Comments on: Word of God: Part5

By: Around the Blogs « Christ, My Righteousness

Around the Blogs « Christ, My Righteousness — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:46:41 +0000

[...] At Theology Forum, Kyle Strobel continues with his series: “Word of God“ [...]

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:26:15 +0000

Seems like standard conservative theology: the preacher is regarded as good, to the extent that his preaching reflects/conveys the Holy Spirit. As the spirit has been defined, especially, by scripture. And traditional theology and sermons.

To be sure, this would be the Conservative take on the Holy Spirit. In more liberal churches, it is sometimes thought that the Holy Spirit is a sort of variable, that changes its message to suit the times or era. Or according to the special “gifts” and insights of the individual preacher. Which some Charismatic churches might allow?

Is this the issue? Solo (or originally, “Solus”?) scriptura, vs. Charismatics? New gifts? Those who might assert that the spirit might speak today, in a slightly different way, or with a different slant, than traditional interpretations of scripture?

Perhaps many revisionist theologians would hope for this.

But to be sure, even very conservative churches acknowledge that one day or another, Christ or God is supposed to return in a “Second Coming,” or Parousia. And at that time, God is supposed to issue words at once consistent with the old theology … and yet somehow, also, startlingly “new”; revealing sins and errors in many things earlier thought holy, “noble,” and “first” with God.

Theologians dissatisfied with traditional theologies, might well look forward especially, I suggest, to this “second” “appearance” (“parousia”)of Christ.

By: Jim Reitman

Jim Reitman — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:08 +0000

I don’t know, Kyle. I think that Ward may be onto something here—notwithstanding his infelicitous wording, “deliberately seeking to fashion every verbal (and indeed physical) aspect of his preaching…,” which certainly sounds like “trying harder,” rather than “listening better.”

It seems to me that there indeed is an intended (and contingent) connection between the Spirit’s prompting and human response in texts like 1 Cor 2:6-16, which I believe speaks of more than just “head knowledge” in the process of “illumination.” The same goes (negatively) with the process of “quenching” or “grieving” the Spirit. It’s not that the Spirit’s “hands are tied” by human response but rather that God chooses to invite humans to participate in what he is up to by the Spirit’s mediation and empowerment and allows free but fallible human choices to “combine” with his unconstrained sovereign (and redemptive) purposes. Hence, when we “walk according to the Spirit” we somehow “allow” the Spirit to redeem God’s invitation to be involved in his redemptive work. In this light, preaching is really no different than any other gift bestowed to members of the Body and exercised either in the Spirit or in the flesh. . . . all in all, perfectly consistent with “the God who speaks” into human history, both in his Word and by his Spirit.