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Why I Took Time to Respond to John MacArthur’s Strange Fire



strangefiresmallby Frank Viola

Someone has asked me, “Why waste your time on responding to MacArthur’s writings against the charismatics?”

When I was in my 20s, I wrote a critique of John MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos because a brother in the Lord broke fellowship with me and my friends after reading MacArthur’s book. Jesus said to His disciples, “If they reject you, they’ve rejected me.” So to my mind, restoring a brother to fellowship was enough of a reason for me to try to persuade him that MacArthur’s views needed to be challenged.

For similar reasons, I am re-releasing my critique and revising it to include my response to Strange Fire. I want to clear up the confusion created when cessationists like MacArthur bring forward legitimate criticisms. I argue that theological errors and bad practices must be dealt with, but not by condemning the entire charismatic movement or implying they are not Christians.

My hope is that my critique will change the minds of some cessationists who have bought into MacArthur’s argument and confirm the views and experiences of those who have experienced the power of God today.

Frank Viola’s Pouring Holy Water on Strange Fire: A Critique of John MacArthur’s Strange Fire & Charismatic Chaos is available at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frankviola/strangefirefree for $5.99. Endorsements by Craig Keener, Sam Storms, Dr. Michael Brown, and Adrian Warnock.

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Category: Spirit

About the Author: Frank Viola is a bestselling author, speaker, blogger, and podcaster. Viola helps serious followers of Jesus know their Lord more deeply so they can experience real transformation and make a lasting impact. His blog frankviola.org — is regularly ranked in the top 5 of all Christian blogs on the Web and his podcast — Christ is All — has ranked #1 in Canada and #2 in the USA on Apple podcasts. He is the author of the following bestsellers: 48 Laws of Spiritual Power, Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, God's Favorite Place on Earth, From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God, and Revise Us Again: Living from a Renewed Christian Script .

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