To Be Continued

Marvin Cotten and Scott Lencke have created a very helpful blog called To Be Continued, about the continuing gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of To Be Continued is to put forth a solid biblical, theological and historical case for continuationism.

What is continuationism, you may ask?

There are varying beliefs within continuationism, but mainly it is the belief that all spiritual gifts are still available today, even things like prophecy, tongues, miracles and healings. When hearing this word, many might think of Pentecostal, charismatic or Third Wave church groups. Such is fine. We have simply decided to use the more theologically accurate word of today – continuationism.

This belief is the opposite of what is known as cessationism. As with continuationism, there are varying beliefs within the cessationist framework. But, as a whole, most cessationists believe that certain gifts of the Spirit ceased with the death of John, the apostle, and with the completion of what became the New Testament Scriptures. Some more ‘soft’ cessationists hold that all spiritual gifts are available today, but the ‘sign gifts’ (i.e. tongues, miracles, healings and even prophecy) are not to be normatively expected.

Therefore, To Be Continued is here to put forth a solid biblical and theological case for continuationism – the continuance of all gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, tongues, healings and miracles. The articles we post will be along the lines of these various areas:

1. Expositional-exegetical commentary on particular and relevant Bible passages.
2. Theological considerations on varying topics related to the issues of continuationism and cessationism.
3. Interacting with cessationist arguments.
4. Drawing in various articles from other continuationists.
5. Sharing solid theological resources for continuationism.
6. Book reviews from both the continuationist and cessationist view.
7. Sharing our own personal stories and reflections on the work of the Spirit, as well as other people’s stories.

They post some wonderful testimonies about the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit today, such as this clip about a ministry to the homeless in Glastonbury, UK, which has experienced healing signs and wonders.