Nov 26, 2015

Book Review: 'God's Super-Apostles' by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec

Gary Gilley

Dr. Gary Gilley
Southern View Chapel

This little volume presents an excellent overview of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement that promotes the fivefold ministry (pp. 13, 137) which teaches that God has given the church five continuing governmental offices: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Apostles as well as prophets are again active in the church today (there are about 400 of them—p. 16) and churches must submit to their authority (pp. XIII, 8, 10, 11, 96). Since NAR is a movement (pp. 3-6, 48, 125) rather than an organization, its adherents are not monolithic in their views but certain teachings can be identified including:

  • New truths regularly being revealed by God through the modern apostles and prophets (pp. XV, 1, 50-61, 65-66).
  • Supernatural power available to advance God's kingdom (p. 3).
  • Demonic warfare and the casting out of demons and generational curses (pp. 1, 49, 51, 79-90).
  • Dominionism (p. 81), sometimes called the "Seven Mountain Mandate" (pp. 51, 87-88).
  • Territorial spirits (pp. 81-84).
  • Spiritual mapping and prayerwalking (pp. 84-86).
  • 24/7 prayer which is the key to releasing miraculous power and loosing divine judgments (pp. 51, 113, 121).
  • The Manifest Sons of God or Joel's Army—an endtime army which will be given miracle working powers and whose members will be revealed as the sons of God (pp. 102-114).

The authors address the key passages of Scripture NAR leaders use to support their views, which are Ephesians 2:20, 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 (pp. 12-14, 29-31). They discuss NAR's teaching on apostles and how to become one (pp. 14-17), and then turn to what the New Testament actually teaches about apostles (pp. 18-25), the test for apostles (pp. 33-41), and characteristics of false apostles (p. 26-27, 59-60). They do the same concerning NAR's views of prophets (p. 47, 52-60, 70-73). They also show what the Bible teaches about spiritual warfare (pp. 91-95) and miracles. Organizations which are clearly involved in NAR are identified such as: The International Coalition of Apostles (pp. 16-17), International House of Prayer (IHOP) (pp. 120-121) and Youth With a Mission (YWAM) (pp. 84-85, 89).

God's Super-Apostles

God's Super-Apostles, Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement, by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec

The book closes with three appendices addressing how to deal with those in NAR (pp. 129-146), followed by a handy glossary of common terms used within NAR (pp. 143-147).

The only negative in the book is that the authors are continuists and therefore do not see many of the practices of NAR as unbiblical but rather extreme. Noting that the largest of Pentecostal denominations, the Assemblies of God, has an official statement against NAR (p. 9), the authors attempt to draw a distinction between NAR and traditional Pentecostals and charismatics (pp. XIV, 9, 37-40, 45, 71, 103, 114). Their position, especially concerning the sign gifts, modern prophecy and revelations, is not that these things have ceased in the church today (cessationism, p. 45), but that NAR has taken them to extreme levels. I believe that the authors's position cannot be consistently maintained. If these gifts and powers are still active today it is mere subjectivism to say what is extreme and what is acceptable.

This issue aside, God's Super–Apostles is an excellent, informative book on NAR and would be the only book that most of us would need to read concerning this dangerous movement (see pp. 126-128) which is rapidly spreading across the globe.