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Signs of the Apostles

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Without question, this is the most historically, exegetically accurate treatment of the ministry of the Apostles and their unique validating gifts that I have ever read. In a short, concise manner, Chantry lays out God's plan for the use of the miraculous gifts during the early church age. He carefully shows how I Corinthians 14:30: "Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues," plays itself out with I Corinthians 13:8: "...but where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled..." It's a rational, cogent, well-supported handling of Biblical truth in a non-emotional, straight-forward manner. He interprets human experience in the light of Biblical truth; he does not interpret Holy Scripture in the light of human experience. As Saint Peter beautifully put it, "We now have a more sure word of prophecy (i.e. more certain than mere human experience)..." If you are of the Charismatic persuasion, do not buy this book. Chantry's devastating Biblical logic will leave you with only your fallible human experience to cling to for support of your position. A positively brilliant piece of exegesis. If you're looking for truth, you can find it here in spades. Dollar for dollar, one of the best books I have purchased.

While I warmly appreciate several other works of Chantry, such as his masterpiece 'God's righteous Kingdom' and the basic 'Today's Gospel', I do find this piece missing out on a few bits. Basically this work is an apologetical countermove against pentecostalism as a phenomena and threatening factor in christianity, with the emphasis laid on pentecostalism's own trade marks and doctrinal claims. As such it is mostly correct. Yet as much as such a one is needed there is as much, or even greater, need to simultanously expound a biblically consistent approach to spirit baptism and spiritual gifts, valid for our present age. Here is where the problem comes in. Even though Chantry does some effort to that end it doesn't make up for the logic used since he clings to a presumptuous and stern cessationist position where any trace of continuous spiritual gifts is dismissed right up front with basically the same argument being repeated over and over.

His own position is not defended well and proves itself to be nonsystematic. Counterproductive to the volume's own effort pentecostalism serves as a representative for the use of spiritual gifts, which is way off base. Spiritual gifts are here wrongly defined as mainly touching supernatural visible or audible manifestations. The logic seems to be "pentecostals are doing it, therefore it is wrong", motivated by "there are no more ordained apostles; alas, spiritual gifts are all gone!". This logic in practice boils down to that if we reject abusive and false spiritual manifestations (which we should, of course), as well as tongues and prophesies in general, we need to categorically reject all other biblically recorded spiritual gifts as well, as these were all solely enclosed in the body of verifying apostleship. Nothing beyond that. Thus, to be consequential and consistent, we need to reject things that the apostle Paul actually encourages us to seek! Everything is thrown out at once, the baby with the bathwater. Left is though a reasonable notion of spirit baptism for our day, however such an experience may never manifest itself again as it did in Acts, as that would be to reject the efficacy of Scripture(!).

While the basic error of pentecostalism rests on the belief that the Acts of the Apostles is normative and universal for church life regardless of era, the error of cessationism rests on neglecting the many pauline epistles that do imply the presence of spiritual gifts. Even such gifts that were NOT aimed at establishing or validating any office or ordinance, but were to be properly used to serve and care for the flock (see Romans 12 as an example). Chantry entirely fails to see this perspective. The risk with such neglect is very obvious. We are as much on loose ground if we seek to establish doctrine or practice solely based either on examples of apostolic practice, or the lack thereof. There would also be more things than just spiritual manifestations, signs and wonders, that could well be argued for having "ceased" with the disappearance of the twelve apostles that protestant christians would cling to. Why just single out spiritual gifts?

Although this work had its first edition back in 1973 I don't find that as an apology for the basic mistakes and shortcomings that this volume contains. The issue of spiritual gifts and their relation to revelation and church offices are but far anything new in church history and not typical of just a certain time period. Spiritual gifts have always been part of normal church life, inclusive of and prior to, during and after the reformation. Not in exact identical form and shape, as with the twelve jewish apostles who were completing the revelation of God and fulfilling prophecy. Not in the form of erring montanists, ecstatic "mystics", spiritualists or modern day pentecostalism with its typical lunatic expressions. But in the form of that biblically perpetrated principle of the body of Christ with its "members one of another" serving one another in accordance with "having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us".

As a rebuke against pentecostalism I believe this work at worst may do more harm than good. Since its mistakes are so easily seen, at least by would be well-versed pentecostals and bible thumping charismatics who would, using the very same method as Chantry, argue for their position respectively. However, at best, the historical and accurate records included at least bring some credibility to the cause of the book, which is still right: to denounce the errors of pentecostalism as a movement. But as the majority reader of this book will be the "already saved" reformed christian (of the BOT stock) there would be more accurate and updated sources to educate oneself about the error in question.

Signs of the Apostles by Walter Chantry is a classical Cessationist attack on the Charismatic/Pentecostal movements. The book outlines Mr. Chantry's perceived problems with those movements and then attempts to provide a Biblical exegesis against the movements.

First, I would like to say that Mr. Chantry has some valuable rebukes against Neo-Pentecostalism. The movement as a whole has only gotten worse since this book was first published in 1973. Today the excess of the TBN preachers and the "Prophetic Movment" is indefensible. Mr. Chantry is right in showing that the early Pentecostal movement was nothing compared to the modern Neo-Pentecostal preaching. Today there is little value towards the written Word of God in Charismatic circles but an ever increasing move towards the Emerging Church and Postmodernism. I say this as a non cessationist and someone who has been in close contact with the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements.

Mr. Chantry then proceeds to fail in his attempts to prove cessationism. Cessationism, which in its classic form presented by Chantry, teaches that at the close of the New Testament canon all the spiritual gifts ceased. This is an extra-Biblical argument and can never be proved from Scripture alone. Mr. Chantry should instead move to a strictly Biblical position which rightly rebukes the modern Charismatic movement but allows for the Spirit's activity in the body of Christ.

Walter Chantry was a staunch Calvinist and popular in his time. Today, most prominent Calvinists such as John Piper or Wayne Grudem have moved past the prejudiced views of cessationism into a more Biblically tenable position.

Walter Chantry is a brilliant and thoughtful scholar and an able workman of Scripture. I have been greatly inspired and blessed by his other books, like Today's Gospel and Shadow of the Cross. Unfortunately I was disappointed by Signs of the Apostles and believe the author simply finds it hard to get beyond his cessationist presuppositions which, in my estimation, are largely based on prejudice. As a graduate of a Reformed theological institution, I am grateful for the sound critique that Reformed Presbyterians and Baptists have provided with respect to the errors of the "second experience baptism in the Holy Spirit" teaching of Pentecostalism. However it seems to me that these same folks have little biblical basis to negate the ongoing operation of the particular gifts of the Holy Spirit that they wish to deny. While God is sovereign and it is dangerously wrong to equate the church today with the apostolic era, these facts do not mitigate against the operation of the Holy Spirit's gifts in the church today. Well meaning and godly pastor-scholars like Chantry want to protect Sola Scriptura, the standard of evangelical Protestantism, and rightly so. But they demonize Pentecostalists and charismatics and negate the operation of these gifts without the strong exegetical basis that they apply to the doctrines of grace and other core theological issues. I have never been persuaded by any cessationist argument because they are all essentially biased and presumptuous. Chantry loses his balance and reasonable handling of Scripture because he's intent, as are so many Reformed Baptists, in annihilating the Pentecostal/charismatic movement. This is little more than a quixotic adventure, since Pentecostalism will likely carry the banner of Protestantism into the 21st century with the greatest success. Rather than bashing this movement out of prejudice (and perhaps jealousy), what is rather needed is a sound exegetical treatment to guide and correct Pentecostalists within the bounds of Scripture. The cessationist viewpoint is weak and shabby, and it is disappointing when godly, brilliant writers cling to it as if it were on par with the doctrines of grace.

If you are looking for a biblically, theologically and historically sound treatment of apostleship--as I was--don't waste your time and money on "Signs of the Apostles." It's not that Chantry has nothing worthwhile to say: he actually includes some useful discussion about the miraculous in the New Testament. However, he is a convinced cessationist; and though he is aware of the many claims from Pentecostals and charismatics to the contrary, he regards all contemporary experience of spiritual gifts as delusion or deception. On page 37, for example, he states categorically, "All modern prophecy is spurious! God's truth has come to us in a fixed and finished objective revelation. We must not accept the new 'revelations' of neo-pentecostalism." Chantry claims to have a much higher regard for Scripture as God's inspired and authoritative word than do Pentecostals and charismatics; but Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 14:30 couldn't be clearer: "Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues." Chantry says those who seek to hear or receive personal revelation or gifting from the Spirit of God are insulting God by denying the "all-sufficiency" of the Scriptures. Chantry needs to be reminded that "all-sufficiency" is an extra-biblical claim, not unlike, for example, the bodily assumption of Mary. This book is not about "signs" or "apostles." It is a one-sided diatribe which impugns every biblical, theological, historical--and personal--reality which doesn't support the author's preconceptions.