraments. The Reformed and evangelical charismatic holds that Spirit baptism happens at conversion and that the gifts continue, without teaching tongues as the necessary first sign. The Third Wave, led by Wimber and Wagner, stressed the kingdom "already and not yet," power evangelism, and the use of gifts by ordinary believers. Classical Pentecostals agree on the present work of the Spirit, but we hold to Spirit baptism as an experience for power, usually after conversion, with tongues as its initial sign. We answer objections with honesty and humility, we test every claim by Scripture, and we work to keep "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Further Reading

• Frank D. Macchia, Baptized in the Spirit (2006).

• Jack Deere, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit (1993).

• Wayne Grudem, ed., Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? Four Views (1996).

• Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostal Theology (2017).

• Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism (2nd ed., 2014).

• Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds., New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (2002).

• James D. G. Dunn, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (1970), an evangelical critique.

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