What is or was the Third Wave?

[dms1972]

Hi,

I've been reading a bit about this and wondering why the Third Wave is called that, and what was the first wave, and second wave? Is the third wave still ongoing? Thanks for any help you can provide to understand this a little better

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Hi,

I've been reading a bit about this and wondering why the Third Wave is called that, and what was the first wave, and second wave? Is the third wave still ongoing? Thanks for any help you can provide to understand this a little better

It is a Charismatic movement in a revival setting driven by C. Peter Wagner.
Blessings.

 

[Biblicist]

It is a Charismatic movement in a revival setting driven by C. Peter Wagner.
Blessings.

If we were to have a detailed discussion on this particular topic, it is important to understand that words, especially technical terms have their own specific and often strict meanings. Since we each come from different and diverse backgrounds, our understanding of a particular word or technical term can easily lead us off into unnecessary directions.
But to keep things simple, it is generally accepted that there have been three so-called ‘waves’ during the 20th century, as with below:

• First Wave – Early Pentecostal movement that commenced around 1900.
• Second Wave – Charismatic Renewal, between the early 1960’s through to the early 1980’s.
• Third Wave – New Apostolic Reformation, commenced in the late 1980’s.

Where things begin to become a bit messy is that there is a strong argument made that the ‘Third Wave’ which is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), also referred to as the ‘neo-charismatic movement’ is much the same as another movement within the early Pentecostal movement called the ‘Latter Rain Movement’ (LRM) which commenced in 1948, it would sit between the First and Second Waves.
With careful reference back to my opening paragraph, the LRM and NAR share many common elements, particularly with their emphasis on Dominion theology and the role of regional apostles.