About a week ago I received an interesting email from
pneumareview.com with two articles on MacArthurs odd Strange fire Conference by Jon Ruthven and William De Arteaga and others. For those who would like some good material to help counter any concerns by their cessationist friends, links to the original articles have been provided.
John MacArthurs Strange Fire as Parody of Jonathan Edwards Theology, by William De Arteaga
In the public launch to Strange Fire, MacArthur made clear his utter disdain for the Charismatic Movement in particular:
Quoting MacArthur:Nothing coming from the Charismatic movement has provided recovery or strengthening of the biblical Gospel. Nothing has preserved truth and sound doctrine. It has only produced distortion, confusion, and error. Yes, there are people in the movement who know and love the truth, have an orthodox Gospel, but are heterodox on the Holy Spirit. Not all of them are heretics. But I say again the contribution of truth from the people in the movement doesnt come from the movement, but in spite of it.
John MacArthurs Strange Fire, A Brief Biblical Response by Jon RuthvenAs we shall see, John MacArthurs abhorrence of further revelation via prophecy and related spiritual gifts derives, not from scripture, but from the frustration of Calvinists under Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) of watching so many of their members defect to the Quakers, the crazy charismatics of the time. People were falling down, making a lot of noise and encountering Jesus in visions, prophecies, and healings. Sound familiar? Calvinist scholastics responded to this outrage with the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF)often now regarded as the gold standard of Calvinist theology.
John MacArthurs Strange Fire, Reviewed by Eddie L. HyattThat being said, MacArthurs latest book does not represent an honest search for truth. It is obvious that his mind was already made up when he began his research for Strange Fire, and he found what he was looking for. He presents a circular argument, beginning with a faulty premise and proceeding with selective anecdotal evidence that determines the outcome. He begins with a commitment to cessationism, the belief that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the church after the death of the twelve apostles and the completion of the writings of the New Testament. Since that is the case for him, that means modern expressions of Spiritual gifts must be false. He then utilizes the selective anecdotal evidence to buttress his presupposition, which leads him back to his starting point of cessation.