Skip to content

Editorial standards

This project argues a case. That makes honesty a structural requirement, not a courtesy. These are the rules every file follows.

1. State the opposing view at its strongest

Every text page opens with a section titled "The cessationist reading" (or "The case for cessationism") that presents the position as its best defenders present it — not as a caricature, not as the weakest blog comment you can find. Engage the actual arguments of Warfield, Gaffin, MacArthur, Thomas, Pennington, and the historic confessions, as appropriate.

If a file cannot state the other side so that a thoughtful cessationist would say "yes, that is my view," the file is not ready.

Do not use the following as if they were arguments:

  • "Cessationists just want to control the church."
  • "They are afraid of the Holy Spirit."
  • "They only believe that because of their tradition."
  • Guilt by association with a particular unloving or scandalous teacher.
  • Claims about what "all cessationists" think.

2. Quote only what you can source

  • Verified quotations get quotation marks, a citation with book/chapter/ section or page, and a link where available.
  • Unverified but widely reported wording gets a "reportedly" or is paraphrased.
  • Paraphrase gets no quotation marks and an inline citation.
  • Never construct a sentence and put it in a dead theologian's mouth.

Translations matter. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture is quoted in the ESV; where a translation difference carries the argument, the file says so and gives the Greek or an alternative rendering.

Every direct quotation from a non-Scripture source is logged in 08-reference/09-quotation-notes.md with one of three statuses: verified, probable, paraphrase. When in doubt, downgrade.

3. Argue from the text, not from the system

The casebook's core complaint against cessationist exegesis is that it imports a distinction the text does not contain — a "perfect" that means canon, a "sign gift" that is a separate category from the gifts, an "apostolic era" that ends the Spirit's work, a "we do not see it" that becomes a decree. The casebook must not commit the mirror-image error. So:

  • Show the syntax, the flow of the argument, the antecedent of pronouns, the Old Testament quotation and its original context.
  • Distinguish what the text says, what the text implies, and what a system infers.
  • When the casebook makes an inference, label it as one.
  • Say when a text is ambiguous and when the case rests on the wider canonical pattern rather than on a single verse.

4. Distinguish the schools

"Cessationism" is a family, not a person. Files should specify which position is being addressed:

Label Roughly
Hard cessationism The sign-gifts ceased with the apostles (or the last apostle's death); any later claim is false or demonic. Often associated with Warfield's heirs and with some Baptist and dispensational traditions.
Canon-completion cessationism The gifts ceased when the New Testament canon was completed, because their purpose was to authenticate revelation. The "perfect" of 1 Corinthians 13:10 is the canon.
Classic Reformed cessationism The extraordinary gifts were tied to the apostolic foundation (Ephesians 2:20); the ordinary means of Word, sacrament, and prayer remain. Cautious about, but not always hostile to, reports of providence.
Functional cessationism The doctrine may be denied in principle, but in practice the gifts are neither sought nor expected. Common across traditions.
"Sign-gifts only" cessationism Prophecy, tongues, healings, and miracles ceased; teaching, helps, mercy, and administration continue.

A criticism that lands on hard cessationism is not automatically a criticism of Warfield. Say which view is in view.

5. The tone rules

  • Attack arguments, never souls. Assume cessationists are brothers and sisters who are wrong on this, not enemies.
  • No mockery. No gleeful quoting of a "the Holy Spirit stopped" slogan as a trophy.
  • No "cult" language. Cessationism is a theological tradition with serious exegetes.
  • Concede what is true. Scripture is final. God is sovereign. Much of what passes for miracle today is not. The church is commanded to test everything. The casebook's argument is about what Scripture teaches, not about the credibility of every claimant.
  • Pastoral register. Write as a pastor explaining a text to a congregation, not as a prosecutor.

6. Evidence rules

This project also argues from testimony, which requires its own discipline.

  • Grade every claim. Say whether it is documented (medical records, contemporary press, court records), reported (eyewitness accounts, biographies), disputed (rival explanations are live), or private (personal testimony with no external check).
  • Name the source and its kind. "A peer-reviewed study" and "a ministry newsletter" are not the same thing.
  • Never inflate. Do not call a report "verified" when it is "reported." Do not call a healing "medically documented" when the documentation is a testimonial.
  • Include the counter-case. Where a claim has been investigated and doubted, say so. The source library is graded by deniability for exactly this reason.
  • No argument from silence in either direction. "We do not see it" is not evidence of a decree; "we hear of it" is not proof of a gift.

7. Every text file uses the same shape

  1. Front matter — title, passage, cessation_claim, short_answer, tags.
  2. The text — the passage, quoted fairly and in context.
  3. The cessationist reading — steel-manned.
  4. The problems — numbered, each with a heading, each argued from the text or from the system's own commitments.
  5. The continuationist reading — a positive account of what the text teaches.
  6. What this does and does not prove — honesty about scope.
  7. Further reading and See also cross-links.

The full template is in _meta/TEMPLATE.md.

Every file links to at least three related files using relative Markdown links. The section indexes must stay in sync when files are added. Run python3 scripts/check_links.py before committing.

9. What the casebook does not claim

  • It does not claim that cessationists are unregenerate or dishonest.
  • It does not claim that every reported miracle is genuine.
  • It does not claim that the gifts are the centre of the Christian life, or that a church without them is not a church.
  • It does not claim that everyone who is prayed for will be healed.
  • It does not claim that experience settles doctrine.
  • It does not claim that the historical question is simple. Some centuries are thin, and some reports are entangled with relics, money, and politics. The casebook says so.