In Christian circles regarding film in late 2023, some of the “talk of the town” has been around the Cessationist Movie, a nearly 2-hour, well-crafted documentary that takes aim at the Continuationist movement.

In short, “Cessationism” is a doctrine taught in certain churches that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased to function at the close of the Apostolic age, once the 27 books of the New Testament were completely written. “Continuationism” is a doctrine that teaches the opposite, namely that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are still operational today, and to be eagerly sought after.

The film, spearheaded by several groups, but primarily by the G3 Conference (Gospel-Grace-Glory), is a creation by filmmaker  Les Lanphere, funded by a Kickstarter campaign. It features interviews by a wide-range of cessationist preachers, ranging from Steven Lawson of Ligonier Ministries, to Phil Johnson of Grace to You, to a popular YouTube preacher, Justin Peters.  As this introduction suggests, this documentary has a polemical edge to it, but for folks on both sides of the debate the film discusses matters that are worth. pondering. Here is the film’s trailer:

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