Michael Patton does a great job explaining different perspectives of Charismatic gifts with the following framework:
- Cessationist – believes that particular gifts, such as tongues, prophecy, miracles, healings, and the like, necessarily ceased in the first century due to an exhaustion in purpose.
- Soft Cessationist – believes that and are open to God’s use of the sign gifts in areas that are unevangelized.
- Continuationist – believes that while many of these gifts would have indeed served as signs to the outside world, their primary function is not to evangelize of the lost, but to ensure the health of the church.
- Charismatic – one who believes that all of the gifts of the Spirit have continued, are normative, and should be sought out by the church
He also distinguishes between unhealthy/unorthodox belief range of Charismatic gifts and healthy/orthodox belief range of charismatic gifts. Read more at:
see also www.disciplemaking.net