Apostles Today: Making Sense of Contemporary Charismatic Apostolates: A Historical and Theological Appraisal

Are apostles amongst us today? According to a growing section of the church the answer is yes. This book investigates and appraises that idea seeking answers to the following questions in the context of the church in the USA and particularly Britain: Is there a robust scriptural justification for the charismatic apostolate (CA) that most charismatic groups are proclaiming? How widespread is this belief and why has it become more commonplace? What kind of apostles are being advocated by influential popular teachers? What does church history and tradition have to offer to this idea? Is there a way to endorse and embrace ecumenically the CA? Does the CA have a future in the universal church? These are important questions to answer for the sake of the churchs mission and health. This is a thoroughly well-researched book on the role of apostles in the contemporary Charismatic Movement that will be a benchmark for years to come. The subject is topical and relevant and equally engaging of both sides of the argument in Evangelical and Pentecostal scholarship. A must-read! --Allan Heaton Anderson University of Birmingham I take this to be an important book because it brings together ideas that if they reach their final fruition will alter the shape and state of the worldwide church in the twenty-first century. I cannot of course be sure of this and none of us can with any certainty predict what adventures and adversities . . . will reveal themselves. . . . If the theological examination to which apostolicity has been subjected by McNair Scott is fair and if apostolicity is indeed valid then the twenty-first-century church is going to incorporate a reality that will eventually have an impact on its normative functioning and effectiveness. --Professor William K. Kay University of Chester UK; University of Glyndŵr UK Benjamin McNair Scott PhD is an ordained Anglican Priest and the chaplain at St Catherines School Bramley.