'...I want you to keep in mind that I'm still in the process of changing, I'm going to share with you my viewpoint today, I may change it in 2 weeks or in 2 years, I don't know... I'm just not sure I've yet fully worked out a scenario that I can live with long term. But here are my best thoughts on the subject... From time to time we will have a valid experience with an invalid label. At this time my perception is that that is what has occurred with the issue of the baptism of the Holy Spirit... At this point in time I have come full circle from an evangelical theology of filling of the Spirit, through an experience and a theology that embraced what we would call classic Pentecostal... now I've come back to a place where I think I started theologically, but I've added a dimension of experience.'[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wimber'My perception is that every born-again Christian can manifest any gift that he wants to, because with the coming of the Holy Spirit you have the Source of all gifts.'[4]
Wimber said:
'I believe God has established a gender-based eldership of the church... I endorse the traditional (and what I consider the scriptural) view of a unique leadership role for men in marriage, family, and in the church... this [view] ultimately reflects the hierarchy of the Trinity.'[6]
http://crvineyard.org/cgi-bin/kingdomtools/ktpublic.rb?short_url=WIMBER&site=crvineyard.org'I personally do not favor ordaining women as elders in the local church...I encourage our women to participate in any ministry, except church governance.' [6]
Authenticity
He is well known for a strong emphasis on "authenticity," and doing nothing for "religious effect." Here are some of his comments in this regard:
"I also visited several healing meetings... and became angry with what appeared to be the manipulation of people for the material gains of the faith healer... Dressing like sideshow barkers. Pushing people over and calling it the power of God. And money - they were always asking for more, leading people to believe that if they gave they would be healed..."[7]
"I have also seen groups where the expected behaviour of the ones being prayed for was that they fall over. This was nothing more than learnt behaviour, religion at its worst."[8]
"During the time of prayer for healing I encourage people to 'dial down', that is, to relax and resist becoming emotionally worked up. Stirred up emotions rarely aid the healing process, and usually impede learning about how to pray for the sick. So I try to create an atmosphere that is clinical and rational... while at the same time it is powerful and spiritually sensitive. Of course, emotional expression is a natural by-product of divine healing and not a bad response. My point is that artificially creating an emotionally charged atmosphere militates against divine healing and especially undermines training others to pray for the sick."[9]
"I have made it a matter of policy never to accept gifts for healing. Greed and materialism are perhaps the most common cause of the undoing of many men and women with a healing ministry... When I pray over people for God to release the healing ministry, I always instruct them never to accept money for healing."[10]
"I don't have any objection to phenomena, per se. I think Jonathan Edwards has adequately addressed the issues of phenomena in revival... However, I think if it's fleshly and brought out by some sort of display, or promoted by somebody on stage, that's abysmal. But if God does something to somebody, that's between that person and God."[11]
- Clear, accurate biblical teaching.
- Contemporary worship in the freedom of the Spirit.
- The gifts of the Spirit in operation.
- An active small group ministry.
- Ministry to the poor, widows, orphans, and those who are broken.
- Physical healing with special emphasis on signs and wonders as seen in the Book of Acts.
- A commitment to missions: church planting at home and world missions abroad.
- Unity within the whole Body of Christ, a relationship with other local churches.
- Evangelistic outreach.
- Equipping the saints in areas such as discipleship, ministry, serving, giving, finances, family, etc.
