Reformed charismatic?

Since no one read this thing anyway I thought i would get.. well ... less conspicuous. So today I wish to rant on a little known segment of the christian church, a enigmatic little group called reformed charismatics, or Pentecostal Calvinists or Empowered Evangelicals - Whatever the labels? they are people of a paradoxical conviction, ones that believe in living in the tension of Spirit & Truth .

A Reformed charismatic? what is it? Have they found a cure? Is it contactable through interaction with an infected person? Today i will answer only the first question. if I answer the others I may curse... alot! So with my hostility in check... we can continue.

What is a reformed charismatic? First, My no matter what they are they are a christain. So we do not wish to make them anything less. Second, to understand them we must look at the two words seperately.

What is reformed?
Reformed for the most part is a type of theological position. For the most part it means.

• They Holds to the Five Solas of the reformation (They are five doctrinal point on salvation in response to the synergism of Mid evil catholicism.
  
• # 1 Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
  
• # 2 Sola fide ("by faith alone")
• # 3 Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
• # 4 Solus Christus ("Christ alone")
• # 5 Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")
  

• They have a High view of God’s sovereignty.
• They hold to the doctrines of grace. Thus holding to Calvinism in its Modified and classical forms. .
• They hold to covenant theology (both traditional and new covenant theological systems). . . the belief that the great covenants of Scripture are the frame of Scripture and see those covenants as the means by which God interacts with and accomplishes His purposes.
• They holds the idea that the Great Commission is taken seriously. .thus affirming the primacy of missions.
• They hold to the necessity to seek a distinctly Christian worldview that permeates all of life.

What is charismatic?

Two points of belief will give the answer to this question.

1. They hold a distinct Pneumatology

To that end, They hold to a theological position called - Theological Continuationism. This position is the biblical grounded belief that the miraculous and not-so miraculous gifts are normative for all, thus the gifts have continued in uninterrupted operation since Pentecost. that is to say, the gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued to this present age.

• The Spirit’s primary work is to reveal the reality and presence of Christ for the glory of Christ.
• The Spirit’s empowering work among believers is broad in its dimensions.
• The Spirit’s empowering work among believers is intended to be ongoing and continuous.
• The Spirit’s empowering work among believers has as its focus personal sanctification, spiritual illumination, service for mutual edification, and evangelistic witness.
• The Spirit’s empowering work among believers should include a discernibly dynamic dimension.
• The Spirit’s empowering work among believers includes all the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century.
• The gifts of the Holy Spirit are vital for the mission of the church and are to be earnestly desired and practiced.

The more controversial gifts and signs include such things as:

• Prophecy, the gifts of tongues
• Discerning of spirits - Special insight into the spiritual side of reality including person’s motives and purposes, demonic activity, Holy Spirit’s spontaneous work.
• Miracles, (otherwise-) impossible strings of 'coincidences',
• Healings,
• Exorcisms,
• Any other 'power' activities in which God exercises power over the order of nature, the mind, and the human body, often through other people.

2. They often have a distinctive way they express there faith.

The Key Mark of a charismatic - The belief that His [God’s] reality is real.
The application of this belief is seeking the imamate reality and presence of God. Charismatic Christians believe that the presence of God can be experienced in a supernatural way by believers, usually during times of intense spiritual reflection (such as during a worship service, a small group meeting or personal prayer). Worship thus becomes is an important element in this belief.


Wonder twins power unite! FORM of Reformed charismatic

The reform charismatic (RC for short) would say that the point of intersection is in the place of worldview. The necessity to seek a distinctly Christian worldview that permeates all of life implies a worldview where God is powerful, big and gracious giving. Where such giving, is also in the forms of gifts and interactions with his people in a mystical yet rational way from within the community of faith and for the greater good of humanity. Ok so when the two collide the first issue is scriptural sufficiency and a good RC (not roman catholic) will understand sufficiency in a formative way. That is scripture forms worldview. Scripture is a body of knowledge that all other knowledge is to be understood by – therefore it is a knowledge tradition. For a RC to operate in the gifts and power of God is to empirically validate the sufficiency of scripture in doing what it says we can do.

Well what will it looks like. I will answer that with examples movements today being “reformed charismatics” The following groups are charismatic, although some of them would describe themselves as non-denominational. These are some of the best examples.

• Sovereign Grace Ministries – a movement lead by CJ Mahanoy.
• Newfrontiers - UK movment lead by Terry Virgo
• The Vineyard – a movment stated by john wimber
• Calvary Chapel
• Every Nation
• Christian City Churches
• Alliance of Renewal Churches

And Yes I’m one of them…

I have thought about it with tears and the future is before you [reader] in this blog. It is only the past revisited – Here I stand.