Third Wave of the Holy Spirit
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The expression Third Wave was coined by Christian C. Peter Wagner to describe what he believed to be three historical periods of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the 20th century and beyond[citation needed].
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[edit] Waves
- The first "wave" occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century with the rise of the Pentecostal movement, beginning with the Azusa Street Revival.
- The second "wave" occurred during the 1960s as the Charismatic movement spread throughout some Protestant denominations, as well as the Roman Catholic Church.
- The third "wave" occurred during the mid 1980s, and is identified as a resurgence of church planting and a new commitment to signs and wonders in evangelism.
[edit] Theology
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009) |
Each wave identifies with a subtly different theology regarding their claims of encountering the Holy Spirit. Those associated with the First Wave will generally preach the "baptism with the Holy Spirit" as a separate and subsequent experience to conversion which must be accompanied by speaking in tongues in order to be genuine. Those associated with the Second Wave will still tend to speak of a second experience of the Spirit - a baptism or filling of the Spirit, although they will often more readily state that all Christians in some sense have the Spirit. They will also usually state that tongues "usually" accompanies this experience. Those associated with the third wave will tend to identify "baptism with the Spirit" with conversion, and not refer to a second experience of receiving the Spirit. They would prefer to emphasise the ongoing nature of the experience of the Spirit. Tongues may not be emphasised at all, and will usually not feature in public meetings. Some third wave leaders may not speak in tongues.
[edit] Neocharismatic
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009) |
Scholars have preferred the classification neocharismatic to address this sector of Christianity, defining it as all those charismatic Christians who are neither Pentecostal nor part of the Charismatic Movement, which is further defined as the movement within historic denominations that believes that charismatic gifts are valid today. Neocharismatics are therefore all those Christians and churches which have arisen independently of mainline denominations and use spiritual gifts. Within this sector there will be those whose theology of the Spirit is aligned with the definition of "Third Wave" given above, but it will only be a subset.
[edit] Associated
The Third Wave is associated with Wagner's own ministry, as well as the Vineyard Movement, and Eternal Grace. Many who identify with the New Apostolic Reformation and the Toronto blessing will also be "Third Wave."
[edit] Criticism
Many critics argue that the "Third Wave" differs from the charismatic movement only in terminology, not in either theology or practice, so to distinguish between the two is to make a distinction without a difference. For example, Dr. John MacArthur makes this argument in his book Charismatic Chaos. Because of its similarity to the charismatic movement, many criticisms of the Charismatic Movement also apply to the Third Wave movement. Many Christians, including more conservative Pentecostals, have rejected the "Third Wave" as being unbiblical, since some believe it to include expressions of the Latter Rain Movement, Manifest Sons of God teaching and Kingdom Now theology[citation needed].
[edit] References
- MacArthur, John. Charismatic Chaos. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.
- Wagner, C. Peter. The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit. Ann Arbor:Vine Books, 1988.
[edit] External links
- A critical look at the latter rain revival Christians
- Pentecostals, Charismatics, and the Third Wave
- A Brief History of Pentecostalism (The Three Waves)
- The Third Wave and Post Charismatics
- Mark Driscoll - The charismatic with a seatbelt includes links to sermons which propound a typical 3rd Wave position
