3 ms·

I would say you are probably simplifying this a lot. It's extremely standard to believe God will lead you to, call you to, arrange for you to, etc. move in a gi

I would say you are probably simplifying this a lot. It's extremely standard to believe God will lead you to, call you to, arrange for you to, etc. move in a given direction. (Pastors, at least in protestant denominations I am familiar with, are "called" to their new jobs, in church parlance, and are "led" to seek new roles.) I would say most people do not expect God to set a bush ablaze and speak verbally to them, but make it obvious they should do this or that thing. Of course, one would hope that a pastor would realize feeling called to scam money from his congregation to renovate his house and buy a car to come from Satan, not God. But temptation is strong. :P

fellowniusmonk 3y ago
One of the cessationists criticisms of prohecy was that it leads to man/self aggrandizing and away from written truthes. It's a positioned that is a poisoned well that naturally creates scammy behavior and fosters a spiritual hierarchy and gnostic heresies. That's why many conservative evangelicals did mock and accuse charismatic tv preachers of being grifters, unrepresentive and false teachers. Though that public tension and conflict seems to be abandoned for the sake of political unity nowadays. I've known calvinistic missionaries (all dead now) from these groups, they speak of being burdened, and "feeling" called, but they're clear that a personal burden is not a revelation or prophecy, it's just a personal conviction from the text combined with circumstances and an affinity of where to go, not the voice of god. No different than a person feeling convicted to become vegetarian because of something they read. They cited some passages from paul about going where "he choose" (I've no interest in looking that passage up at this point) and the use of casting of lots to show it's internally driven conviction and pragmatism and not a revelatory special calling. Being explicit that anyone hearing the voice of God probably needed medical help, personal prophecy wasn't a source of inspiration and truth but were warned against.

fellowniusmonk 3y ago

One of the cessationists criticisms of prohecy was that it leads to man/self aggrandizing and away from written truthes. It's a positioned that is a poisoned well that naturally creates scammy behavior and fosters a spiritual hierarchy and gnostic heresies. That's why many conservative evangelicals did mock and accuse charismatic tv preachers of being grifters, unrepresentive and false teachers. Though that public tension and conflict seems to be abandoned for the sake of political unity nowadays. I've known calvinistic missionaries (all dead now) from these groups, they speak of being burdened, and "feeling" called, but they're clear that a personal burden is not a revelation or prophecy, it's just a personal conviction from the text combined with circumstances and an affinity of where to go, not the voice of god. No different than a person feeling convicted to become vegetarian because of something they read. They cited some passages from paul about going where "he choose" (I've no interest in looking that passage up at this point) and the use of casting of lots to show it's internally driven conviction and pragmatism and not a revelatory special calling. Being explicit that anyone hearing the voice of God probably needed medical help, personal prophecy wasn't a source of inspiration and truth but were warned against.