Have you ever read a book or heard a sermon on the so-called “spiritual gifts.” There is actually no such thing. Go ahead. Search your Bible. You won’t find the phrase “spiritual gifts” anywhere. Okay. You found it? But it isn’t in the original Greek language (the language that the New Testament was first written […]
I have a new article out in the Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity (vol. 5.1, 2014) entitled: “The Spirit and the Doctrine of God: On Gendered Language, Violence, and the Trinity and Philosophy” (pages 81-87). My article is a response to three essays (in the same volume of CJPCC) that review my book The Lord is the […]
One might think that the experiences of being slain in the Spirit (or “falling under the power of God”) or trembling in the presence of God have only happened in the last hundred years during the contemporary pentecostal-charismatic movement. However, there is a long history of such experiences and they are no stranger to the […]
If speaking in tongues is a gift (1 Cor 12 and 14), then wouldn’t we think that only the gifted would be able to speak in tongues? The answer might seem to be “yes.” This possible answer might find support in Paul’s questions at the end of 1 Corinthians 12. Here, after he has said […]
Many people think of eschatology only with respect to events surrounding the return of Christ. However, the coming of the Spirit at Pentecostal is eschatological in as much as it both fulfills previous expectations regarding the coming of the Spirit and represents a promise of the future eschatological work of God. There are many places […]
While I appreciate the fact that some sermons don’t lend themselves to having an altar call, it seems to me (and others that I talk to) that altar calls are becoming less common in Pentecostal churches today (at least in North America). At first less frequent altar calls might seem to be a problem, but is it? […]
All of the experiences of being filled by the Spirit (and Spirit baptism in particular) may be expressed with the metaphor of the intensity of the Spirit.
Macchia, Frank D. Justified in the Spirit: Creation, Redemption, and the Triune God. Pentecostal Manifestos. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010. 345pp.+x. $32US. You can read my full review here in the Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity 3.1 (2013): 150-154. In Justified in the Spirit, Frank Macchia attempts “to develop a pneumatological theology of justification inspired […]
Speaking in tongues is not the only sign that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus told the disciples that he was going to baptize them in the Holy Spirit he didn’t even mention tongues. Instead, he focused on the fact that this was preparation for their ministry. He said that […]
Pleased to announce the publication of my first book: THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT. You can view the cover and some of the inside on Amazon. The publisher’s page is here.