Jesus Fellowship Church

I take this opportunity of saving a record of a baptistic body in the United Kingdom, which appears to now be defunct. The Jesus Fellowship Church, also known as Jesus’ Army, grew out of the Bugbrooke Baptist Church in Northamptonshire. The Bugbrooke Baptist Chapel was built in 1808. The church over the years participated in the Baptist Union of Great Britain and and, much more recently, the Evangelical Alliance. Around 1986, the groups withdrew from the Evangelical Alliance, and was excluded from the Baptist Union of Great Britain over differences in policy and in practice. It appears that this church has ceased to exist, possibly around 2023. See Jesus Fellowship Redress Scheme report for more details. “Worship Time: The Journey Towards the Sacred and the Contemporary Christian Charismatic Movement in England,” a PhD thesis by Esther Elliott, provides an extensive look at this group.

The Jesus Fellowship Church self-described as: “an orthodox Christian group which is reformed, evangelical and Charismatic.” Elliott reports their history, faith, and practice this way:

“As a group it was once a member of the Evangelical Alliance and its activities are frequently mentioned and advertised within the pages of Renewal, a popular magazine of the Charismatic movement. One-time members of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Jesus Fellowship consider themselves to be rooted in the Baptist way of faith and practice. Born out of the congregation of Bugbrooke Baptist Church in Northamptonshire the Jesus Fellowship number their participants to date at approximately two thousand five hundred [circa 1998, rlv]. The Fellowship practise communal living, aggressive evangelism, full immersion baptism, speaking in tongues, foot washing and a weekly Eucharistic rite which they call ‘agape’ or the love feast. They believe in God the Father, Son and Holy spirit, the full divinity of Christ, his atoning death and bodily resurrection, the availability of justification by faith to all, Baptism in the Holy Spirit and believe the bible to be the fully inspired word of God.” (“Worship Time,” Elliott, PhD thesis, University of Nottingham, 1999, p 96)

Jesus Fellowship Church is also mentioned in Baptists Around the World edited by Albert W. Wardin, Jr. (Nashville,TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995, pp. 182, 186).

Highways and Hedges

The author of the Sacramental Present Truths blog has an interesting series called “Highways and Hedges.” Small “independent” denominational groups have always piqued my interest. An added bonus for several of those in this series is that their history leads back to an “out of the Baptists” beginning. I thought some of the rest of you might also enjoy reading these.

Highways and Hedges - The New Project! -- “Too many people think that all these churches are exactly alike - they are Pentecostals or Holiness, so there is supposed to be some uniform stereotype according to such people. Nothing could be further from the truth...”

Highways and Hedges Project - Part I: The Holiness Baptist Family -- “I discovered that the Holiness Baptist Church in Georgia also has a "correspondent" (this is a uniquely Baptist term meaning that churches can share pulpits, etc.) relationship with two similar Holiness Baptist associations in North and South Carolina.”

Highways and Hedges Part II - Independent Charismatic Sacramental/Liturgical Churches Part One -- “A big part of my research in regard to this project has to do with a movement that I myself am part of - independent Catholic.”

Highways and Hedges Part III - The Charismatic Independent Sacramental/Liturgical Churches Part 2 -- “They are either openly Pentecostal/charismatic in expression, or they are made up of people who possess those convictions. All are doctrinally conservative.”

Highways and Hedges Part 4 - Holiness And Pentecostal Freewill Baptists -- “The five groups I am going to focus on, however, are all small regional fellowships for the most part with small memberships, but they still have a fascinating heritage.”

Highways and Hedges Part 5 - Miscellaneous Pentecostal/Holiness Fellowships -- “It is when you start to dig below the surface into the individual stories of these groups that you get a sense of their real heritage.”

Highways and Hedges Part 6 - The Fundamental and Free Holiness Movements -- “The groups in this article - with the exception of the first - are all interrelated; they all have fellowship with each other, have similar histories and convictions, and the one thing that really binds most of them together is an Oklahoma-based periodical that is published bi-monthly entitled The Holiness Messenger.”

6 Language-related links -- kinds of tongues

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked. [The Pentecostal Church link demonstrates that some go so far as to posit three kinds of tongues]

* A Response to Bart Barber's Questions regarding the Relationship of Tongues in Acts and 1 Corinthians 12-14 -- "Glossolalia is not speaking in foreign languages that one has never learned. The phenomenon of which Paul spoke had no vocabulary, recognizable grammar, and syntax through which thoughts were being communicated elsewhere in the world."
* Are there different types of "speaking in tongues"? -- "Still others claim 1 Corinthians 14.2 refers to a special prayer language."
* The Gift of Tongues: Comparing the Church Fathers with Contemporary Pentecostalism -- "Chrysostom...saw the phenomenon in Acts (in both its nature and function) as identical with that in Corinthians."
* Three types of speaking in tongues -- "There are three types of speaking in tongues.  Each type has a different purpose."
* Two Kinds of Tongues? -- "The idea that the tongues in 1 Corinthians are categorically different from the tongues in Acts is a distinctly modern charismatic interpretation."
* Two Types of Tongues? -- "Throughout chapter 12, the gift of tongues is closely associated with other gifts including the gift of prophecy and the gift of the interpretation of tongues."

6 tongue-talking regulations

...that are often ignored today.

1 Corinthians 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

Speaking in tongues was not to be forbidden in the early church, but it was regulated.

1. Speaking in an unknown tongue was limited to three speakers at the most. (v. 27)
2. Speaking in an unknown tongue was "by course," that is, one at the time rather than all at once or speaking over one another. (v. 27)
3. Speaking in an unknown tongue required interpretation for the edifying of the body, and silence if there were no interpreter. (v. 27-28)
4. Speaking in an unknown tongue required individual self-control and order (v. 32-33,40)
5. Speaking in an unknown tongue was prohibited for the women in the church meetings. (v. 34-35)
6. Speaking in an unknown tongue is not spiritual if done outside of or contrary to the commandments of the Lord. (v. 37)

[All verse references are found in 1 Corinthians chapter 14.]

Right thinking on emotions

There is a crying need for some common sense answers about emotionalism. Some Baptists write about emotionalism from a radical reaction to the opposite extremes. Their statements are not correctly tempered with truth.

First, let's consider what emotionalism is and is not. Shouting, loud amens, crying, and rejoicing, etc. are not emotionalism. Baptists have been shouting nearly 2000 years. In fact, Baptists are just about the only ones that have anything to shout about. :-)

Emotionalism is the undue indulgence in and display of emotion. It is evidenced in those who deliberately try to incite an emotional response, and see that response as an end in itself. Emotionalism revels in the outward expression while downplaying the inward response. Emotionalism seems to regard the development of an aroused state of feeling (joy, sorrow, etc.) as the chief aspect of worship.

Shouldn’t we oppose emotionalism as a religious schism without opposing all emotional responses? Certainly. Showing emotion is not wrong. We are emotional beings. We laugh & cry, shout & scream. If humans are emotional beings, and if our religion should generate in us a response (it should), then would it be unusual to think our worship should sometimes be expressed in emotional responses? Of course not!

Each person is different. Each has a different emotional makeup. Some laugh easier than others. Some cry quicker. Some shout louder. Some sit quieter. Since each individual differs emotionally, we cannot expect the same emotional responses from all. No doubt you have seen two people respond differently to the same event — one by crying, the other by laughing. Often we tend to judge how others should respond by how we would respond in the same situation. There is no "one response fits all".

Those who decry all emotion are very inconsistent. Some think it alright to be emotional about things other than religion. When we are angered by politics, shout at ball games, cry over the death of a pet, and laugh at stupid jokes, why are we unable to respond emotionally to our God and in our relationship to Him? I am suspicious of the Christian who can get all worked up over a ball game, but is indifferent to a Bible message, a gospel song, or a conversion testimony.

There are specific outward emotional expressions that are often attacked. We must be careful here. Just because something is abused does not mean it should be abandoned. We have heard unscriptural sermons, but should we stop hearing all sermons because of that? Many unscriptural baptisms have been performed; should Baptists stop baptizing? Many unsound songs have been sung; should we stop singing? The acceptance of radical anti-emotionalism drives us to abandon something simply because it has been misused.

Notice two emotional actions I will defend. I do not personally indulge in or particularly care for either one — clapping and raising hands. But these have been unfairly attacked by the radical anti-emotionalists. Clapping is certainly inappropriate at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons, yet the Psalmist says, ‘O claps your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice or triumph.’ (Psalm 47:1). Who can argue with that? Can I honestly condemn one who claps to the time of a song, when I tap my foot or rap my hand on the back of the bench for the same reason? As for raising hands, it seems like an unusual response to which I have never felt compelled — but the Apostle Paul admonishes, ‘I will therefore that men prey everywhere, lifting up holy hands...’ (I Tim. 2:8).

In the scriptures, we see that even Jesus responded emotionally. He was moved with compassion (Matt. 14:14; Mark 1:41), was angered (Mark 3:5; Matt. 21:12), cried (Luke 19:41; John 11:35), etc. Solomon indicates that emotion has its proper place (Eccl. 3:4). Let's not 'kick out of the traces' and allow personal feelings and opinions override scriptural sense.

On the other hand, we must realize that many churches indulge in emotionalism in an unscriptural manner, leading to extremism. A problem with any type of external action or reaction is that it can be duplicated. If we judge only the external, we will be led astray. Anyone can shout, sing, cry, lift up hands, clap, etc., but what good is that if the heart is not right? If outward emotional responses are not of themselves wrong, then the right or wrong is determined by the inner motive of the heart. Was that shout real or worked up? Did you mean that ‘amen’ or just say it for show or because someone else did? Do you truly sorrow or is that crying for attention? Real emotional responses due to the unseen work of God should be neither shunned nor condemned. All put on and show must be completely condemned and absolutely avoided.

Often the chief excuses against emotional responses may come from a desire to not appear "charismatic" or "pentecostal". We should not let others drive us from our shouting ground. Baptists should stand stand firm and say, "I shall not be moved" from the truth, but I will move when the Spirit moves.

Adapted from the original printing in The Baptist Waymark

Reading about Spiritual gifts, links

A collection of links to provide as a resource for follow-up study on extraordinary spiritual gifts:

Hermeneutics
Cessationism in 1 Corinthians 13:8-12
On the cessation of the charismata: The protestant polemic of Benjamin B. Warfield
The Hermeneutics of Noncessationism
The Meaning of "The Perfect" in 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
1 Corinthians 13:8–13 and the Cessation of Miraculous Gifts

Interviews
Continuationism and Cessationism: An Interview with Dr. Wayne Grudem
Continuationism and Cessationism (Part 2): An Interview with Dr. Wayne Grudem
Tongues! Signs! Wonders! An Interview with Dr. Sam Waldron
Tongues! Signs! Wonders! An Interview with Dr. Sam Waldron (Part 2)

Blog posts and other online material
A Posteriori Cessationism
Cessationism again
Cessationism and Continuationism: a Debate over Spiritual Gifts
"Charismatic Continualists" and "Non-Charismatic Continualists"
Charismatic Debate – Finishing Off Dan Phillips (This should provide links to the entire debate on cessationism/continuationism between Dan Phillips and Adrian Warnock.)
Did Supernatural Gifts End with Apostolic Age?
Open but Cautious
Questions Cessationists Should Ask: A Biblical Examination of Cessationism
To Be Continued, Continuationism blog
The Case For Continuationism – Sam Storms
The Nature of the Biblical Gift of Tongues: Consideration of Relevant Non-Narrative New Testament Passages
The Ultimate Cessationism Resource
When Did Miracles Cease?
You're probably a cessationist, too

Books
Are Miraculous Gifts For Today? Four Views Wayne Grudem, editor (a Google Book preview)
The Nine Gifts of the Spirit Are Not in the Church Today, or the Answer to the Modern Tongues and Healing Movements B. F. Cate (Amazon)
Religious Experience of the Pneuma: Communication With the Spirit World in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 By Clint Tibbs (a Google Book preview)
To Be Continued?: Are the Miraculous Gifts for Today? Samuel E. Waldron (Amazon)
To Cease or Not to Cease: Spiritual Gifts Today? Mark Anderson (Amazon)
Understanding Spiritual Gifts: A Verse-By-Verse Study of 1 Corinthians 12-14 edited by Robert L. Thomas (a Google Book preview)

White papers
Commentary on the LifeWay Research Division Study of Private Prayer Language
Southern Baptists, Tongues, and Historical Policy
Speaking of “Tongues,” What Does the Bible Teach?

Bibliography
Bibliography of Works on Cessationism

It will be interesting to see what new materials might come from the 2013 Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics -- Has Cessationism Ceased? (or Do the Sign Gifts Continue?)

Continuationism

Continuationism is a theory that posits the miraculous gifts have not ceased. According to Scott Lencke, "There are varying beliefs within continuationism, but mainly it is the belief that all spiritual gifts are still available today."

For the open but cautious continuationist, like the a posteriori cessationist, this is a practical deduction. Some open but cautious continuationists may expect that miraculous gifts are still operable, but are not certain that they have witnessed them in operation. They are likely to be more open or desirous of finding that miraculous gifts are currently operable. In theory they hold that they either are or could become operable, but are more cautious of ascribing the work of the Spirit to certain events (such as miracles as tongue-talking) as others in the continuationist camp. The 2nd belief statement of the North American Baptist Conference is a possible example of an "open, but cautious" Baptist statement on the gifts: "At regeneration and conversion, the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit indwells, seals and gives spiritual gifts to all believers for ministry in the church and society." (Robert L. Saucy, author of the "open, but cautious" view in Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views, is an ordained minister of the North American Baptist General Conference.) In contrast, the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship is a group that initially formed with the National Baptist Convention, USA to  focus was on spiritual gifts. Statement II in "Full Gospel Distinctives" of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship: "We believe in the perpetual and continuing ecclesiastical value of all spiritual gifts for the edification of the body of Christ until the end of this Church Age, which will be consummated by the return of our Lord Jesus Christ."

For the moderate but full continuationist, this moves toward a theological deduction. These continuationist are roughly equivalent to the Third Wave View presented by Sam Storms in Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views. They are "moderate" in their view of the miraculous --  particularly that they are not distributed to all Christians -- but they are "full" in their belief and witness that all spiritual gifts are operable in the present day. They believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion, rather than being an event subsequent to conversion, but the believe that signs and miracles should and will accompany the gospel.*

For the charismatic and pentecostal continuationist, this is a biblical and practical deduction. They would interpret the Bible to teach that the extraordinary gifts still are and must continue be operable. At the furthest end of this spectrum, they may question the credibility of the professed Christian in whom the gifts are not operable.** Few of these are found among Baptists, as they usually gravitate away from the main body of Baptists after adopting such a belief system. Since Baptist churches are autonomous, some do choose to maintain the Baptist name, either as an independent local church or forming groups such as Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship or the Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church.

(to be continued)

* E.g. excerpt from the "The Ministry of the Holy Spirit" in the Vineyard Church's Core Values and Beliefs: "We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit. We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit, for healing, and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church."
** E. g. No. 8 of the "Statement of Fundamental Truths" of the Assemblies of God: "The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance."

Cessationism

Cessationism is a theory that posits the miraculous gifts have ceased.

For the a priori cessationist, this is a biblical deduction, the result of the interpretation of one or more biblical passages to mean that tongues and other miraculous gifts have ceased. This position is held before the fact of or without hearing tongues and seeing miracles. If they hear tongues or see miracles, they do not recognize it as a spiritual gift because they believe these gifts are inoperable in this age. A common proof of a priori cessationism is 1 Corinthians 13, especially verses 8 through 10. This may be a waning view, but yet it is very common among conservatives and fundamentalists. 

For the a posteriori cessationist, this is a practical deduction. Some a posteriori cessationists may expect that miraculous gifts have ceased, but are not certain that the Bible clearly proscribes them. But reasoning from observed facts they do not believe any miraculous gifts are currently operable (i.e. after the fact of hearing a possible occurrence of tongues, they do not believe it actually meets the biblical criteria). In theory they may hold that they could become operable, but once they accept by observation an occurrence being a miraculous gift, such as speaking in tongues, they move from the cessationist camp into the continuationist camp. Bart Barber writes, "Some people call themselves “open, but cautious” with regard to things like speaking in tongues. A more pedestrian way to describe a posteriori cessationism would simply be “open, cautious, and still waiting.”"

For the e contra cessationist, this is a biblical deduction, but of lesser proportions than that of many a priori cessationists. It is not uncommon for the a priori cessationist to say that all gifts have ceased and only faith, hope and love remain.* On the one hand the e contra cessationists hold cessationism, but on the other hand they believe in the continuation of what they would not consider practical spiritual gifts (e.g. teaching, helps, or administration). The e contra cessationist would not say there are no spiritual gifts today, but unambiguously deny the practice of such gifts as speaking in tongues.**

The largest Baptist denomination in the United States -- the Southern Baptist Convention -- has a very conservative bent, but no official statement on the practice of spiritual gifts. Note SBC.net's answers to Frequently Asked Questions: "8. What is the SBC’s official view of "speaking in tongues" and other "charismatic" gifts?

"There is no official SBC view or stance on the issue.  If you polled SBC churches across the nation on the topic of 'charismatic' practices you would likely find a variety of perspectives. Probably most believe that the 'gift of tongues' as described in the Bible ceased upon the completion of the Bible."

(to be continued)

* E.g. No. 9 of the Doctrinal Statement of the American Baptist Association: "We believe that miraculous spiritual manifestation gifts were done away when the Bible was completed. Faith, Hope and Love are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts."
** E.g. No. 11 of IFCA International Articles of Faith and Doctrine on "The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts": “We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and, that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and, that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. (IFCA International was founded in 1930 as The Independent Fundamental Churches of America.)

Views on the New Testament spiritual gifts

Within Christian-denominated churches there are various beliefs about the extraordinary spiritual gifts -- tongues, miracles, gift of knowledge, etc. The two extremes are that either none are operable today or that all are operable. Between these two extremes and all along the continuum are sundry systems of belief. My goal is to sort these views out, particularly as they might be held by Baptists, into a list or categorization that "makes sense" to me.

There are sundry lists already in existence, which offer pros and cons. In its simplest form, believers are either "cessationist" (believing that the extraordinary gifts have ceased) or "continuationist" (believing that the extraordinary gifts continue to be operable today).

Mark Heath saw the "common division of evangelicals" in three distinct groups -- cessationist, open but cautious, and charismatic -- though he felt the three divisions were "over-simplistic". The "Open but Cautious" description was developed for the book Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views. Heath notes that many in the “open but cautious” camp are in practice “closed and critical.”

Perhaps one of the best known list is the "four views" presented in Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views, edited by Wayne Grudem. The editors actually saw five distinct views which they condensed to four for the purposes of the book. They are:
1. Cessationist View (by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.) --  no miraculous gifts today; they were for the apostolic age
2. Open but Cautious View (by Robert L. Saucy) -- they do not have a theological persuasion against extraordinary spiritual gifts, but they are not convinced that the things which proceed under the name is actually a work of the Spirit
3. Third Wave View (by C. Samuel Storms) -- they believe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion, that tongues is not necessarily for all, but that signs and miracles should accompany the gospel.
4. Pentecostal/Charismatic View (by Douglas A. Oss) -- they believe all gifts are in operation today; the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift subsequent to conversion rather than occurring at conversion; tongues is a sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Charismatics and Pentecostals share many characteristics that distinguish them from the first three groups, but do not hold the same theology across the board. For example, some Charismatics may believe that tongues is a sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, while Pentecostals may hold that is a necessary and only sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.)

For my own understanding and purposes, I have developed the following categories of the views of gifts.

I. Cessationism - believe that the miraculous gifts have ceased
1. a priori cessationism: a priori is deductive, or derived by reasoning from self-evident propositions (e.g. before the fact of or without hearing tongues, they do not believe it)
2. a posteriori cessationism: a posteriori is inductive, or derived by reasoning from observed facts* (e.g. after the fact of hearing tongues, they do not believe it)
3. e contra cessationism: (Lat. on the other hand) on the one hand they hold cessationism of tongues, miracles, prophecies, but on the other hand they believe in the continuation of what they would not consider "extraordinary" spiritual gifts (e.g. teaching, helping or administrative gifts)**

II. Continuationism - believe the miraculous gifts are operable in the church
1. open but cautious continuationism; "open" because they have no theological persuasion that extraordinary spiritual gifts have ceased, but "cautious" of the things often attributed to the  work of the Spirit
2. moderate but full continuationism; occupies a "moderate" position between the other views of continuationism, but "full" or complete in their acceptance of extraordinary spiritual gifts
3. charismatic and pentecostal continuationism; differentiated especially by their viewing that the Baptism of the Spirit (and associated gifts) is a second work (or second blessing) of the Spirit which is subsequent to conversion

There are some problems with the above categorization. Some people believe the miraculous gifts have ceased and that some believe the miraculous gifts are still operable. That is simple enough. It is the positions that fall in between that are harder to classify. For example, some believers are non-cessationist in regard to certain spiritual gifts -- e.g. teaching, helps or administration. On the other hand they are cessationist regarding revelatory and sign gifts such as prophecy and tongues. Further, “a posteriori cessationism” and “open, but cautious continuationism” are practically the same thing. Yet, those who prefer the term “a posteriori cessationism” seem to feel more comfortable within the cessationist camp, while many who describe themselves as “open, but cautious” seem to be hopeful that the claims of operable spiritual gifts could be true. So this distinction might be one more of outlook rather than theology. These points are where the two distinct views of Cessationism and Continuationism come together and practically merge.

(To be continued)

* This terminology was coined by Bart Barber, who writes, "An a posteriori cessationist (which I am) I am defining as someone who, if he were to encounter something resembling the biblical gift of tongues, would acknowledge it as such, but who sees no evidence of that gift in operation in present-day Christianity."
** I coined the term e contra cessationist to somewhat parallel the Latin of the other two cessationist terminologies; it is workable but not as clear or appropriate as the other terms. I am "open" to other suggestions.

Tongues, Cessation and the Holy Spirit

Back in May of 2007, I put together a series of posts on the subject of tongues and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The topic of tongues, personal prayer language, cessationism and continuationism has recently resurfaced on SBC Voices. Because of that, I decided to post links to these posts for ease of access to anyone who might be interested.

Tongues and the baptism of the Holy Ghost
Testimony on tongues -- history in the book of Acts
Testimony on tongues -- the filling of the Spirit
Testimony on tongues -- the baptism of the Holy Ghost
Testimony on tongues -- direct Scripture references
Testimony on tongues -- Biblical evidence of true disciples
Tongues -- an evangelistic tool?

In 2009 I published the introduction, 5 main posts and two appendices in booklet form. I tweaked, edited expanded and updated at that time, but the above links are as originally posted.