The Holy Spirit

by Bloesch, Donald G.

• ISBN13: 9780830827558
• ISBN10: 0830827552
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-12-13
• Publisher: Ivp Academic

Summary

InThe Holy Spirit: Works & GiftsDonald Bloesch aptly brings together his grasp of historical and systematic theology as well as his deep concern for spirituality. The fruit of a lifetime of study and devotion, this book masterfully interweaves biblical study, historical overviews and reflection on contemporary developments and issues to shed light on faith in God, the Holy Spirit. On a topic that sadly threatens to divide the church, Bloesch strives to build bridges between the various traditions of Christian faith, especially between Reformed theology and the Pentecostal movement.This wide-ranging and in-depth reflection on the presence, reality and ministry of the Holy Spirit serves as a landmark guide to those seeking a faithful theological understanding of the Holy Spirit as well as those searching for a renewing and empowering hope for the church of Jesus Christ.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	11	(1)
Abbreviations	12	(1)
Foreword	13	(255)
A Dialogical Approach	17	(4)
1 Introduction	21	(27)
The Collapse of Modernity	27	(4)
A Theology of the Christian Life	31	(3)
Appendix A: Evangelical Rationalism & Propositional Revelation	34	(14)
2 The Contemporary Debate	48	(16)
The Person of the Spirit	50	(2)
Baptism and Conversion	52	(1)
Baptism and Confirmation	53	(2)
Assurance and Evidence	55	(1)
Aspects of Salvation	56	(1)
Word and Spirit	57	(2)
Spiritual Gifts	59	(1)
Gender of the Spirit	60	(2)
Outreach of the Spirit	62	(2)
3 The Descent of the Spirit in Biblical Understanding	64	(14)
Divergent Views	65	(4)
Transmission of the Spirit	69	(4)
Dimensions of the Spirit's Activity	73	(1)
Eschatological Significance	74	(2)
Complementary Emphases	76	(2)
4 Fathers, Enthusiasts & Mystics	78	(20)
The Church Fathers	79	(3)
Later Development in Catholicism	82	(3)
Religious Enthusiasm	85	(6)
Christian Mysticism	91	(7)
5 Reformation Perspectives	98	(15)
The Twofold Baptism	99	(6)
A New Kind of Confirmation	105	(1)
The Gifts of the Spirit	106	(3)
Call to Holiness	109	(1)
The Decisive Role of Experience	110	(3)
6 Post-Reformation Renewal Movements	113	(31)
Puritanism	115	(4)
Pietism	119	(6)
Evangelicalism	125	(5)
The Holiness Movement	130	(14)
7 New Challenges to Traditional Faith	144	(35)
Definitions	145	(1)
Quakerism and Kindred Movements	146	(4)
Swedenborgianism	150	(1)
New Light from Russia	151	(2)
The Inspirationists	153	(2)
Mormonism	155	(2)
Restorationist Sects	157	(3)
Seventh-day Adventism	160	(2)
Jehovah's Witnesses	162	(2)
The Unification Church	164	(2)
The New Age Movement	166	(3)
Dispensationalism	169	(4)
Postscript	173	(6)
8 Pentecostalism	179	(43)
Theological Background	180	(3)
Historical Development	183	(6)
Pentecostal Distinctives	189	(4)
The Phenomenon of Glossolalia	193	(4)
Dangers in Pentecostalism	197	(7)
Enduring Contributions	204	(3)
The Spirit of Self-Criticism	207	(2)
Appendix B: Battling the Demons	209	(13)
9 Recent Developments in Theological Thought	222	(46)
H. Wheeler Robinson	224	(2)
Karl Barth	226	(4)
Paul Tillich	230	(3)
Rudolf Bultmann	233	(3)
Jürgen Moltmann	236	(5)
Yves Congar	241	(3)
Regin Prenter	244	(3)
Clark Pinnock	247	(4)
Paul Evdokimov	251	(5)
Other Voices	256	(9)
Postscript	265	(3)
10 The Holy Spirit: Person & Mission	268	(50)
The Spirit in the Trinity	269	(5)
Spirit and Word	274	(5)
Water and Spirit	279	(6)
Works of the Spirit	285	(5)
Charisms and Ministries	290	(7)
Rethinking Pentecost	297	(6)
Appendix C: Some Difficult Texts	303	(15)
11 The Highway of Holiness	318	(25)
A Life of Battle	321	(2)
Holiness and Justification	323	(4)
Stages on Life's Pilgrimage	327	(2)
The Paradox of Sanctity	329	(6)
Appendix D: A Theology of the Cross	335	(8)
Notes	343	(54)
Index of Names	397	(10)
Index of Subjects	407	(4)
Index of Scripture	411