Not Less of the Spirit, but the Whole of the Word
This series has followed the Pentecostal and charismatic movements from a Bible school in Topeka to a mission on Azusa Street, through the denominations they formed, the renewal that carried their experience into other churches, and the prosperity message that rode on television. Along the way it has weighed their central teachings by Scripture. This closing study draws the threads together and answers a simple question: why are we not Pentecostal or charismatic?
The short answer is this. We believe the written Word of God is sufficient, complete, and final for all matters of faith and practice. God has fully revealed His will for the church in the Bible, and no further revelation is needed for Christian life and godliness. So we do not look for new revelation through prophecies, tongues, visions, or impressions, and we do not measure the Spirit's work by ecstatic experience. We measure every experience by the Scripture the Spirit Himself inspired.
This is not a denial of the Holy Spirit's power or presence. It is not a judgment on the salvation of Pentecostal or charismatic believers, many of whom trust Christ alone and love Him sincerely. And it is not a preference for cold religion. It is a conviction about where God speaks and how His Spirit works.
When an experience and the Bible seem to point in different directions, which one has the final word?
Pentecostal and charismatic Christians are commonly estimated in the hundreds of millions worldwide, and nearly every reader knows some of them. Many are family. This study is meant to help you understand your own convictions, hold them with confidence, and speak about them with love.
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For Deeper Study
- Strange FireAmazon John MacArthurA thorough critique (2013) of charismatic claims about the Spirit, revelation, tongues, and healing, written from a cessationist conviction.
- Charismatic ConfusionAmazon Ernest PickeringA fundamental Baptist evaluation of the charismatic movement and its teaching on the Holy Spirit.
- Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity GospelAmazon Kate BowlerA historian's account (2013) of the prosperity movement's roots and growth. Descriptive rather than critical, and useful for understanding where it came from.
- 9Marks Journal: Prosperity Gospel9Marks, Jonathan Leeman, editorThe January–February 2014 issue: short articles answering the prosperity gospel from Scripture and from pastoral experience around the world.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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The Sufficiency of Scripture
Scripture contains everything God requires us to believe and obey for salvation and godliness, so no new revelation, tradition, or experience is needed to complete it.
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