This book applies a novel method of critical reading of Lumen Gentium and Mystici Corporis in combination with redaction-historical analysis to channel the Second Vatican Council’s modest attempts at pneumatological renewal into a more open and receptive faith practice and theology.

This book sets out to change the starting point for theological conversation about the work of the Holy Spirit. Protestant theologians have associated the Spirit's work almost entirely with believers and/or the church. The Spirit's role is to apply Christ's atoning work to God's people. In contrast, early Christian reflection saw the Spirit's main role as bringing about the eschatological rule of God, which reaches beyond individuals or even the church and extends to all creation. This volumes explores the shape pneumatology takes when we develop the theology of the Holy Spirit within an eschatological framework that has a universal scope and an unlimited history. When we do so, we find that pneumatology deriving from questions about what the Spirit doesfor us needs to give way to pneumatology that derives from questions about how the Spirit can draw us into the saving history of the triune God.

How do Christians come to the certainty that the Bible is the Word of God, and gain an understanding of His mind and will from it? How do they acquire the ability to pray, and lead others in prayer? how are they comforted and supported in all the difficulties they meet? And how can the church be led, taught and guided aright, when Christ is not here on earth? According to the great Puritan leader John Owen, the answer to all these questions is the same: by the gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit. He it is who convinces, assures, teaches, comforts and equips the church and all its members for all the work they are called to do. In an age when many think Christianity is nothing more than human effort, based on fallible human conclusions, Owen calls the church back to divine certainty and divine resources. The style in which the Puritans wrote can present difficulties for modern readers, but this updated abridgement of by Dr. R.J.K. Law of The Spirit and the Church will allow Owen to speak to Christians today on a theme which remains as vitally important for the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century as it was when Owen first wrote.

For almost the entire period of its existence, the Church has fought to stay spiritually alive. Now, we face a faith crisis of global proportions - particularly for our youth who are meant to lead us in the future. Re:New - A Case for Spiritual Renewal in the 21st Century explores the critical need for examination and spiritual renewal at all levels. This renewal will repair the leakages in our wells, filling us afresh with the life of Christ and of His Spirit, which will then overflow to transform the world. This is the Renew Movement! In the first book of the Re:New series, Pastor Jervis Djokoto explains the urgent call to action for all spiritual leaders and Christians to launch a spiritual revolution grounded in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Discover how you can join in at a Renewal Hub to spark the journey for you as an individual and your entire Church community. REVIEWS "As the Western Church is in decline and the Global Church is exploding, the question before us is how does renewal take place in both contexts long-term? This book is one of many being written by the next generation of global Christian scholars that is so encouraging and needed right now. Jervis has brought together biblical insight, robust theological reflection, has used his personal journey to give a strong way to move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit in both directions. This conversation is key for us as we try to see the kingdom of God grow, especially in globally influencing multicultural cities like Toronto, where I serve." -- Dr. JON THOMPSON, Senior Pastor, Sanctus Church, Canada and author of Convergence: Why Jesus needs to be more than our Lord and Savior to thrive in a post Christian world. "Churches in the Global north are in a period of spiritual decline as believers get pulled into formal religion or abandon the faith all together. But Jervis Djokoto, a Canadian millennial pastor and Doctoral student of Ghanaian descent is out to change that. In a hope-filled compelling fashion, Djokoto's Re:New - A Case for Spiritual Renewal in the 21st Century Church argues that the same experiential, Spirit-centered, communal and embodied movement of God that shifted the center of Christianity to the global south is available to all countries and communities. Joel 2 speaks of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh. That means in these last days there are renewal catalysts everywhere being moved by God to personal revitalization. Djokoto shares his personal story of transformation and then invites other change agents to join him in local networking hubs that prioritize spirituality over structures and have a willingness to wait as long as it takes for the Spirit to come. The result will be a creative contextualized gospel where Jesus the ultimate cure reverses the signs of sickness in our culture. Here is a clarion call to be taken very seriously." -- JAMES PENNER, Lethbridge-based speaker, sociologist and lead author of Hemorrhaging Faith: Why and When Canadian Young Adults Are Leaving, Staying and Returning to Church. "In his call for spiritual renewal, Pastor Jervis is not offering a new formula but instead is suggesting we slow down and pay attention to the work the Spirit has been doing all along. Jervis makes his point via a survey of church history, theology and global Christianity. Spiritual vitality has consistently emerged as God works through the church's weakness and frailty. This book rings true because it emerges from the author's own spiritual journey as he has learned to listen and discern the voice of the Spirit." -- REV. DAN SHEFFIELD, pastor/church-planter, adjunct lecturer at Tyndale Seminary and author of The Multicultural Leader.

Baptized in the Spirit creatively examines the most recent trends in Pentecostal and charismatic theology, especially with regard to the displacement of Spirit baptism as Pentecostalism’s central distinctive. The author begins by focusing on the significance of the Holy Spirit in reciprocal and mutual work with the Son in fulfilling the will of the Father. He also shows how the pneumatological emphases in Pentecostal and charismatic theology can help to correct the tendency in Western Christianity to subordinate the Spirit to the Word.

Renewal Theology deals with the full range of Christian truth from within the charismatic tradition. Previously published as three separate volumes, Renewal Theology represents the first exhaustive, balanced articulation of charismatic theology. Renewal Theology discusses: Book One--God, the World, and Redemption - Book Two--Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living - Book Three--The Church, the Kingdom, and Last Things. As theology, this work is an intellectual achievement. But it is much more than that. The author urges the church to undertake its task of theology in the proper spirit: - an attitude of prayer - a deepening sense of reverence - an ever-increasing purity of heart - a spirit of growing love - a theological approach rooted in the glory of God. Done in such a spirit, theology becomes a faithful and powerful witness to the living God.

Perspectives on Spirit Baptism presents in counterpoint form the basic common beliefs on spirit baptism which have developed over the course of church history with a view toward determining which is most faithful to Scripture. Each chapter will be written by a prominent person from within each tradition—with specific guidelines dealing with the biblical, historical, and theological issues within each tradition. In addition, each writer will have the opportunity to give a brief response to the other traditions.

The essays in this volume, which are written by friends, colleagues, and former students, are dedicated to Gary B. McGee as a memorial to his life, work, and service. As a professor with a clear calling to teach, he modeled this passion at the Open Bible College (Des Moines, Iowa), Central Bible College (Springfield, Missouri), and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (Springfield, Missouri). He exuded the understanding that quality teaching, superior scholarship, a genuine Pentecostal spirituality, and an irenic spirit can and should go together. Within the title of this volume, A Light to the Nations, two aspects become clear. First, each person is called to be "a light to the nations," as Gary McGee modeled. Second, and foundational to the first, is the reality that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light, and our energies, study, discussions, and life in general should rely on this fact. As a reflection of Gary McGee's life and ministry, these two aspects are focused through three lenses, which are the three sections of this volume: Ecumenism, Missions, and Pentecostalism. The essays represent a diversity of subjects and denote various explorations by colleagues and friends of Gary B. McGee.

The resurgence of Pentecostal, charismatic Christianityepitomized in the global Southhas thrown Catholicism back on itself, and has challenged it to reassess its ecclesial self-understanding. The Catholic Church has been accused of having forgotten the Spirit. Despite the progress made by the Catholic Church to redress this so-called pneumatological deficit, it nonetheless remains the case that Roman Catholicism and charismatic Christianity seems to be mutually exclusive. Why and how does the Roman Catholic Church today still lack a fully-developed pneumatological-charismatic ecclesiology?Catholicism and the Spirit sets out to address such questions, and argues that the Church must overcome its ultraconservatism and re-envision a robust Spirit-led ecclesiology to meet the demands of ecclesial renewal.

A careful exploration of how the identity and mission of the Holy Spirit have been progressively revealed throughout Holy Scripture and then interpreted by the Church. The Progressive Mystery describes how the Spirit has been revealed, understood, and interpreted throughout the sweep of Holy Scripture and the ways in which the orthodox understanding of the mission of the Holy Spirit has developed. An ideal entrée into the study of pneumatology, it introduces readers to the complex history of the theology of the Holy Spirit. Ideal for students, it takes its place among other introductions to pneumatology, as a readable and reliable guide to an elusive topic.