The baby and the bath water

I think that one of my tendancies as a cessationist was to chuck out the baby with the bath water. However, when Paul writes to the church in Corinth about the misuse of spiritual gifts he doesn't impose a ban, but instead teaches their proper use.

I used to consider charismatics dangerous, so I chose "safety". I didn't think I was missing out on anything, and I adopted a theology that backed that up. In many ways this was the lazy "path of least resistence" but actually far from "safe" because of the sinful attitudes that came with it.

I have been in situations where "unity" (or "not rocking the boat") is prized more highly than a sense of the presence of God. Being a charismatic isn't "safe", and the felt presence of God can be scary.

'If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than me or else just silly.'

'Then he isn't safe?' asked Lucy.

'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver. 'Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'

-- The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis