The Third Wave is a label describing those who have combined evangelical theology with charismatic practice.
I agree with MacArthur that many in the Third Wave have become excessively phenomenological, subjective, and pragmatic.
Yet there are some valid emphases that the Third Wave has contributed to the Body of Christ.
Namely, the importance of the Holy Spirit's power in evangelism, the value of intimacy with the Lord in praise and worship, and the encouragement to expect God to work in ways that exceed our expectations.
The late John Wimber, who is the target of much of MacArthur's rhetoric in Charismatic Chaos, basically "put wheels" on the theology of the kingdom championed by the evangelical scholar George E. Ladd.
Ladd's view of the kingdom is that it is "already, but not yet." While I do not agree with all of John Wimber's theology and practice, I recognize that God used him in the ministry of healing and deliverance.
In short, MacArthur's analysis of John Wimber and Jack Deere is largely inaccurate because it is based upon a heavily biased document called "the Briefing."
As far as I'm concerned, Jack Deere's The Vineyard's Response to the Briefing is a must read for anyone who takes MacArthur's criticisms seriously.
Deere's response is an eye-opening account of how "the Briefing" knowingly spread misinformation, rumors, and false reports about Wimber, Deere, and others, often misrepresenting them and quoting them out of context.
Sadly, MacArthur has done the same in his treatment of The Third Wave.
For those interested, I would recommend that you go straight to the source and read Jack Deere's two books, Surprised by the Spirit of God and Surprised by the Voice of God.
These books will give you "the other side" of the matter by a seasoned evangelical scholar.
Each book powerfully documents how a fundamentalist who once believed in the cessation of the gifts (Deere) radically changed his views based upon incontrovertible evidence, both biblical and experiential.
49
In addition, it has been documented that many of the charges brought against John Wimber, Jack Deere, and some of the prophetically gifted individuals from Kansas City in the past have been spurious and misapplied. Yet MacArthur cites those inaccurate charges in his anti-charismatic denunciations.
For details, see the following responses written by Baptist and Reformed Christians:
The Vineyard's Response to the Briefing by Jack Deere The Vineyard's Response to the Standard by Wayne Grudem
Power & Truth: A Response to the Critiques of Vineyard Teaching and Practice by D.A.
Carson, James Montgomery Boice, and John H. Armstrong.
Another book demonstrating the unshakable biblical evidence for the perpetuity of spiritual gifts is The Kingdom and the Power with contributions from J.I. Packer, Wayne Grudem, David Lewis, S.M. Gurgess, John White, etc.
Again, while MacArthur balks at letting one's personal experience shape the way they view Scripture, he fails to recognize that his own view of Scripture seems to be shaped by his own experience (or lack thereof).
But God can and does sometimes use personal experience to force His children to reexamine their cherished doctrines and interpretations.
The Lord in His mercy may use our circumstances to turn our theological worlds upside down and bring us to the truth. (This is essentially what happened to Saul of Tarsus.)
Allow me to use an illustration to show how a dramatic experience can cause a person to re-evaluate their biblical model of interpretation.
Let's suppose that I believe that God does not heal blindness anymore.
Suppose I have a female friend who is blind. My other friend, John, is a Christian whom I respect. John believes that God still heals today.
My opinion of John is that he is sincere and genuine, but his interpretation of the New Testament is faulty.
John seeks, through the Scriptures, to demonstrate to me that healing is for today. I listen to him, but opt for alternative interpretations of all the texts he shows me.
One day John prays for my blind friend and her eyes are instantly opened.
50
I would be a fool not to re-evaluate my interpretation of Scripture and conclude that I was wrong.
John Wimber's testimony is similar to this incident. His interview with Christianity Today (March 19, 1990) is an outstanding testimony of the reality of the miraculous power of God that is available today.
The interview was actually a panel discussion between Wimber and several other theologians.
In it, Wimber candidly states,
The biggest difficulty I've had with miracles is that they do not fit in terms of our worldview. We're twentieth-century materialists, we're rationalists, so we look for natural, materialistic clarifications of things. And I'm not any different than most people.
So I've had to struggle with things that I've seen. Let me give an illustration. I was in Melbourne, Australia, last year, and the Lord gave me an impression, what we call a
"word of knowledge," while I was ministering. So I said to the audience, "There's a woman here with a cleft palate. You've had two surgeries on the palate to try to resolve it. They've taken your teeth. You now wear a bridge. And the name Emma will be very precious to you. This is a sign to you that God wants to heal your palate." The woman came out of the audience, and a Christian surgeon became very concerned. He said, "Do you understand what you've promised that woman?"...
So he explained rather ardently for ten minutes the nature of bones and how the cranium was a bone and that the inside of the mouth was a bone. "Do you understand what a mature bone is like?" he said. "You have to surgically break that bone in order for this palate to come together." And I said, "All I can tell you is what God told me, and I believe that if you'll go to join the prayer group you'll watch this woman get healed."
He just looked at me as if I had six heads! Three days later the woman's palate closed. So the surgeon hurried her off to his offices and examined her, giving us one of those
miracles that is authenticated by surgical medicine.
While it is a mistake to build one's theology upon experience, it is also a mistake to ignore experience when it contradicts our theology.
Intellectual honesty and humility would dictate that we rethink what we have been taught when our biblical interpretations do not fit the real world.
It is sheer presumption to assert that God cannot intervene in the life of a believer through a mighty spiritual crisis and divine encounter.
51
The testimony of Scripture is filled with such accounts, as well as the history of men and women throughout the history of the church. See Crisis Experiences in the Lives of Noted Christians by Dr. V. Raymond Edman.
52