Which Books on the Holy Spirit are Best?

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Jim-Bob

Puritan Board Freshman
There's a dearth of Reformed literature on how the Holy Spirit operates today...but surely there are some good books out there. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
 
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Doctrine-Holy-Spirit-George-Smeaton/dp/0851511872]Amazon.com: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: George Smeaton: Books[/ame]

-----Added 4/2/2009 at 12:09:08 EST-----

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Contours-Christian-Theology/dp/0830815368/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238688441&sr=1-7]Amazon.com: The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology): Sinclair B. Ferguson: Books[/ame]
 
By the way, I wouldn't say that there is a dearth of Reformed literature on this subject. It just may be that the Holy Spirit's work is presented in a far different manner than modern charismaticism has influenced us to understand.
 
[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Morning-Holy-Spirit-Benny/dp/0785261265]Good Morning, Holy Spirit: Amazon.co.uk: Benny Hinn: Books[/ame]

:lol::doh:

kiddin, honestly!

This wee booklet is pretty good

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/baptism-fullness-Holy-Spirit/dp/B0007DOMDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238690351&sr=1-1]The baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit: Amazon.co.uk: John R. W Stott: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Showing-Spirit-1-Cor-12-14/dp/0801025214/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238690479&sr=1-2]Showing the Spirit: 1 Cor 12-14: Amazon.co.uk: D.A. Carson: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keep-Step-Spirit-Finding-Fullness/dp/0801065585/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238690513&sr=1-1]Keep in Step with the Spirit: Finding Fullness in…Amazon.co.uk: J. I. Packer: Books[/ame]
 
Greetings:

One opponent of the Reformed view of the Spirit of God complained that Sinclair Ferguson's book had too many citations of Scripture!

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Contours-Christian-Theology/dp/0830815368]Amazon.com: The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology): Sinclair B. Ferguson: Books[/ame]

Blessings,

Rob
 
The Office of the Holy Spirit By Buchanon
and
The Work of the Spirit By Octavious Winslow

Deserve honorable mention and are easier to read and shorter works
 
The dearth is regarding modern Reformed interaction with charismatic ideas and other issues. Calvin, Owen, and older writers, while good in their own way, were not just writing about the Spirit in an ecclesiastical vacuum, but were directly engaging the goings on in their day by interacting with the Scriptures on whatever the issue at hand happened to be.

For example, Owen's work on the Spirit and prayer (volume 3 or 4, I can't remember off the top of my head), even though it has much to commend it generally, was also written directly in relation to the controversy regarding fixed vs. free prayers in the Church. He argued that restricting the prayers of the minister to the Book of Common Prayer, and like forms, hinders the Spirit's work in various ways in the life of the minister and the congregation (closet Charismatic!), and causes our proficiency and ability to pray to atrophy.

However, most of us are not waging battles against a particular ideology in the Church of England! We need writers today who will address today's issues. The best Reformed writing today on subject of the Spirit's person and work will be found in exegetically grounded interactions with modern movements and arguments growing within the Church. Older writers may have points to help us think some of these things through, but writers such as Carson, Stott (from a generation back), and Ferguson are doing what really needs to be done.

Btw, I remember having read a little work authored by John Stott on the filling and fruit of the Spirit some years back that dealt with the then current claims of "second blessing" theology. One thing that I have always liked about Stott is that he is both a very clear, and a very pastorally balanced writer. This book, in so far as I remember, was a great example of that. It was the best volume offered of the required reading for that particular seminary's course on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and I would still recommend it today.

Edited to note: Stott's book, The Baptism and Fullness of the Holy Spirit, was mentioned above, but since there wasn't a nifty picture attached, I missed it...
 
It's been a long time since I read this, but I remember it being quite helpful. Vaughan, if memory serves me correctly, was a student of Dabney's.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Holy-Spirit-Unbelievers-Believers/dp/0851512224/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238703965&sr=1-3]Amazon.com: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit to Unbelievers and Believers: C. R. Vaughan: Books[/ame]
 
A.W. Pink

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-W-Pink/dp/1604596740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238705938&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: The Holy Spirit: Arthur W. Pink: Books[/ame]
 
This book deals more with the exegetical problems within Pentecostalism, but it is still good. It is available from the Trinity Foundation.

item74.jpe
 
Once again I am deeply impressed by the rapidity, thoroughness, variety and levity (Benny Hinn, indeed!) of the PB responders!

-----Added 4/2/2009 at 07:40:27 EST-----

A summary of the recommendations to date:

The Holy Spirit by Gorden H. Clark

The Holy Spirit by Arthur W. Pink

The Work of the Holy Spirit by Abraham Kuyper

A Theology of the Holy Spirit by F. D. Bruner

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit to Unbelievers and Believers: C. R. Vaughan

The Baptism and Fullness of the Holy Spirit by John Stott

The Office of the Holy Spirit By Buchanon


The Work of the Spirit By Octavious Winslow

The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology): Sinclair B. Ferguson

Showing the Spirit by D. A. Carson

Keep in Step with The Spirit by J. I. Packer

Volume III and Volume IV of Owen's works on Google Books.

Volume VI of Thomas Goodwin's works is also on Google Books

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: George Smeaton

The Centrality of the Holy Spirit in Reformed Theology: A Robust Pneumatology. By Shane Lems (See The Confessional Presbyterian)

PCA Historical Center: PCA Pastoral Letter on the Expeience of the Holy Spirit in the Church Today (1975)
 
This book deals more with the exegetical problems within Pentecostalism, but it is still good. It is available from the Trinity Foundation.

item74.jpe

This is an excellent book. It was one of my core texts in my undergraduate dissertation on Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I alo reccomend a book by James Dunn

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Baptism-Holy-Spirit-James-Dunn/dp/0664241409]Amazon.com: Baptism in the Holy Spirit: James D. G. Dunn: Books[/ame]

He is non pentecostal, not sure if he is reformed (I wasnt looking at it from thet perspective). Either way, Dunn is non pentecostal.

-----Added 4/3/2009 at 07:45:10 EST-----

Another good book- from a 'various perspectives point of view is

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-Gifts-Today-Wayne-Grudem/dp/0310201551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238759019&sr=1-1]Amazon.com: Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Wayne Grudem, Robert Saucy, Richard B. Gaffin, Stanley N. Gundry, Sam Storms, Doug Oss: Books[/ame]

If I remember right, this is a 4 way debate and it explores baptism in Spirit from 4 different perspectives.
 
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