Nihil Fit has a good post that outlines the different ways that God talks to people today. It’s a well-thought-out list. He closes with some interesting thoughts about the question “Does God speak to people today like he did in Bible times?”

I think the answer has to be “yes,” but with one caveat. Let’s distinguish between two kinds of information or message-content that God might transmit to us. I will call the first “gnostic” information and the second “biblical.” What I mean by “gnostic” is secret, privileged information that God gives to a very limited number of persons. Gnostic information consists of propositions that are not contained in, nor can be inferred from the Bible. In fact, they may even be contrary to the Bible.

Biblical information, on the other hand, is intended to be public, consistent with and very often echoing Scripture. God’s speaking to a person should not be considered strictly a private matter, but ultimately for the building up of the body as a whole community. I am extremely skeptical of any alleged “divine message,” the content of which is something that no Christian could ever have known or discerned apart from the revelation of the message. That is, I believe that when God speaks, he will simply be recapitulating what he has already said, in one way or another.

What do you think about this distinction between two types of divine communication? Do you agree with his answer?

(Nihil Fit has posted a longer version of his thoughts, where there’s some worthwhile discussion points in the comment section.)