How do we respond to those who believe in ongoing word revelations today? They say God still gives inspired words, separate from the Bible, but just as inerrant and authoritative.

My aim is to be very practical, to provide you with safe, sound responses. My aim is not primarily polemical (ie to demonstrate the errors of the ongoing revelation view). Though that is implicit in what I say, my aim is to arm you with answers and to help you to help others.

There are two factors making this matter especially urgent. First, there are so many people confused and bewildered by it. It is pan-denominational, pan-continental, and pan-historical. It is sad that people have lost historical perspective. The notion of ongoing revelation is nothing new. You see it in the Gnostics of the Apostolic age. You see it again in the Montanists of the late 2nd century. You see it rampant in the whole period of Medieval Mysticism leading up to the 16th century Reformation. You see it in the Quietism movement, especially in 17th century. And you see it in the Quakers from 1640’s onwards. The fact that it is prominent today in the thinking of many Christians across all denominations is sad testimony that the lessons of history have not been learned.

Second, and especially alarming, is that many of the advocates of ongoing revelation are inside the camp of evangelical, Bible believing, Christianity. The danger of our day is no longer from outside the church, from atheists and naturalists. And it is not with theological liberals inside the church like Archbishop Spong or Barbara Thiering, who deny the inerrancy and inspiration of the Bible. The scary thing is that it is people who sincerely believe that the Bible is all true, all God’s Word, all inspired, and fully authoritative... yet they say that there is still more inspired revelation coming from God, outside the Bible, yet truly inspired and necessary for us to obey. So I want to help you and equip you in responding. What do we say to this notion of ongoing revelations? I will proceed as follows:

Then I’ll finish with some historical perspectives and reference to Quakerism and a current example.