I've listed them according to (my subjective sense of) their status as being well known in the Christian community.
Andrew Murray
Some may not consider Andrew Murray a continuationist because it's not clear that his belief in Divine Healing also included a belief in the continuation of the charismatic gifts. Also, even though he was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, some (like myself) question whether he actually held to Unconditional Election. Some of his statements sometimes seem to indicated that he held to Conditional Election (see for example some of his statements in his book Abide In Christ). Murray's books on prayer are beloved by most everyone in the Evangelical Church and beyond. His most famous book and cherished book is With Christ in the School of Prayer which is freely available on many Christian websites like. It is read by Christians of all strips including Calvinists, Arminians, Lutherans, and Catholics etc.
Here are some basic links online materials related to Andrew Murray
Wikipedia Entry
relevant online books:
Divine Healing (or here)
Links to books by Andrew Murray freely online at various websites:
HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE
John Piper
For most Evangelicals, John Piper needs no introduction. His teaching is either loved or hated by his fellow Evangelicals. Most love it (even if they may not agree with either his Calvinism and/or his continuationism).
Piper's most famous book is Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (freely online HERE). Most Christians who have read it say it's Life Changing.
main website:
http://www.desiringgod.org/
Desiring God's page on Spiritual Gifts
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/topic-index/spiritual-gifts
Wayne Grudem
Best known for his book Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Dr. Grudem is well respected in the Evangelical community. Dr. Grudem is an associate of John Piper. His Systematic Theology is hailed by Christians the world round. From Calvinists like J.I. Packer to charismatics like Jack Hayford.
Phoenix Seminary Bio
Online Audio Lessons
Wikipedia Entry
Amazon Books Page
Link to my "Blog Lessons by Wayne Grudem"
gospelmeals.blogspot.com/2013/04/link-to-lessons-by-wayne-grudem.html
Link to my Blog "Dr. Wayne Grudem Resources on the Charismatic Gifts" www.charismatamatters.blogspot.com/2013/08/dr-wayne-grudem-resources-on.html
Sam Storms
Sam Storms is another associate of John Piper. Many Calvinists have praised and recommend his book Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election, but shy away from his continuationism. He has been the speaker of many conferences where John Piper also spoke.
main website:
http://www.enjoyinggodministries.com/
Sam Storms' Articles on Divine Healing
Matt Slick
Known for internet apologetics, Matt Slick has a website "Calvinist Corner" where he has an assortment of articles demonstrating that many of the Calvinistic Covenanters moved in the gifts of the Spirit.
main websites:
http://carm.org
http://calvinistcorner.com/
Vincent Cheung
Because he holds to a modified form of Clarkian presuppositionalism, Cheung is a controversial figure (just like other Clarkians). Clarkians hold to Scripturalism along with their method of apologetics called Axiomatic (also known as "Dogmatic", or "Deductive", or "Rational") Presuppositionalism (which entails empirical skepticism). His views on Calvinism are considered by some to be hyper-Calvinistic or strongly leaning toward it.
main website:
http://www.vincentcheung.com/
My Blog on Vincent Cheung regarding the topic of Divine Healing and the Supernatural (includes Three Books on Divine Healing)
http://charismatamatters.blogspot.com/2013/07/vincent-cheung-on-healing.html
James K. A. Smith
Not as well known as John Piper, Smith is nevertheless a professor of philosophy at Calvin College. He has written a number of books including:
- Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition
- Thinking in Tongues: Pentecostal Contributions to Christian Philosophy
fors clavigera (James K.A. Smith's Blog)
http://forsclavigera.blogspot.com/
Blog Entry at Evangelical Philosophical Society Concerning Smith's Works
Interview of James K.A. Smith
Wikipedia Article on James K.A. Smith
J. Rodman Williams
(Now Suspect as a true Calvinist. I doubt he actually held to Unconditional Election)
Wikipedia Entry
main website:
http://www.rodmanwilliams.com/
Regent University Bio
Regent University Obituary
A.J. Gordon
According to Scott M. Gibson's book A.J. Gordon: American Premillennialist
Gordon's adoption of premillennialism, embrace of revivalism, practice of healing, and espousal of the second work of the Holy Spirit are not doctrines of strict Calvinism. Yet, he did not turn from the teaching of total depravity and unconditional election. But, like many New England preachers who preceded him, Gordon demonstrated a willingness to accommodate outside influences. He was an heir to the alliance between Calvinism and the revivalism of the late 1700s and the 1800s. In his acceptance of the validity of experience, he simply reclothed the old Calvinist teachings in a new rhetoric of sentiment. Another possible factor for the moderation of Gordon's traditional Calvinism was that many Baptists had been appreciably affected by the influence of democratic thought. Yet, Gordon was a Calvinist in that he remained in the mainstream of historic Baptist thought and practice. However, his Calvinism was certainly not mainstream, but moderate. [page 78, bold added by me].Here's a LINK to some of Gordon's works including The Ministry of Healing.
Johanes Lilik Susanto
Not well known, Susanto wrote the following dissertation in defense of Calvinistic continuationism using the life and ministries of Smith Wigglesworth an John G. Lake as examples and models of modern charismatic manifestations .
Doctoral Thesis
Gavin Ortlund
At 1/28/2022 I found out that Gavin Ortlund is Calvinist and Continuationist.
Here's a link to my blog Recommended Resources on Divine Healing
Other people have made lists of non-cessationists Calvinists, but I'm not sure how accurate their lists are. Here are some examples:
I REALLLLY appreciate Gavin Ortlund's YouTube videos on the church fathers and how he defends Evangelical distinctives in an IRENIC way against non-Evangelical positions like Catholicism and Orthodoxy. I knew he was Baptist, but I've been wondering for a while whether he was Calvinistic and Continuationist. When he did his first live video answering common questions posed to him, he confessed to have once been a paedobaptist and became convinced of the credobaptist position. But he also admitted he's a Calvinist and Continuationist!!! Check out his videos and theological books.
He says he's a Calvinist here: https://youtu.be/FgMvRa3nvxM?t=793
He says he's a Continuationist here: https://youtu.be/FgMvRa3nvxM?t=2419
Ortlund's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TruthUnites
Matt Chandler
He is a pastor who, I believe, considers himself a reformed charismatic.
Adrian Warnock blog on Matt Chandler being a reformed charismatic HERE.
He is a pastor who, I believe, considers himself a reformed charismatic.
Adrian Warnock blog on Matt Chandler being a reformed charismatic HERE.
Wikipedia Article on Matt Chandler Here.
Here's a link to my blog Recommended Resources on Divine Healing
Other people have made lists of non-cessationists Calvinists, but I'm not sure how accurate their lists are. Here are some examples:
Here
Here
Continuationism is incompatible with Sola Scriptura, hence with the Reformation in general and the Reformed confessions in particular. But more important, it is contrary to the Scriptures.
ReplyDeleteWayne Grudem once surveyed the historical evidence for the apparent operation of the gifts of the Spirit among Reformed, Reformational, and Puritan ministers. He wrote in his book The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (Revised Edition):
Delete//I may add a personal note at this point: When I first found this material in Baxter, I photocopied these two pages and sent them to J. I. Packer, whose doctoral dissertation at Oxford was on Baxter's work. Packer sent back the following note:
By the way, some weeks ago you faxed me an extract from Baxter about God making personal informative revelations. This was the standard Puritan view, as I have observed it—they weren't cessationists in the Richard Gaffin sense.//
A Reformation Discussion of Extraordinary Predictive Prophecy Subsequent to the Closing of the Canon of Scripture by the Session of the PRCE
http://www.reformedpresbytery.org/books/prophecy/prophecy.htm
The charismatic covenanters
http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-charismatic-covenanters.html
Extraordinary Gifts and Church Officers
http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/PGET_ch3.htm
Steve Hays on Cessationism
http://charismatamatters.blogspot.com/2013/08/steve-hays-on-cessationism.html
John Calvin Apparently Received a Word of Knowledge from God
http://charismatamatters.blogspot.com/2013/08/john-calvin-apparently-received-word-of.html
The Suppressed Evidence: Or, Proofs of the Miraculous Faith and Experience of the Church of Christ In All Ages, From Authentic Records of the Fathers, Waldenses, Hussites, Reformers, United Brethren, &c. by Thomas Boys
https://books.google.com/books?id=5B0PAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Ministry of Healing: Miracles of Cure in All Ages
http://charismatamatters.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-ministry-of-healing-by-aj-gordon.html
The Scots Worthies by John Howie
https://books.google.com/books?id=5iwAAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Testimonies of the Supernatural Among Respected Christian Leaders
http://charismatamatters.blogspot.com/2013/12/testimonies-of-respected-christian.html
It is not sufficient to say "so-and-so believed one event could or did occur; therefore, he was a continuationist." A continuationist must believe that the Holy Spirit endows the church with all the gifts, and that the gifts, in general, are repeatable for the persons to whom they are given.
DeleteCessationists accept that the Holy Spirit continues to endow service gifts (helps, administration, teaching, preaching, evangelism, giving). Whereas the signs gifts have fulfilled their purposes and the Holy Spirit would not continuing endowing them for our fun and profit, the service gifts continue to fulfill timeless purposes.
Cessationists also accept that a one-time miracle can occur; for example, a miraculous healing in response to prayer, or receiving a donation of food when the orphanage has no food remaining. As a Cessationist, I have no problem believing a friend who said that a recent immigrant had heard in her native language a message he gave in English. Continuationists mistake such events for proof of spiritual gifts that ought to be repeatable by the one so endowed. "John Calvin Apparently Received a Word of Knowledge from God," on the other hand, is embarrassing evidence that he was a continuationist.
Delete//It is not sufficient to say "so-and-so believed one event could or did occur; therefore, he was a continuationist."//
Just as there are different kinds of cessationists [often in terms of degrees], so there can be different different kinds of continuationists [often in terms of degrees]. If there can be self-identifying semi-cessationists, why can't there be self-identifying semi-continuationists?
// A continuationist must believe that the Holy Spirit endows the church with all the gifts, and that the gifts, in general, are repeatable for the persons to whom they are given.//
Why can't a continuationist believe the office and/or gift of apostleship has ceased? By "apostle" I mean on part with Peter and Paul, not merely "apostle" in terms of a church builder/establisher which we call missionaries.
//Cessationists accept that the Holy Spirit continues to endow service gifts (helps, administration, teaching, preaching, evangelism, giving). Whereas the signs gifts have fulfilled their purposes and the Holy Spirit would not continuing endowing them for our fun and profit, the service gifts continue to fulfill timeless purposes.//
And continuationists often argue that the sign gifts do and should continue fulfilling those purposes. There's no indication in the NT they would cease having those functions.
//Cessationists also accept that a one-time miracle can occur;...//
Agreed.
// Continuationists mistake such events for proof of spiritual gifts that ought to be repeatable by the one so endowed.//
If you mean that continuationist believe spiritual gifts can be exercised at will, that's false. Some continuationists do believe that, while others don't. So for example, some continuationists don't believe that, say, the gift of healing can be exercised at will, but only as God intends to heal.
Also, given that you believe that some supernatural events can genuinely happen from God [rather than from the devil], then the burden of proof is on cessationists that cessationism is true rather than the burden of proof on continuationists that continuationism is true. Because if continuationism were true, then such supernatural events would be expected. Just as the fact that billionaire Joe Doe set up a foundation to donate bicycles to orphans implies he's still willing to do so until He says otherwise. There's no indication that God has chosen to stop giving the sign gifts.
//"John Calvin Apparently Received a Word of Knowledge from God," on the other hand, is embarrassing evidence that he was a continuationist.//
I wasn't claiming he was a continuationist. He was a an avowed cessationist. But his experience seems to make his cessationism less plausible. On your approach no amount of miracles could ever falsify cessationism. Cessationists have defined cessationism in a rigged non-falsifiable way. Whereas on my view every miracle is an inductive evidential data point supporting [not proving] continuationism. While at the same time we claim there is no Biblical evidence for God saying directly or indirectly that He would cease giving sign gifts.
That's a lot to respond to. Of course, there are degrees between the extremes, with individuals mixing the two positions. That's a red herring. But I'll focus on the last two sections.
DeleteThe position that God causes some supernatural events in no way implies that continuationism of sign gifts is true. The two are very different claims. Therefore, the first claim in no way creates a burden to show that cessationism is true.
You said "There's no indication that God has chosen to stop giving the sign gifts." That is your opinion, pitted against biblical and historical arguments.
The biblical arguments include, for example:
- the admonition to let go of the things of childhood in the midst of three chapters about spiritual gifts, coupled with a prophecy that certain gifts will cease themselves or be done away with (we will disagree about what "that which is perfect" means)
- specific definitions of the purposes of gifts (e.g., "signs of an apostle," "tongues are for a sign not to believers but to unbelievers (educated in their prophetic meaning")
Observations of biblical history include long periods of silence punctuated by very brief periods of revelation, with the number of human participants being extremely limited, e.g., one or two people per generation. Even in New Testament times, the number of people exhibiting signs was limited, and extremely limited numbers of those exhibiting repeated sign gifts. After completion of the New Testament, sign gifts went silent for nearly two millennia. And what was renewed? An ability to do a few things that shamans, occultists, voodooists, Mariolators, and Hindues all do. (Mormons used to, in the 1800s.) Present history does not show any of the sign gifts claimed to be genuine. Moreover, there's tremendous guilt by association, as the interpretive methods underlying Pentecostal teachings has given rise to massive numbers of heretics and wolves.
You said that, on my "approach no amount of miracles could ever falsify cessationism." Not at all! All you have to do is document verification of a person with an ability to repeatedly perform some type of sign gift within its scriptural parameters. And let the miracle-worker's teachings be scriptural. Miracles reported through a telephone game don't count.
But that's a red herring. Only a worker that needs to be ashamed, wrongly dividing the Word, would interpret the scriptures in light of experience. The Word interprets experience, not vice versa.