Benjamin G. McNair Scott, Apostles Today: Making Sense of Contemporary Charismatic Apostolates: A Historical and Theological Appraisal, Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 254pp, pbk, 2014.

Reviewed by Barry Chant.

While for many traditional Christians, apostolic ministry died out around the end of the first century, for Benjamin G. McNair Scott, apostles are very much alive and well today. Biblical apostles are universally recognised, of course, but according to some of the writers McNair Scott quotes, there were both pre-ascension and post-ascension apostles who may be described as having either a ‘foundational’ (i.e. non-repeatable) or a ‘functional’ (i.e. ongoing) role. So functional apostles have been recognised over the years in many places and in many positions, especially in recent times.

In the course of his discussion, McNair Scott describes many different understandings of what he calls ‘the apostolate’ and covers a wide range of concepts. Personally I enjoyed reading the views and/or activities of a number of people whom I have known or met personally – Peter Wagner, Derek Prince, John Wimber, Terry Virgo, Colin Dye, David Cartledge, Ern Baxter, Bob Mumford, Kenneth Hagin, Vinson Synan – and also to observe his reflections on people like Edward Irving, John Alexander Dowie and Donald Gee, who have figured prominently in my own writing and teaching. Other readers may not have this same advantage but the work is of significant interest nevertheless.

Basically, McNair Scott follows a simple, clear outline. Part One (‘Where We Are’) begins with a summary of the contemporary scene entitled Apostles Today, in which various denominational views are addressed, both traditional and innovative. This is necessarily brief but does open up some interesting perspectives, although I would like to have seen more about the Apostolic Church in Britain which, as its name suggests, openly recognised the role of contemporary apostles and openly appointed them to office over half a century before the emergence of the current Apostolic focus of the group largely represented by C. Peter Wagner. 

It is interesting that South Korea’s David Yonggi Cho does not seem to get a mention while Nigeria’s E. A. Adeboye, with his strong focus on money and his dubious teaching on ‘firstfruits’ does. Nor could I find any reference to Smith Wigglesworth or David Du Plessis who might have warranted at least a passing comment.

The second section summarises the teaching of five popular and well-known writers on the subject – Derek Prince, C. Peter Wagner, Mike Breen, Terry Virgo and Kenneth Hagin. Obviously many others could have been chosen – scholars from the Apostolic Church, for example – but as McNair Scott explains, he needed to be selective. Clearly, he also decided to be non-critical in his assessments. Wagner, for example, is a prominent spokesman for the new apostolic movement who has influenced many people with his ability to present his views clearly and to demonstrate prophetic insight into both church and ministry practices, although he is neither an apostolic practitioner nor a theologian (as his published works demonstrate).  Nevertheless, this section is thought-provoking and informative.

Part Two covers the history of the apostolate (‘How We Got Here’). This is a useful summary and provides a helpful overview of relevant episodes in Church history. It is disappointing that Mormonism occupies more space than Montanism, given that a number of current apostolic movements so closely resemble the latter.

Part Three (‘What We Should Make of It’) includes two discussion sections whose headings really tell it all: Biblical Counter-arguments and Legitimations for an Ongoing Charismatic Apostolate and, Theological/Ecclesiological Critique of Popular Evangelical Conceptions of the Charismatic Apostolate. The most interesting aspect of this discussion is the suggestion that there are three types of Apostles. Type 1 includes strong leaders who believe that the apostolate is scriptural and therefore that they are exercising a scriptural role accompanied by scriptural authority. The author notes that the phrase ‘pope-like’ has been used about this. (At this point, he does refer to the challenges to Wagner’s theological credentials by more than one scholar.) Type 1 apostles don’t have theological baggage to hinder them in the development of their roles but there is a danger of an unfettered authority.

Type 2 Apostles draw a distinction between foundational and functional apostles, or, as Wimber puts it, ‘Big A’ and ‘little a’ apostles.  McNair Scott points out that this has generally been the view of Pentecostal churches. This is a pioneering but not a domineering ministry.

The Type 3 Apostolate holds a similar position but sees the gifts of Ephesians 4:11 as applying to all believers.

In Part Four (‘Where It Might Go’) the writer concludes that the charismatic Apostolate will continue to develop in the British Church but that the role of an apostle will be seen as functional not titular, in other words, as Type 2 not Type 1.  Nevertheless, he predicts that Type 1 apostles will continue to emerge and that spiritual celebrities will still appear. Black Pentecostal churches, in particular, will demonstrate these phenomena. On the other hand, with the passing of some independent Type 1 apostles, he sees their followings either becoming and/or joining denominational groups or dividing and disintegrating.

There are a couple of nit-picking points to make. Baptists are proud of their local church autonomy and would rather be known as the Baptist Union than the Baptist Church (McNair Scott uses both descriptors on page 45). There is an inconsistency in the use of titles: some leaders are presented as ‘Dr’ or ‘Professor’ or ‘Pastor’ while most others are not. At times I expected primary not secondary sources to be quoted, given the nature of the subject matter.

Overall this is an informative and instructive volume with plenty to interest the reader.  Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders in particular would do well to read it both carefully and prayerfully.

Barry Chant