The New Apostolic Reformation is a movement in Protestant Christianity largely associated with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. The basic thesis asserts that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of Prophet and Apostle.
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The New Apostolic Reformation has Pentecostal and Charismatic origins, with those traditions' interpretations of the nature of the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit within each believer. Unlike some parts of Protestant Christianity, these include the direct revelation of Christ to each believer, prophecy, and the performance of miracles such as healing.
Although the movement regards the church as the true body of saved believers, as most Evangelical Protestants do, it differs from the broader Protestant tradition in its view on the nature of church leadership, specifically the doctrine of Five-Fold Ministry, which is based upon a non-traditional interpretation of Ephesians 4:11.
Forrest Wilder, an environment issues writer for the Texas Observer, describes the New Apostolic Reformation as having "taken Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on ecstatic worship and the supernatural, and given it an adrenaline shot."[1] Wilder adds that beliefs of people associated with the movement "can tend toward the bizarre" and that it has "taken biblical literalism to an extreme."[1]
The organization has become increasingly involved in political activism, with many of its leaders supporting the 2012 presidential candidacy of Rick Perry.[1]
C. Peter Wagner writes that "the majority of the new apostolic churches", such as his, observe "active ministries of... spiritual warfare".[2] As an example of members' "supernatural" abilities (as he calls them) he claims that God acted through him to end mad-cow disease in Germany.[3]
The New Apostolic Reformation traces its historical roots to late-twentieth-century American charismatic churches, and the earliest use of the moniker was by C. Peter Wagner[4] prompting journalists[1] to perceive him as de facto founder and leader.
It has received little attention in non-Charismatic or Pentecostal theological traditions. According to Wagner, “The second apostolic age began in the year 2001”, when, according to him, the lost offices of "Prophet" and "Apostle" were restored, in this age.[5]
The New Apostolic Reformation has been connected to Kingdom Now Theology and has been called a "damnable heresy" by Marsha West of EmailBrigade.com.[6] Leaders such as Cindy Jacobs and Lou Engle have been criticized for what have been interpreted as homophobic or otherwise intolerant statements.[7]