https://pneumareview.com/strangers-to-fire-when-tradition-trumps-scripture-reviewed-by-tony-richie/ Journal of Ministry Resources and Theology for Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministries & Leaders Wed, 06 Jun 2018 18:30:06 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 https://pneumareview.com/strangers-to-fire-when-tradition-trumps-scripture-reviewed-by-tony-richie/#comment-35721 Sun, 21 Dec 2014 23:15:05 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=8551#comment-35721 What a useful review! I’ve recently been reading extensively the history and theology of pentecostalism and one thing that intrigued me was an assumption that speaking in tongues as essentially ‘ecstatic’. It never has been for me, of itself, in any way emotionally charged or something giving me some kind of easy access to encounter with God. (As one of my young friends commented, ‘if only!’.) The insight about tongues and sacrament is really interesting: over years when I was not engaged at all in things charismatic, I would occasionally check to see if I could still speak in tongues. I always could. That’s exactly how sacrament functions: outward and visible sign, even when inward and spiritual grace is elusive.
And a second observation around cessationism (and others who might believe in the possibility of healing and so on but don’t pursue it, leaving it to God’s sovereignty): evangelicals quote Matthew 28 all the time. But the ‘Great Commission’ includes the instruction to teach disciples to obey everything Jesus had taught his own disciples. The very first thing he told them to do was heal the sick and cast out demons. I don’t reckon it’d be easy to find anywhere he rescinded those commands.

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