The National Association of Evangelicals has elected Ted Haggard as its new president. The decision was made at the Association's 61" Annual Convention, held March 6-7, 2003 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
The NAE, founded in the 1950's, is the largest voluntary association of evangelical churches and schools in America. Representing some 27 million Americans, it is comprised of 43,000 congregations from 51 denominations, as well as several hundred independent congregations and para-church organizations.
Haggard replaces the interim NAE president Leith Anderson, who has served in that position since 2001. Haggard, a graduate of Oral Roberts Seminary, is the senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs. He is also the president of The World Prayer Center (WPC), which is related to C. Peter Wagner's various ministries. In 1984 Haggard envisioned and promoted the World Prayer Center, co-founded it with C. Peter Wagner, and built it on the New Life property. The WPC is a 5.5 million dollar complex and ministry directed by Wagner. It is billed as a spiritual warfare technology facility endeavoring to network the world and promote the multi-faced agenda of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Obviously, Ted Haggard is in a lock-step relationship with the whole Wagner world-view. A brochure from a Wagner conference in Brisbane, Australia, succinctly summarizes this world-view:
"The New Apostolic Reformation is an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit that is changing the shape of Christianity globally... The Lord is establishing the foundations of the Church for the new Millennium. This foundation is built upon the apostles and prophets. Apostles execute and establish God's plan on the earth ... understand God's new order for this coming era." (Hughie Seaborn posting in 1999, http://members ozmemail.com.au)
The spiritual warfare formula of the NAR includes these active ingredients: strategic4evel intercession, territorial spirits, prophetic acts, spiritual mapping, warfare prayer, tearing down strongholds, identificational repentance, and remitting of sins of nations.
Renee Rodriguez spent a number of years in Haggard's New Life church and describes one of the ways the New Lifers have implemented the Apostolic vision. She describes how they filled 5-gallon spray cans with anointing oil and attempted to spray the whole city.
At best, such tactics are bizarre!
Renee emailed Pastor Haggard and asked about his being a "high apostle" in the NAR; he replied that he had no knowledge of such a thing. But in Arise Magazine (official organ of the New Apostolic Reformation, a September 1 posting), it states: "In Colorado Springs where Wagner lives, Pastor Ted Haggard of New Life Church has been officially recognized as an apostle of a certain sphere of churches called the NET."
Brian Kaijala attended a service at New Life in September of 1997. In this service a visiting missionary named Hogan recounted many stories of multiple resurrections in Mexico. During the service Brian was distracted by episodes of uncontrollable laughter. At the end of the service Hogan established a prayer line for healing, waving a handkerchief at their bodies while he commanded: "Fire!" As a result many were "slain in the spirit." This ministry left Hogan so debilitated that he was literally needed to be carried/dragged out of the service.
These vignettes of Haggard's ministry and his espousal of Wagner's NAR give us a picture of the new NAE presidents picture that surely is unique in NAE history since its founding half a century ago. Were those who voted for this man aware of the ministry and agenda of Ted Haggard? His election signals, at the least, a significant transformation in the direction of the NAE. In the press release from the NAE, Bill Hamel, Chairman of the Board of the NAE (and President of the Evangelical Free Church of America), commended Haggard's "commitment to bringing evangelicals together in mission, prayer, and a united voice." Mission? Prayer? United voice? Do the 27 millionAmericans who look to the NAE for leadership understand what these words mean to the elected president? Is the NAE Board on-board with New Apostolic transformational ministry?
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