II. El presente continuo con un contrato social averiado 1. La situación en los años anteriores a la tormenta
2. El estallido social en medio de una tormenta perfecta donde coincidieron múltiples crisis
The theology of the kingdom underpins Wimber’s theology of power evangelism. Nigel Scotland suggests that while Charismatic Christians have addressed a great degree of theological issues, the concept of the kingdom of God has been central.272 Relating this to Wimber, Mark Stibbe suggests that the kingdom of God is the central theme of Wimber’s theology.273 Wright suggests that Wimber’s understanding of the kingdom comes from two sources: George Eldon Ladd, whose influence has already been noted, and James Kallas.274 We have seen that there was a degree of cross-pollination through the Fuller faculty, the missionary experiences that some of the faculty had, alongside a desire to move away from the dispensationalism and fundamentalism of the early twentieth century. For Wimber these two authors provided a new application for some of these missionary experiences to be applied within the context of the Western world.
For Wimber the kingdom of God was the means by which Jesus ruled over his willing subjects and the forces of evil in the world, reflecting the absolute rule which he exercised in heaven. In this sense Wimber sees Jesus
272 N. Scotland, ‘From the ‘not yet’ to the ‘now and not yet’: Charismatic Kingdom Theology 1960-2010, Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 20 (2011), p.275.
273 M. Stibbe, in Meeting John Wimber, ed. J. Gunstone, (Crowborough: Monarch Publications, 1996), p.91.
274 Wright, ‘Profiles of Divine Healing’, p.273.
as coming to earth to reclaim the earth for God.275 Here we see the beginning of the already/not yet tension in Wimber’s theology, where the spiritual forces that controlled the world were being routed by the authority of the Son of God.
We also see the beginning of the connection between the kingdom of God and spiritual warfare. Jesus exercised this authority by power manifestations of his authority in healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead, to demonstrate that the kingdom had come.276 There seems to be a disparity in Wimber’s own thinking on this matter. While he explicitly states that the kingdom had come through the work and ministry of Jesus, he states elsewhere that the purpose of the miracles was not to show that the kingdom had come, but to point to the fact that the King had come.277 Whether this is simply semantics, or whether there is a division in Wimber’s thinking between King and kingdom, is unclear. Although it seems that the King and kingdom are closely tied to each other; nevertheless, he wants to distinguish between them. The question why needs to be asked? It could be that he wants to clearly divide the rule of Christ with any institution that may claim to be the vehicle of that rule, as we shall see in the debate concerning the connection of the Church and the kingdom. It may be that he sees a distinction between the rule of Christ and the actions of Christ, suggesting that the purpose of the actions of Christ are to integrate converts into the rule of Christ. It does, however, seem a strange distinction as without the King there would not be a kingdom; therefore, the action of the King demonstrates that the kingdom has come. Where he may be going is toward the time when the King would leave but the kingdom would continue, and it would be served by the Church. Yet, this may mitigate any continuance of miracles as the King was no longer present.
275 J. Wimber, Kingdom Come: Understanding what the Bible Says about the Reign of God, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1989), p.13.
276 Wimber, Power Evangelism, p.30; Wimber, Dynamics of Spiritual Growth, p.171.
277 Wimber, The Way In is the Way On, p.190.
The theology of the kingdom became one of the key defining characteristics of the new Vineyard movement. Bert Waggoner notes that the theology and practice of the kingdom is the main characteristic of the Vineyard.278 The kingdom is the tension between that which is already present in the world, and that which is yet to come when Christ returns.279 The theology of the kingdom is intimately connected to the practice of miracles, healing, exorcism as well as social justice, through the presence of the Holy Spirit.280 J.D.G. Dunn agrees with this assessment, and suggests that even during the earthly ministry of Christ the manifestation of the kingdom only happened because ‘the eschatological Spirit was present in and through him’.281 These statements seem to answer the division in Wimber’s own writings about the King and the kingdom. The fact that the King is no longer physically present could tend toward a cessationist understanding of miracles.
Yet, Waggoner draws the line between the presence of the Spirit and the practice of miracles. What seems to be becoming evident is the issue of praxis, that Wimber’s theology of the kingdom is something that is to be done, not just believed. Morphew calls this ‘inaugurated eschatology’ in which the coming kingdom is received and begins to affect the present world.282 This would manifest in opposition to perceived spiritual forces that control the world, through the Church acting in spiritual warfare. While Wimber anticipated the return of the King, he did not postpone the coming of the kingdom until that event.
Wimber’s inaugurated eschatology was not something that would have been shared with other Charismatics of the time. Scotland suggests that much of Charismatic-kingdom teaching was futuristic, when Christ would return for
278 B.A. Waggoner, ‘The Theology & Practice of the Kingdom of God’, <http://
www.vineyardusa.org/site/about/article/theology-practice-kingdom-god-waggoner>
[accessed on 15/6/12].
279 Waggoner, ‘The Theology & Practice of the Kingdom of God’
280 Waggoner, ‘The Theology & Practice of the Kingdom of God’.
281 J.D.G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, (London: SCM Press, 1975), pp.48-49.
282 Morphew, ‘Why is the Kingdom of God so Important?’
his Church at the end of the age. He suggests that Wimber’s position came to the fore because the Church did not seem to be responding to the Charismatic Movement as much as had been anticipated.283 Whether this is a correct assessment will be determined by one’s pre-conviction on the issue of renewal. If it is a critical position, then certainly Scotland may have a point. If, however, it is a positive assessment of Charismatic Renewal then any hint at a possible experience could be deemed to be positive. Scotland further explains this in terms of a distancing from the Pentecostal Pioneers who reflected on the work of the Spirit. He states that what fuelled Wimber’s theology was a desire to see how the power of Christ would move in people’s lives in the present age. Such signs and wonders demonstrated that rule of Christ.284 Whether Wimber’s theological reflection can be traced to a disappointment amongst Charismatics, and perhaps even Pentecostals, to the extent of their theological impact cannot be absolutely confirmed. There may be some warrant in seeing the missionary influence on Wimber, through the faculty in Fuller, manifesting itself in dissatisfaction with the current state of the Western Church. What is worth noting, however, is that the Fuller faculty did not seem to entirely endorse the connection between the kingdom of God and miracles, signs and wonders. Kraft believes that the normal principles of the kingdom are wider reaching than simply the area of spiritual power.285 More explicitly, Ladd sees the coming of the kingdom coming quietly, unobtrusively and even secretly. He states:
It can work among men and never be recognised by the crowds. In the spiritual realm, the Kingdom now offers to men the blessings of God’s rule, delivering them from the power of Satan and sin. The Kingdom of God is an offer, a gift which may be accepted or rejected. The Kingdom is now here with persuasion rather than with power.286
283 Scotland, ‘From the ‘not yet’ to the ‘now and not yet’’, p.275.
284 Scotland, ‘From the ‘not yet’ to the ‘now and not yet’’, p.283. Scotland further suggests that Wimber believed Church had disregarded the power of God because it could not handle it. Jack Deere agrees with the assessment, but adds that the absence is because the Church is not praying for miracles out of unbelief, which leads to a powerlessness. J. Deere, ‘The Vineyard’s Response to the Briefing’, Vineyard Position Paper 2, (Anaheim, CA: The Association of Vineyard Churches, 1993), p.8.
285 Kraft, Christianity with Power, p.114.
286 Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom, p.55.
This specific connection between a quiet coming of the kingdom and the power emphasised by Wimber is an issue. Those on whom he has drawn seem to point away from the very emphasis that Wimber espouses. This understanding of the kingdom may sit better with Eugene H. Peterson's view of subversive spirituality. It claims that success in ministry only comes because the people being ministered to do not grasp that Christ is working through the Church to transform their world through subverting its principles.287 Whatever the reason for Ladd’s caveat, the work of the kingdom seems constant between him and Wimber. They both look for the evidence of the kingdom coming in a significant way in the world. One looks for quiet ways, the other for dramatic evidences.