A Reply to Michael Brown's 'Appeal for Holly Pivec and Prof. Doug Geivett to Separate Yourselves From the Hyper-Critics'

By Holly Pivec and Doug Geivett, Voices Contributors Monday, May 21, 2018

Dear Michael,

We understand your desire to continue dialogue about the things we have already discussed with you and at considerable length elsewhere. We believe we have already had the conversation you ask for yet again. At this point we think it would be more fruitful to concentrate on interaction with key New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) figures that we identify in our book, including especially Bill Johnson, Ché Ahn, and Rick Joyner.

Thank you for acknowledging that critics of NAR vary in their approaches and disagreements. You regard some as "hyper-critics" and you call on us to separate ourselves from them. As you know, we bear no responsibility for how others define or respond to NAR. We're glad that others have turned to our research in their own efforts to understand and respond. And we're happy to have all of our readers make what they will of the claims and evidence we present. Since you have expressed appreciation for our efforts and respect for our good intentions, you might encourage your own audience to read our book A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement.

Of course, we counsel both critics and NAR-friendlies to exercise grace in combination with close study of Scripture and careful reasoning. (On pages xiv-xvi of the preface to our book, we outline 15 specific criteria for "presenting a fair and balanced treatment of NAR.")

We're confident that many observers of the NAR phenomenon have experiences and insights to add toward the goal of measuring the full range of NAR concerns. If you consider certain critics to be hyper-critical, we look forward to seeing how your interaction with them unfolds. Meanwhile, we will continue to concentrate on the excesses of NAR figures as we understand them.

Thank you for your interest in our work. Like you, we pray for greater discernment within the church. To that end, we urge responsible reading and study of Scripture, and we encourage confidence that God favors those who seek to be obedient to what has been already revealed in His Word.

Sincerely,

R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec

Doug Geivett is Professor of Philosophy at Biola University and Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Southern California and is past president of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Doug has written several books, including two with Holly on NAR. His most recent book is on The Testimony of the Spirit (Oxford University Press). Holly Pivec is co-author with Doug Geivett of two books on NAR, called A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a WorldwideMovement and God's Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophetsand Apostles Movement. She runs a popular blog critiquing NAR called Spirit of Error. She has a master's degree in Christian apologetics from Biola University. Last fall, she was a featured speaker on NAR for the Religion Newswriters Association conference in Nashville. She's been interviewed about NAR by many media organizations, including the Washington Post and Religion News Service.