The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Cessation of Special Revelation

The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Cessation of Special Revelation
Author: Garnet Howard Milne
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2007-12-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1556358059

In the opening chapter of the Confession, the divines of Westminster included a clause that implied that there would no longer be any special immediate revelation from God. Means by which God had once communicated the divine will, such as dreams, visions, and the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, were said to be no longer available. However, many of the authors of the WCF accepted that prophecy continued in their time, and a number of them apparently believed that disclosure of God's will through dreams, visions, and angelic communication remained possible. How is the cessationist clause of WCF 1:1 to be read in the light of these claims? This book reconciles this paradox in a detailed study of the writings of the authors of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The Kingdom Case Against Cessationism

The Kingdom Case Against Cessationism
Author: Robert Graves
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2022-06-29
Genre:
ISBN: 9780996044523

This is a twelve-essay book arguing against the theological doctrine of charismata cessation. These essays were written by nine well-respected Bible scholars: Michael L. Brown, Randy Clark, Robert W. Graves, Gary S. Greig, James Hernando, Derek Morphew, Jon M. Ruthven, Graham H. Twelftree, and Don Williams, with an endorsement by Dr. Sam Storms and a Foreword by Dr. Craig S. Keener, who writes, "The book's thesis is compelling: The king who is yet to return and consummate his kingdom has already come once and thus inaugurated that kingdom. Jesus demonstrated God's reign through signs and empowered his followers by his Spirit to continue his mission to the world. To doubt these theses is to doubt central claims of the gospel-Jesus's kingship, his promised role as Spirit-baptizer, his mission that must be continued until he returns. The exalted Lord who began pouring out the Spirit "in the last days" certainly didn't pour the Spirit back, as if it is now earlier than the last days. The kingdom that Jesus inaugurated continues to advance as we continue to preach and demonstrate the good news of his reign." Dr. Sam Storms endorses it, writing, "The book's thesis is compelling: The king who is yet to return and consummate his kingdom has already come once and thus inaugurated that kingdom. Jesus demonstrated God's reign through signs and empowered his followers by his Spirit to continue his mission to the world. To doubt these theses is to doubt central claims of the gospel-Jesus's kingship, his promised role as Spirit-baptizer, his mission that must be continued until he returns. While they do not require the extremist "charismatic" position that some cessationists criticize (e.g., everyone should get healed in this life), they do require a sober continuationism. The exalted Lord who began pouring out the Spirit "in the last days" certainly didn't pour the Spirit back, as if it is now earlier than the last days. The kingdom that Jesus inaugurated continues to advance as we continue to preach and demonstrate the good news of his reign."

Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church

Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church
Author: Jeff Doles
Publisher: Walking Barefoot Ministries
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2007-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0974474894

GOD HAS ALWAYS DONE MIRACLES IN HIS CHURCH ~ AND STILL DOES! The Holy Spirit has never left the Church and neither have His supernatural gifts and manifestations. They have been available in every century ~ from the days of the Apostolic Fathers, to the desert monks of Egypt and Syria, to the missionary outreaches of the Middle Ages, to the Reformation era and the awakenings and revivals that followed, to the Pentecostal explosion of the Twentieth Century and the increase of signs and wonders in the Twenty-first. Miracles, healings, deliverances, prophecies, dreams, visions ~ even raising the dead! ~ have all been in operation throughout the history of the Church. Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Methodists, Moravians, Presbyterians, Quakers and many others have experienced the supernatural gifts and workings of the Spirit over the centuries. Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the History of the Church gathers up numerous accounts from a variety of historical sources and provides a handy reference for those who want to know more about: • How the Church has understood and operated in the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit at various times in history. • Why the gifts and miracles were more frequently in manifestation in some eras than in others. • The many ways the Church has ministered in healing and deliverance. • How the Holy Spirit manifested in great revivals. • How the river of gifts and miracles continues to flow today.

The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements

The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements
Author: Stanley M. Burgess
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 2625
Release: 2010-08-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310873355

The Definitive History of the Spirit-Filled Church Encyclopedic coverage of: Activities of the Spirit over 2,000 years of church history in 60 countries and regions Outpourings at Topeka, Mukti Mission (India), Azusa Street, Duquesne University, and many other 20th-century locations Current movements among today’s 500 million-plus Pentecostal and charismatic Christians worldwide The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements sets modern, Spirit-filled Christianity in a context that spans two millennia and the entire Christian world. Like no other resource, this volume reveals in detail the full, sweeping legacy of Spirit-empowered movements that have touched hearts and lives both in modern America and across the centuries and continents: in medieval Europe, Finland in the 1700s, South India in the 1800s, Azusa Street at the turn of the 20th century--and much more, including ongoing moves of the Holy Spirit throughout the world today. One thousand entries provide the most extensive information available on Pentecostal, charismatic, and neocharismatic movements. The diverse topics covered include, as a small sample, glossolalia, black and Hispanic Pentecostalism, prophecy, the role of women, faith healing, music, sociology, missions, church growth, and different historic and contemporary revivals. With its unique international and historical perspective, this completely revised and expanded second edition of the acclaimed Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements offers features that no other reference of its kind approaches. Its extraordinary scope and detailed, up-to-date coverage make this the definitive resource on Pentecostal and charismatic denominations and movements both in North America and worldwide. Includes: Exhaustive coverage of Pentecostal and charismatic movements in 60 countries and regions--individual histories, cultural and theological aspects, and key figures and institutions. Statistical section with a wealth of current information on the growth of classical Pentecostalism as well as charismatic and neocharismatic movements. 1,000 articles. Over 500 photos and illustrations, maps, and timeline. Cross references, bibliographies, and indexes to people, places, and topics.

The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America

The Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America
Author: Paul C. Gutjahr
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 737
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 0190258845

Early Americans have long been considered "A People of the Book" Because the nickname was coined primarily to invoke close associations between Americans and the Bible, it is easy to overlook the central fact that it was a book-not a geographic location, a monarch, or even a shared language-that has served as a cornerstone in countless investigations into the formation and fragmentation of early American culture. Few books can lay claim to such powers of civilization-altering influence. Among those which can are sacred books, and for Americans principal among such books stands the Bible. This Handbook is designed to address a noticeable void in resources focused on analyzing the Bible in America in various historical moments and in relationship to specific institutions and cultural expressions. It takes seriously the fact that the Bible is both a physical object that has exercised considerable totemic power, as well as a text with a powerful intellectual design that has inspired everything from national religious and educational practices to a wide spectrum of artistic endeavors to our nation's politics and foreign policy. This Handbook brings together a number of established scholars, as well as younger scholars on the rise, to provide a scholarly overview--rich with bibliographic resources--to those interested in the Bible's role in American cultural formation.