cessationist

Cessationist is a term used in Christian theology to describe someone who believes that certain miraculous spiritual gifts ceased after the apostolic era and are no longer normative for the church today. Most cessationists tie the end of these gifts to the death of the apostles or to the completion of the New Testament canon, depending on the tradition.

Historically, cessationism is associated with Reformed and Presbyterian traditions and with many conservative Baptist and evangelical groups. It stands in contrast to continuationism, which holds that the extraordinary gifts continue to the present and are available to the church.

Proponents typically argue from biblical passages such as 1 Corinthians 13:8–10 and from the view that signs served to validate the apostolic message, not to establish ongoing church practice. They contend that after the canon was completed, such gifts were no longer necessary for guiding doctrine and worship. They may also point to early church history and perceived shifts in practice.

Within cessationism there are variations. Hard cessationists argue that most or all miraculous gifts have ceased; soft or partial cessationists allow some gifts to cease while others—often healing or discernment—may occur under extraordinary circumstances or outside regular church settings.

The term is used to describe a substantial portion of Protestant theological thought, and the view remains a major point of debate with continuationists offering the most prominent counterarguments.