The Lord Is the Spirit. John A. Studebaker
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Название: The Lord Is the Spirit

Автор: John A. Studebaker

Издательство: Ingram

Жанр: Религия: прочее

Серия: Evangelical Theological Society Monograph Series

isbn: 9781630876852

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ is the Spirit who quickens the heart to see the truth of God in the pages of the New Testament.165

      While the Spirit’s veracious authority is primarily witnessed through inspiration and illumination, the Spirit may also grant secondary authority to theologians, Churches, persons, creeds, symbols, councils and treatises—but only for the purpose of Christ’s ministry and government. The quality of their work or words must be judged by its adherence to the pattern of authority. The Spirit, however, always retains primary veracious authority that cannot be equated with any of these mediums.

      Postmodern and Contemporary Theology

      Our study of the first four periods of theological history has allowed us to discern provisional definitions of the Spirit’s authority in relation to the Triune God (an authority over the world), to Christ (an authority to execute Christ’s will), and to the Scriptures (an authority to inspire and illuminate them). We have seen in Church history initial argumentation for the Spirit’s place in the “principle” and “pattern” of authority.

      Perhaps the simplest definition of postmodernism is that philosophy which comes after modernism, usually as a response to the deficiencies of modernism. Postmodernists, of course, would remind us that there is no single postmodern philosophy or theology and that postmodernism is as varied as the responses themselves. What are some of the contemporary responses being given to “modern” understandings of pneumatology? To answer this, a brief survey and comparison of five “postmodern” theologians will be conducted in order to initially discern various contemporary understandings of the relationship between the Spirit and the Church. In doing so, however, we must keep a larger goal in mind. Since the ultimate goal of this entire work has to do with the recovery of a biblical conception of the Holy Spirit’s authority in and over the Church—one that might confront contemporary misconceptions of “Spirit”)—these five theologians should also be investigated for the purpose of further dialogue (and indeed will serve as such in chapters three and four)

      Evangelical “Postmodern” Theologies of the Spirit

      Clark Pinnock’s Flame of Love

      While Pinnock claims to be an evangelical theologian, his focus seems to be on the experience of the Spirit rather than on any sort of authority of the Spirit. One of Pinnock’s main concerns is to clarify the nature of the relationship between Christ and the Spirit. Pinnock tends to grant the Spirit a mission that is distinct from the mission of Christ (and thereby tend toward a “universalistic” understanding of salvation). What might we conclude about his assessment of the Spirit’s authority in relation to Christ’s authority? In chapter three we will investigate this question in light of our pattern of authority.

      Gary Badcock’s Light of Truth and Fire of Love