THE GIFT OF TONGUES - Let Us Reason

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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The author attempts to explain tongues, and we are happy that he refers to and quotes a lot of Scripture. 

Though he fails to make his case, and sometimes contradicts himself and/or the Scriptures, he is remarkably thorough in his attempt. This is refreshing considering the superficial analyses generally offered by cessationists.

The reader may wish to review our topical cessationism series, as well as everything we have written about cessationism.

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Slow Down - For Younger Pastors - by Peter Bogert

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Quite often we find these advice-giving writers offering their wisdom to pastors. Inevitably we discover that the problem being addressed is weariness, overwork, and/or the inability to stop being a pastor when at home or on vacation, etc, etc.

It is with unabashed certainty we declare that none of these problems would be problems if these pastors embraced the biblical model of leadership. There is nothing in the Bible about a pastor being the head guy atop the leadership structure of the local church. The biblical structure is a co-equal eldership:

1Pe. 5:1-3 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow-elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Notice that there is nothing here about a pastor presiding over a flock, but rather elders/overseers/shepherds serving the flock. 

Some elders are particularly noteworthy:

1Ti. 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

There is but a single mention of pastor:

Ep. 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature...

Notice here that there are five gifts to the church, not one. This passage does not indicate these five are specifically leaders of the local church, but rather it suggests that they minister to the entire body of Christ in some fashion. The point is, there is no such thing as a singular leadership in the church with a credentialed professional leading the flock.

And that brings us back to the idea of burn-out. A traditional pastor, charged with preaching the sermons, praying all the prayers, coordinating the mechanics of church operation, leading elder/deacon meetings, visiting the sick, and shoveling the sidewalks of snow, is a pastor who will soon weary of the pastorate and quit or move on.

The author would probably not have to give this advice to struggling pastors if the church leadership model was not awry.

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Coronavirus is God’s Plague Upon Charismatics - BY NEWS DIVISION

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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This pronouncement of death to charismatics is evil, plain and simple. The author apparently thinks he's an apostle or an old testament prophet with the God-given power to declare judgment and death to 600 million charismatic Christians. He literally wants God to use coronavirus to kill believers:

Might God use coronavirus to wipe the plague of charismaticism off the map and sweep these charlatans into the dustbin of history. Might God place the entire world into a quarantine against the Satanic false claims of charismaticism and innoculate (sic) us against their devilish assertions. Might God rid the world of every last one of them.

Why? Because a few famous charismatic characters misbehave. Thus he consigns millions of brothers and sisters to perdition without a pang of regret or any circumspection at all.

We also note for the record the substantial irony of the author issuing his own decree, even as he mocks people for making decrees about coronavirus. So we will watch the news for the mass death of charismatic Christians to see if the author's declaration comes to pass.

But we are not like the author. His failed proclamation will give us cause to pray for his black heart, not to cast him into the outer darkness. Our hope is that God would have mercy on him and lead him to the truth.

*Edit* The author has made a big deal of charismatic churches closing and none are trying to heal coronavirus sufferers. Oops.
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How are we to deal with false teachers?

We continue our doctrine rethink by considering the issue of false teachers. We shall review what "discernment ministers" do, then we shall consider what Bible has to say about false teachers and what our response to them should be.

Discernment Ministers 

We find the Doctrinal Police are consumed with the latest thing about this false teacher or that false teacher. "Discernment ministers" consider it their duty to point out their flaws and error. Their analyses are usually expressed in hyperbolic terms with breathless urgency. We have posted numerous critiques of these self-styled "discernment ministers." We examine their fallacious arguments, but we also address their insulting language and egregious name calling.

One of their most pointed claims is that false teachers are, well, false. That is, through and through they are false. Not saved, not entitled to grace, respectful correction, or the restoration prescribed in the Bible. Not even entitled to our prayers!

That is, false teachers are despicable wolves, liars and deceivers, deemed beyond redemption.

Thus we note that the ire of the "Doctrinal Police" exceeds the level of mere disagreement. Merely setting the biblical record straight is not sufficient, though ironically they rarely even do that. No, for them, false teachers deserve only mocking, derision, and attack.

Our complaint is not that the "Doctrinal Police" are defending the truth, it's that they tend to view even the smallest doctrinal difference as false teaching. Perfect doctrine is the highest goal for them, and any deviation is false teaching, and by inference, a matter of salvation.

The doctrinal hairsplitting gets to ridiculous levels, which means for them that the category of false teachers is extremely large. This has the effect of branding every sort of doctrinal deviation as "them," which means they are not "us."

This is cultic thinking.

NAR Experiential Christianity Says it is Time to do Away with Church - by Reverend Anthony Wade

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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We have come to regard Rev. Wade as little more than a curiosity. He has amply demonstrated that he can't be regarded as a serious Bible teacher. In fact, in this missive he doesn't quote a single Scripture other than the one at the beginning. And that Scripture isn't relevant to anything he presents here. 

He explains no Scriptural principle, he provides no insight, no clarity, and does no exposition of the Bible. He spends thousands of words railing against people, attacking their motives, their salvation, and their words, without offering a shred of evidence that any of what he asserts is true.

Yet he calls this a devotional. What, exactly, would we take away from this screed to which we can devote our attention? What faith-building principle is contained here? Where does he edify the faith of reader? Where does he spur us on to godliness and maturity of walk?

Lastly, we want to note the author's typical modus operandi:

• NAR is bad
• NAR means (insert weird occurrence or something Bethel Church did)
• (Insert name of unrelated party here) is NAR
• Someone wrote something Rev. Wade doesn't like
• That someone is really saying (insert weird occurrence or something Bethel Church did)
• It's NAR

The reader may think we are exaggerating. But as you read, pay attention the the way Rev. Wade connects disparate elements into a Frankenstein's monster.

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Cessationism - Episode 14, Was the purpose of the miraculous restricted to the authentication of the apostles?

Our next Episode in the cessationism series.

Additional Episodes:

• Episode 1, the Perfect.
• Episode 2, the apostles.
• Episode 3, prophecy.
• Episode 4, the closed canon.
• Episode 5, extra biblical reasons.
• Episode 6, only the apostles had all truth.
• Episode 7, there were only limited periods of miracles.
• Episode 8, tongues.
• Episode 9, the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Episode 10, does God speak only through the Scriptures?
• Episode 11, what about impressions?
• Episode 12, what is discernment? 
• Episode 13, the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Episode 14, Was the purpose of miracles restricted to the authentication of the apostles?
• Episode 15, Is revival excluded because of apostasy?
• Episode 16, is prophecy subjective?
• Episode 17, Could only the apostles confer miraculous powers or gifts?
• Episode 18, are charismatics functional cessationists?

Our criteria for the cessationism debate is that the argument must

1. be from the Bible
2. not appeal to contemporary expressions of charismata
3. not appeal to silence
4. not appeal to events or practices of history

That is, any defense of cessationism must be Sola Scriptura.
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Why Aren’t “Faith Healers” Like Francis Chan, Todd White, and Todd Bentley in China Fighting the Coronavirus? - by Jeff Maples

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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We previously noted with dismay the almost gleeful tone displayed by the Doctrinal Police at the failure of Bethel Church to raise a dead little girl to life.

Now another article in the same vein, where the author exhibits a smug self-satisfaction regarding the corona virus. This author appears quite delighted at the prospect that people might not or shouldn't be healed. According to his doctrine, anyway. 

And what of the Scriptures that teach healing, like 

Ja. 5:14-16 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Does the author believe the Bible? Well, he doesn't bother to quote it. In fact, he makes no biblically-based statements at all.

And we can throw the author's question back at him. He believes the Gospel saves, so why isn't he in China sharing the Gospel with people?)
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