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The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge – Part One E. Budiselić: The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge – part one The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge Part 1 Ervin Budiselić Biblijski institut, Zagreb [email protected] UDK:27-72;277;279.15 Original scientific paper Received: June, 2015 Accepted: September, 2015 Abstract The article analyzes basic teachings of Kingdom Now theology, which is one variation of Dominion theology. In the first part the article offers a brief hi- story of the emergence and development of Kingdom Now theology. After that the article offers a survey of basic teachings of Kingdom Now theology in the area of soteriology, eschatology, ecclesiology, Christology and anthropolo- gy. The conclusion is that Kingdom Now theology contains some positive and important teachings and emphases for contemporary Evangelical Christiani- ty, but also a number of problematic teachings that need to be rejected. Key terms: Kingdom Now theology, Dominion theology, Faith movement, Latter Rain, apostles, transformation. Introduction Today’s “Kingdom Now theology” (further in the text: KN), which represents one of the versions of “Dominion theology” (further in the text: DT) that is prevalent in a part of Evangelical Christianity (especially in the Pentecostal-Charismatic part), emerged as a result of various influences and theologies which are present in the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, and is currently its pinnacle. Further- more, we can speak of a kind of eclecticness of KN, which took over some the- ological postulates and emphases from certain spiritual movements, and united them in one place as a sort of theological system. The intent of this article is to 143 KAIROS - Evangelical Journal of Theology / Vol. IX. No. 2 (2015), pp. 143-170 explore the basic postulates of KN theology, to point out some positive challenges which it sets before the church, but also to point out the issues which accompany the challenges. While KN theology incorporates some good teachings, but also a lot of theologically and practically unorthodox teachings, this mixture of good and bad poses a potential threat for Evangelical Christianity. For this purpose, in part one we will provide a brief historical overview of factors which led to the emergence and development of KN theology, and in part two we will examine the basic teachings in the areas of soteriology, eschatology, ecclesiology, Christology, and anthropology. Due to the broadness of the subject, the presentation and analysis of KN theology requires two articles. That is why in the first article we will only emphasize the main outline of KN theology, while in the second article we will take a closer look at KN theology and point out some corrections and solutions which are necessary if we wish to benefit from the good points of KN theology, and subsequently, the Charismatic movement. A Brief Historical Review of the Emergence of KN Theology Although the article does not provide sufficient room for a good historical over- view of all the factors which led to the emergence and development of current KN theology, a brief historical overview is necessary for the purpose of better under- standing the emergence and influence that KN theology has had on Evangelical Christianity. It needs to be said that the proponents of KN theology are various movements which have many similarities in some theological issues, but they do differ in some of them; in other words, they do not all have the same teaching. What they have in common, though, is that they were built on the foundations of Neo-Pentecostalism, which emerged in the middle of the 20th century. Some of the foundations for this theology are the following movements and ideas: Latter Rain, Identity, Manifest Sons of God, Restoration, Reconstruction, Charisma- tic Renewal, Shepherding/Discipleship movement, Kingdom Message, Positive Confession. Also, this theology uses a certain terminology, which can point to the presence of this idea. Some of these phrases are: Dominion, Overcomer(s), Word-Faith, Spoken Word, Five-fold ministry, Latter Rain, Tabernacle of David, Feast of Tabernacles, Many-membered man child, Manifestation of the King- dom, Manifestation of the Sons of God, Ongoing Incarnation, Birthing in the Spirit, Get this into your spirit, Unity (of the Body), Serpent’s Seed or Seed of the Serpent, Faith in faith, God’s faith, God-like faith, Kingdom language, Kingdom principles, Christ principles, Elijah Company, Bride Company, Ecclesias. Noticing that more and more Pentecostals, whose battle cry over the years was that of the imminent coming of Jesus Christ, accepted Dominion theology, 144 E. Budiselić: The Problem of “Kingdom Now” Theology Challenge – part one Harvey Cox came to the conclusion that the Latter Rain movement is responsible for this change. Although the movement is no longer active today, its teachings were included in and remained part of Charismatic practice and teaching. The leaders of this movement were convinced that the Spirit is working powerfully today through healing and prophecies, and that a revival of global proportions is near. The movement rejected the belief in Christ’s close coming (premillenni- alism) as something that had been useful up to that point but is, in reality, false hope. This change in eschatology was a result of a different understanding of God’s kingdom. “We are entering into the Kingdom Age in a sense now, for the Kingdom is being formed in us and when it is completed ... all judicial as well as religious authority will be vested in the church of Christ” (Newport, 1998, 401–402). In other words, premillennialism was rejected and postmillennialism was accepted as the dominant eschatological framework. In the same way, the participants of the Latter Rain movement, such as George Warnock and Franklin Hall, have in their books (Warnock, Feast of Tabernacles from 1951, and Hall, Subdue the Earth, Rule the Nations from 1966) pretty much paved the way for the emergence of the New Apostolic Reformation and KN theology. This is further enriched by the notion that the church was obligated to establish the kingdom of God on earth, but the cause of failure was the fact that it had lost its apostolic and prophetic ministry early on. In the last days God will restore the positions of the apostles and prophets, who will lead the church in a holy war, in which evil shall be defeated. There will be a great awakening and most people in the world will be won over for Christ. Blessings, signs and wonders shall rest upon those whom the apostles and the prophets bless, and there will be curses on those whom they curse. Through intensive worship, prayer, fasting, and spiritual warfare, the chur- ch will destroy the demonic fortresses and territorial spirits on the earth and in the heavens. In all this, some of the proponents of Latter Rain proposed the idea that the second coming of Christ will occur as a spiritual experience, in which believers will become incorporated into the Body of Christ on the earth, while others believed that the Body of Christ will attain dominance in the whole world, which is one of the prerequisites of Christ’s return to earth. However, the key alteration, which allowed for the emergence of KN theolo- gy, was the eschatological one. When he speaks about the importance of escha- tology, Peter C. Wagner (2006, 39) emphasizes that in the 20th century premille- nnialism was prevalent among Evangelical Christians, teaching that the kingdom will come with the second coming of Christ. Wagner claims that the reason why entire denominations rejected DT and KN theology was their teaching, which was oriented towards social transformation, which then forces such churches to step out of their eschatological comfort zone. 145 KAIROS - Evangelical Journal of Theology / Vol. IX. No. 2 (2015), pp. 143-170 Definition and Basic Postulates of Kingdom Now Theology As we have already said, KN theology presents a product of various theological in- fluences which emerged inside Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity. Continuing where things were left off, it overtakes some theological postulates and summarizes them into a new whole. It is justified to say that without these previous theological movements KN theology as we now know it could not exist. Looking at church hi- story, Bill Hamon (1997, 19) explains how previous movements of God’s agencies have opened the way for what we have today. His vision of history goes something like this: the Protestant Reformation opened the way for the Holiness movement, as well as other movements. The Pentecostal movement paved the way for the Latter Rain movement and the Charismatic renewal, while the Faith movement opened the way for the present-day Prophetic movement, which is in turn preparing the way for the Apostolic movement, which will prepare the way for the Saints’ movement in the future. The Saint’s movement pertains to ordinary believers who were, according to the example in Acts 8:1-4, going everywhere and preaching the Gospel, accompani- ed with miracles and wonders, while the apostles remained in Jerusalem. Using this example, Hamon (1997, 243-247) claims that the purpose of the five-fold ministry is to prepare the saints for the work of ministry (Eph 4:11-16), because the great harvest will not be a result of the work of just a handful of apostles, prophets, and evangelists, but of all the saints who have been prepared by God and anointed by the Spirit. In this brief overview we see that KN theology proponents view themselves as the pinnacle, i.e. the final wave, of God’s activity, as well as heirs and inheritors of all that has been good and faithful in church history. With such a mindset, it is not seldom that the proponents of KN theology view any criticism of their teachings and practices as “attacking the work of God,” and the critics as the opponents of God’s work.
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