Having spent more than half of my life as a Christian in Pentecostal and charismatic circles, I have been blessed by the constant reminder of the reality and presence of the third person in the Trinity; the Holy Spirit; in one's daily lives - the power and life changing Spirit that manifests himself or herself through signs, wonders and the miraculous in this day and age.
If one actually does take the trouble to read up on what a lot of Pentecostal and charismatic theologians (Amos Yong is one person who come to mind) have to say about the Holy Spirit, we will find a very different picture of God in action among us today than is normally presented to us from the pulpit and popular teachers and writers. In popular Pentecostal and charismatic imaginations, the Holy Spirit; while seemingly alive and vibrant; seems to be limited in the area of signs and wonders only .. and occasionally as the "divine oracle".
This deficit in the understanding of the Holy Spirit is definitely not the exclusive province of the Pentecostal and charismatic expressions alone - the mainline churches and the mainstream church (at least the Western Church) in history has generally relegated the Holy Spirit's role to Pentecost, conversion and baptism only. This is perhaps why so many of us made the exodus to the Pentecostal and charismatic expressions of the church - it was a blast of fresh air. A God that was not merely an exercise of intellectual assent but one that was living, breathing and moving in the midst of us.
I then saw this video presentation by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on the Holy Spirit and am comforted to see that there has been a move towards a convergence of these various limiting views of the Holy Spirit in popular Christianity towards a more wholistic and comprehensive understanding of who the Spirit is - a mainstreaming of what almost exclusively used to be in the province of theologising academicians alone. The quiet work of the Holy Spirit perhaps to redeem and empower the Church and remind us of our catholicity ..
One segment spoke out to me in particular - the expression of revival brought by the Holy Spirit. We understand revival as the renewal of the Church's passion for God. Sometimes we fail to see that passion for God is best demonstrated by our passion towards God's creation.
Enjoy :)
If you liked this post, consider buying me some coffee. Suggested price is $1.00 for a cup and $10.00 for a 1 lbs bag (personally I am a big fan of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe).
Categories: Being Lutheran, Faith
digg | spymy | facebook | del.icio.us | netscape | blogs4god
