The MP3 of the radio chat I had yesterday is available. It is in two segments Michael Brown speaks first to Phil Johnson and then to myself and Sam Storms. I think that it should make interesting reading.
During the chat I posed four questions for cessationists that I think help to determine whether you are a moderate cessationist, or one who doesn’t accept any experiences of God as valid. I explain in my book that a vibrant sense of a relationship with God was once very broadly accepted. Today this is less the case.
1. Are experiences of God (eg “my heart was strangely warmed”) and/or the kind of “prophetic” utterances Spurgeon experienced during some of his sermons ever acceptable?
2. Are such things ever acceptable for us today or are they only acceptable for a special few?
3. Is it accpetable to persue such things as part of your relationship with Jesus?
4. Does it really matter what we call such things? And if so, wouldn’t it be better to use biblical language?
The fifth question is: do you think it is OK for MacArthur and co to state that most charismatics are not believers and that their experiences are often demonic? Of course I think that is very much isn’t !
I thought I would also share a few tweets from the Twitter conversation we had afterwards, where Phil and I seemed to be talking past each other. I’d love to have a head to head with Phil on this subject and there is an open invitation to him on that.
. @Phil_Johnson_ imagine if @LigonDuncan had put on a conference & said the majority of credo baptists were unsaved. How would you react?
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
The biggest problem in the church today is not strange fire but NO FIRE
— Jack Graham (@jackngraham) October 20, 2013
@Phil_Johnson_ but you don't get to the Crux. Of course he was a cessationist. Of course he warned against foolishly following impulses…
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
. @Phil_Johnson_ imagine if @LigonDuncan had put on a conference & said the majority of credo baptists were unsaved. How would you react?
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
@Phil_Johnson_ I think that deciding what to call the experiences many Christians share is actually less important than baptism….
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
Four Questions for @Phil_Johnson_ @johnmacarthur and co @DrMichaelLBrown @Samuel_Storms #StrangeFire 1. Are experiences of God ever valid?
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 21, 2013
@Phil_Johnson_ Now that's not fair as you were in London anyway! I've no other cause to come your way. I found this http://t.co/l1i1Gtnc5O
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
…as do most charismatics I know. But he had these experiences: can we? Should we? And what do we call them? @Phil_Johnson_
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
@Phil_Johnson_ I don't think you have heard our concerns at all. I believe it is damaging to church unity to accuse charismatics en masse.
— Adrian Warnock (@adrianwarnock) October 22, 2013
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