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Home , Charismatic movement, Sanctification

The and the Reformed Tradition

I. JOHN HESSELINK

I. At first it mi ght appear that the Reformed tradition and the approach and of the cha ri smati c movement were basically different, if not antithetical, entities. For of a ll the Protestant tradition, the Reformed has been noted fo r its emphasis on doctrine and theology as such. T he ti c movement , on the other hand , pl aces great emphasis on experience. The Reformed churc hes are noted for their theologians, not their "" or evangeli sts. We in our confessions and catechi sms, solid theology and pure doctrine. C harismati c and Pentecostal groups, on the other hand , boast of healings and ecstatic experiences. Reformed C hristians tend to be cerebral, I cool, and analytical. C hari smatics promote enthusiasm, " letting go," and warm I feelings. I Many of the differences come to focus in diverge nt views of the , ministry, and . The church, by Reformed definition, exists where the Word is preached in its purity, where the are properly administered , and where di scipline is exercised . All of this is rather foreign to the chari smatic who thinks of the church more in terms of an informal fellowship whose boundari es are fluid and where doctrinal requirements are minimized. Distinctions between lay and are played down, with the leaders often being self-appointed and answerable to no hi gher judicatory. Believers' plays a very important role but, except fo r Catho li c chari smatics, 's Supper a ppears to receive little attention. In the Reformed tradition preach­ ing is exalted, and the ideal is to do everything " decentl y and in order." (A phrase which some people mi stakenly think comes from a Reformed or Presbyterian book of church order! Ironically , it comes from the climax of the Apostle Paul's di scussion of spiritual in I Corinthians 14.) Among c harismati cs informal study and unstructured exhortation takes the place of more formal preaching, and a premium is pl aced on informal ity and spontaneity . F ina ll y, is there not an irreconc il able barrier in the traditional of many Reformed and Presbyte ri a n C hristians (particularly mini sters) that miracles ceased with the passing of the Apostl es? By miracles is meant any so-called manifestati ons such as , dramatic healings, prophecy, etc. Calvin, in reaction to Roman claims, maintained that "The of healing, like the rest of the miracles, which the Lord willed to be brought forth for a time, has vanished away in order to make the new preaching of marvelous forever" (Institutes IV, 19, 18). Centuries later a staunch A meri can Presbyterian theologian, B. B. Warfield, was still maintaining that miracles ceased with the end of the aposto li c age. (See hi s Counte1feit Miracles, 1918 . Reprinted as Miracles: Yesterday and To­ day, Real and Counte1feit, G rand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub!. Co., 1953, 1965.) 147 In vi e w of a ll thi s- and oth er fac tors could be cited- it wo ul d appear that there is in deed a basic, deep-rooted in compati bilit y between the Reformed tradi tio n and th e cha ri sma ti c movement , e ven in it s recent , more sophi sti cated ma nifestations. But thi s is onl y one side of th e pi cture. A case could be made fo r a fruitful , even fa irl y natural, relati onship between these two, a lthough at certain po ints th ere will in evitably be some tension.

II. It mu st be conceded at th e outset that in ma ny ways the Wesleyan and Baptist traditions are by nature more congeni al to a Pentecostal a pproach or chari smatic expe ri ences than the Reformed-Presbyte ri a n. However, the growth and spread of the new Pentecostal-cha ri smati c movement seems to be no respecter o f hi stori cal tradi ­ tions or theological emphases. For th ere a ppear to be more charis ma ti cs among Catho li cs, E pi scopa li a ns, and Lutherans than among Methodi sts or Bapti sts; and o ne of the largest chari sma ti c fell owships can be fo und a mong U nited Presbyteri a ns. In fac t, it could be argued that the c hari smati c moveme nt fl ouri shes most in deno mina­ tions or groups whi ch least emphasize personal expe ri em:e, small groups and sharing, personal wi tnessing, , and Bible study. Whether this is true or not, I think a good case can be made fo r a certain com­ patibility of these two traditions, at least where both are in terpreted according to the ir best in sights and contributions. For the cha ri smati c movement , like the traditiona l Pentecostal move ment , is abo ve a ll a vement whi c h stresses and magnifi es the personalit y a nd power of th e H oly S pirit. Lik ewise, the Reformed tradi tion-at least certain strains of it-has pl aced great e ~ph as i s on the person and work of the Holy S pirit. N ot onl y that; I am convinced that in Reformed theology the re is a greate r appreciati on, deeper understanding, and more comprehe nsive and ba lanced presenta­ ti on of the full -orbed power and work of the Ho ly S pirit than in any other tradition , including the Pentecostal tradition! A-In th e first pl ace, recall that the mainstream Lutheran-Reformed reformati o n was in many ways a recovery of the freedom, presence, and power of the Holy S pirit. In Medieval Roma n Catho li cism the S pirit, li ke the whole concept of grace, had be­ come " locked up," in a sense, within an understanding of grace whic h was di s­ pensed at the behest o f the hi erarc hy. T he Reformati o n was not only a redi scovery o f the Word and the gospel; it also resul ted in an assura nce of and a peaceful conscie nce. In other words, through the new outpouring of the S pirit , C hrist was more accessibl e and more real to countless individuals than he had been in centuries. Many of the gifts of the S pirit were experi enced in a marvelous new way; not tongues and healing so much as wi sdom, kno wl edge, prophecy, di scernment , and , a bo ve a ll , . T he German reformer, , deserves much of the credit for thi s di s­ covery of the grace of mani fest in C hrist and hi s S pi rit. Regin Prenter, the Dani sh Lu theran scholar, even maintain s that "The concept of the H oly S pi rit completely dominated Luther's theology. In every decisive matter," continues Pren­ ter, " whether it be the study of Luther's doctrine of justifica ti on, of hi s doctrine o f the sacraments, of hi s ethics, or of any o ther fundame ntal teaching, we are fo rced to

148 take into considerati on this concept of the Holy S pirit" (Spirit11s Creator, Philadel­ phia : Muhlenbe rg, 1953 , p. IX). Yet, without detracting from Luther's accompli shme nt , the title, "theologia n of the Holy S pirit" is more properl y given to Calvin . (So B. B. Warfield , John Mackay , Bernard Ramm, and Werner Krusche. See especia ll y the latter's Das Wirke11 des H eilige11G eistes 11a ch Calvin . Gottingen: Vandenh oeck a nd Ruprecht , 1957, p. 12; and Warfield 's Calvin and A 11 g 11 stine: Philadelphia: Presbyteri a n a nd Reformed Publishing Co. , 1956, pp. 2 1-24, I 07). T hi s may come as a surprise to ma ny Reformed C hristians who a re accustomed to hearing of the sovereignty of God or predestin ation as being the hallmarks of Calvi ni sm. G ranted , this is an aspect of Calvin 's theology whi ch has often been a borted in traditional where a rationali stic has squelc hed the dyna mi s m of the Reformer's fa ith and theology. T hi s is not the place to substantiate in detail the thesis that Calvin's th eology is a bove a ll a theology of the S pirit, but a few points can be mentioned briefly . 1- 1n hi s accent on the sovereignt y a nd fre.edom of God , Calvin wishes to make clear that a ll that we are and are able to do as C hristi a ns is ultimate ly due to God's grace a nd is the work of hi s Spirit. T he C hris tian life origin ates in a nd is continua ll y re newed by the grace a nd powe r of the Spirit (lnstit11t es 111. I. 3-4) . 2-T he S pirit of God is also at work in the world : preserving, restoring, guiding, in spiring. Apart from thi s more general work of th e Spirit , the world would soon be in chaos a nd mankind would degenerate into bestiality. All that is good, true, a nd bea utiful-even among pagans and atheists-is due to the Spirit of God (I 11stit11tes 11. 2. 12-20). Calvin a lso stresses the cosmi c dimensions of the S pirit's work in a way rarely fo und in studies of the . (S ee Simon van de r Linde , De Leer van den H eiligen C eest bij C alvij11 (Wageningen : H . Veenman e n Zonen, 1943 , Hoofdstuk 2]). 3-Calvin's most original and e nduring contribution to a n evangeli cal under­ standing of the nature and a uthorit y of Scripture was hi s doctrine of the inte rnal witness or testimony of the Holy S pirit. T hi s is the ke ystone of hi s doctrine of the knowledge of God , the power and a uthority of the Scriptures, a nd the ef­ ficacy of preaching. N either the written Word nor the proclaimed Word has a ny powe r or persuasio n a part from the secret, inne r working a nd witness of the Spirit (111stit11t es I. 9. 1-3; Commenta ry of John 14 :25-26. C f. W. Krusche, op. cit ., pp. 77f, 206f. ; Bernard Ramm, Th e Witn ess of th e Spirit, Grand Ra pids : Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1959, C ha pter 111). 4-Calvin 's whole doctrine of the C hri sti an life is developed and viewed from the pers pective of the Holy Spirit. In the lnsti/11/ es when Calvin moves from C hristology in Book 11 to soteriology in Book 111 , from the obj ective work of C hrist to the subjective a pplication or reception of hi s be nefit s, the link or key is the Holy Spirit. For it is by the S pirit that "we come to e nj oy C hrist and a ll hi s be nefits" (lnstit11t es 111. 1.1). He is " the bond by which C hri st effectually unites us to himself' (Ibid.) . Once again we see that apart from the Holy Spirit a ll that has been accompli shed by the Savior a vail s nothing.

149 Under the comprehensive category of regene ration Calvin proceeds to develop hi s understanding of the C hristi an li fe. (" Faith fl ows from regenera­ ti on " and is followed by " Newness of life a nd othe r gifts of the Holy S pirit," Commenta ry o n John I: 13.) T hi s in it self is signifi cant, for-it is expressive of the domin a nt role the Holy S pirit plays in hi s theological approach. (See the fine discussio n of this point by Hendrikus Berkhof, T!t e Doctrin e oft!t e Holy Spirit , Richmond: John Knox Press, 1964, pp. 68f.) Whatever the particular aspect of -calling, conversion, repenta nce, or justificati on by faith-Calvin's tho ught and language are suffused with the reality of the Holy Spiri t. Especia ll y noteworthy are hi s treatments of fa ith a nd sanc tificati on. (On the former see the beautiful statements in the !11 stit11t es Ill. 2.7-8 , 33-36.) In hi s discussion of fa ith be rings the changes on the importa nce of the fee ling of full ass11ra11 ce (Ibid:, 111. 2.1 5. Cf. 111. 2 .1 4, 16), the very thing so earnestly desired by c ha ri s matics. C harismatics also ought to have no difficult y in ide nti­ fying with a key motif in Calvin 's doctrine of fa ith , vi z., hi s beautiful doctrine of the mysti cal faith- union of the believer with hi s Lord (111stit11r es 111 2.24: 11 .5, 10 . Cf. the excell ent study by Wilhelm Kolfhaus, C hris t11 sgemeinschqfi bei Calvin. Neukirchen: Neukirchener Verlag, 1939). Moreover, Calvin , no less than Wesley and the Pentecostals, was concerned about . (Jn terms of accent, Luther could be call ed the theologian of , whereas Calvin is the theologian of sanctification. See Karl Barth, C h11rch Dogmatics, IV, 2, pp. 509f.) Fi nally, it should be noted that Calvin is not eve n averse to using the expression "the leading of the Spirit. " In fact, thi s kind of language is found frequently in hi s writings. (See lnstitutl!s I. 17 .3; II. 3. 10 ; 111. 20.5; IV. 8. 13.) T hi s brief overview of some of the pneumatological accents in Calvin's treatment of the C hristian life confirms the judgme nt of Hendrikus Berkhof: " The famous third book of the Institutes contai ns great ri ches in the fi eld of , many of which have not yet been uncovered by Reformed churches" (Op. cit ., p. 22). 5-A fifth facet of Calvin 's pneumatological emphasis is seen in hi s doctrine of the church and sacraments. Calvin was a hi gh churchman. He gladl y re peated th e famous words of the early c hurch fa ther, Cypri a n: "For those to whom God is Fathe r the C hurch may also be Mother . . . Away from he r bosom one cannot hope for any forgiveness of s or any " (/ 11 stit11t es IV. I. I , 4). He could say this because he was convinced that the church is "a union of Head () a nd members (beli evers) in love under the Spirit " (Kili a n McDonnell, John Calvin, The Church and th e . Princeton: Prin ceton U . Press, 1967, p. 183). Here we have an impressive of " inwa rdness a nd inte riority which finds its roots in C hristology a nd Pneumatology . . . " (/bid., p. 18 1). This description by a contemporary Roman Catho li c scholar agrees basicall y with that of a Czech-Austria n Reformed Calvin scholar of a past generati on, Joseph Bohatec, who described Calvin 's concept of the church as orga nic, i.e., a n understa nding of the church as a living organi sm in which there

150 is a d yna mi c int e rpl ay between C hris t the head and the me mbe rs of hi s bod y (C 1i/1 ·i11 s Le/ire 1·011 S 111111 ///Il l K il'C !i e. Bresla u: M. & H . Marc us. 1937. pp. 267f.. 308f.). More im port a nt . in view of' our present concern is Boha tec's furthe r point th at overarc hing thi s intima te C hri stocentric view of th e c hurc h is the sover­ eignt y of the Spirit. H e conc lu des tha t Calvin 's vi ew of the c hurc h can accord­ in gly best be descri bed not as a theocracy or C hri stocracy but as a pne uma­ tocracy (" Pne uma tokri e ." Ibid., pp. 432-3. C f. McDonne ll , op. cit ., p. 183). T he role of the H o ly Spirit in Calvin 's doctrine o f the sacraments is equ a ll y promin ent. Again . everything de pe nds o n th e work of t he Holy Spirit. For it is " he who brin gs the graces of Goel with him , gives a pl ace fo r the sacrame nts a mo ng us. a nd makes th e m bear fruit. .. T hey may be "visible s igns" of God' s grace manifest to us in C hrist. but they have no efficacy unl ess Goel works in us · ' by in visible grace through the H o ly S pirit " (111 sti1111 es IV. 14. 18). As in infa nt bapti sm (not to me ntion adult ba pti s m) Goel in hi s sove reign freedo m begin s hi s work of regenerati o n a nd sa nc tificati on by hi s H oly S pirit (111 .1 1i111t es IV. 16. 17. 18). so also in the Lord ' s S uppe r it is by the "secret power o f the H o ly S pirit " that o ur heart s a re li fted up so th at we a re truly no uri shed by the body a nd bl ood of o ur ri sen Lord w ho is reall y present a mong us. It is the S pirit who " truly unites things separated in space" (111 sti111t es IV. 4. 17. Cf. Joseph Tyle nda, " Calvin a nd C hri st's Presence in the Supper-Tru e or Real," Scottish Jo11m al of T /i eology, Februa ry, 1974 [Vol. 27, N o . I , pp. 72-3 ]) .

B-So muc h fo r Calvin . It is not at a ll diffi to illu strate W a rfi eld 's thesis that Calvin was " the theologia n of the H oly S pirit. " But the n the questi on a ri ses, ha ve the Reformed C hurc hes been a wa re of and faithful to this magnifi cent theology of the H oly S pirit clevelo pe cl by Calvin ? Unfortunately, the a ns we r, for the most pa rt, has to be no . In the seve nt eenth century a scho lasti c orthodoxy o n the one ha nd a nd a o ne-sided pi e ti sm , o n the other ha nd, dealt c rippling blows to Calvin 's bala nced presentati on of the work of the Spirit. These two move me nts we re fo llowed in the e ighteenth a nd nineteenth centuries by a libe ra li sm which ta lked muc h abo ut "spirit" but whic h kne w little of the biblical unde rstanding of the Holy S pirit . Howe ve r, within the Reformed fo ld there we re some nota bl e exceptions . In the N etherla nds in the eightee nth century the re de veloped a n inte resting-some would say an unhealthy-alli a nce of Reformed orthodoxy with pi e ti s m. One of the produc ts of this move me nt was one of the first great eva ngeli sts in the United States, Theodo ru s Jacobus F re linghu ysen ( 169 1- 1747). (See the supe rb di sserta ti on by James T a ni s, Dutch Cal vinis tic in the Middle Colonies. A Study in the Li fe a nd Theology ofTheodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen. The H ague: M a rtinus Nijhoff, 1967.) One could also include G ilbe rt T e nne nt, the Presbyte ri a n reviva li st who was in­ flu e nced by F relinghuysen, a nd the leade rs of the G reat A wa ke ning, Jo natha n Edwa rds a nd George Whitefi eld. All of the m were Calvinists of a sort, a nd a ll were chari s ma ti c, if o ne uses the word in a non-Pe ntecostal ma nner.

15 1 In nineteenth century Scotl a nd the re were Presbyte ria n Puritan pasto rs a nd theologia ns who we re especia ll y interested in th e work of th e S pirit a nd w ho wrote solid , va lu abl e treati ses o n thi s subject. T wo whose work s have been re printed recentl y a re Ja mes Buc ha na n, The Office and Work 1~/' the H o ly S pirit ( 1843. Banne r of T ruth Editi o n, 1966); a nd O c taviu s Winslow, The Work

152 w hereas the Reform ed tradition mi ght c laim to be supe ri or in its theological int erest in th e Holy S pirit , it has shown lillle prac ti cal knowledge and ex pe ri e nce ofthe po 11 ·er of the Spirit , especia ll y as manifested in hi s extraordina ry gift s. He re the issue mi ght be joined, but I would like to postpo ne a fin a l ve rdi ct concerning thi s qu esti on until late r. I would hope, in a ny case, that th e neo-Pe nt ecos­ tals would not confront us in the Reformed tradition with the old li be ral c li che: " What counts is not doctrine but life." T hi s is a supe rfi c ial, da nge rous , a nd un-biblical a lt ernative. Genuine, true doctrine and th eology will produce good fruit s. C on­ versely , a uthe nti c, wholesome C hri sti a n expe ri e nce can only flouri s h if it is unde r­ girded by a nd issued from evangeli cal truth. Reformed-Presbyte ri a ns may be short on the experience of the realit y, joy, a nd fullness o f the S pirit. Pentecosta ls may be lacking in a n adequ ate biblical 1111dcr.1·1a11d ­ i11g of the work of the S pirit. If so , we need each other a nd can complement each other. C oexiste nce, not a hot war-or eve n a cold one-would a ppear to me to be a logical a nd happy soluti on to o ur situation. m. A-I suspect that some people may be a bit restiv e about this whole line of reasoning a nd are not totally convinced of a possible compatibility between these two traditions. It mi ght be judged that my prese ntati on of the data has been rathe r selective a nd that I am muc h too sanguine a bo ut the possibilities ofa rapproachement between these two seemingly antithetical a pproaches to the C hri sti a n life. I would li ke , the refore, to call in some witnesses whose names a nd re putations a re far better establi shed than mine. They are a ll Reformed-Presbyte ri a n and they a ll view the Pentecostal deve lopment as not only extremely signifi cant , but in a fundamenta ll y positive light. F irst, a nd most surprising pe rha ps, is the liberal Presbyte ri a n, H e nry Pitney Ya n Dusen, former president of Union Seminary in New York. I recall the shock I experi e nced in reading in the August 17, 1955 issue of The Christian Century (pp. 946- 948) a n a rticle by Yan Dusen where he related hi s positive impressions of the Pe nt e­ costal moveme nt on the basis of a trip lo the Caribbean Isla nds. His di scovery of the vitality of the 8.5 million Pentecostals there led him to speak of the m as re presenting "a ne w " and a new , powerful "third fo rce in C hri ste ndom." Late r, in 1960, he decla red: "The Pe ntecostal movement ... is a revolu tion comparable in importance with the esta bli shme nt of the original c hurc h and with the Protestant Reformation" (quoted in J . Rodman Willia ms, "The Upsurge of Pe ntecosta li s m," in the Reformed World, December, 197 1 [Vol. 31, No. 8], p. 340). One of the first, howe ver, in our tradition to recognize the im porta nce a nd con­ tributions of thi s moveme nt was Lesslie N ewbigin in hi s book, TheHoi1sehold of Cod (New York: F ri endship Press, 1953 , pp. 95f. , C f. p. 122). S imilarly, John Macka y, former preside nt of Princeton Seminary, has al so had kind words to say about Pentecostals on various occasions. From a theological standpoint, the most sig­ nificant observati ons come from H endrikus Berkhof, the noted Dutch theologian. In the pref~ce to hi s tine book, The Doc trine of the H oly Spirit ( 1964), he notes that

153 " pne umatology is a neglected fi e ld of syste matic theology" (p. 10). He points o ut tha t pa rt of the diffic ult y is the bad expe ri e nce the traditi onal c hurc hes have had throug h­ o ut hi story with Spirit moveme nts-from the Montanists in the second century to the A nabaptists a nd Q uakers in the sixteenth century, a nd th e Pentecostals a t the begin­ ning of ou r century. Words li ke e nthus iasts , spiritua li sts , fa ith heale rs, etc. , usua ll y evoke negative e motio ns a mo ng most Protestants. T he result is a n unhappy a nd steril e a lt ernative. On the o ne ha nd , we see the establi shed la rger c hurc hes w hi c h are un wil ­ ling to focus their atte ntio n on the action of the Ho ly S pirit; in their midst fa ith is in cl a nge r of becoming something intellectual, traditional and in ­ stitutiona l. On the othe r ha nd , we see the ra pidl y increasing Pentecostal moveme nts, where the realit y of the Spirit is often sought in the e motional, incliviclua li stic, a nd extravagant . Both pa rt s live by the lacks a nd mi stakes of the other, which give them a good pretext not to see their own lacks a nd mi sta kes, or the biblical truth represented by the other (p. 11 ).

Later, in the substa nce of hi s book, he raises the same kind of questi o n. He fe e ls that the revivalists a nd Pentecostals ma y wel l be correct in cha ll e nging o ur traditio na l a na ly sis of regeneration as ha ving o nly two aspects: justifi cati o n and sanctifi cation. They refe r to a third aspect, that of the ba pti s m or filling of the S pirit. Berkhof c hal­ le nges the usual Pe nt ecostal here , but he atte mpts to break th rough the " watertight partition-wall between these two groups" because this pa rtition is a detrime nt to both pa rties (p. 85) . I concur with Berkhof a nd feel tha t it is hi gh time we dealt with the neo-Pe nte­ costal moveme nt in partic ular with c ha rit y, ope nness a nd a sense of expectation. Too oft e n we-and that includes most theologians a nd minis­ ters-have treated this de velopment as a passing phe nome non limited to a lunati c fringe within the c hurc h. We have tried to psychologize, sociologize, a nd theologi ze it away, recognizing only the cl a ngers a nd excesses of it s adherents a nd rejecting the positive chall e nge, benefits, and blessings it often brings. We have often hoped it wou ld bl ow away, but in stead it is blowing a ll over the la nd. Da vid du Plessis, the well -known Pe ntecostal leade r, reported at a confe re nce on the Holy S pirit he ld recentl y in Des Moines, Iowa, (spo nsored by the United M ethodi st C hurc h) that the re a re now 10 ,000 c haris matic within de nomina­ tions making up the National C hristian Counc il of C hurc hes. T hat means that almost ten percent of the ministers in ecume ni cal (and Orthodoxy) are pa rt of thi s moveme nt (Christian Cent11ry, October 30, 1974, p. 1006). The growth a nd signifi cance of the neo-Pe ntecostal move me nt within A merican Roman Catholi cism is even more striking. (See the June 22 , 1973 issue ofChristiani ty Toda y.) Many North A merica ns may also be unaware of the fact that the churc hes in America a re largely c ha ri s mati c in c ha racte r. E mili o Castro, a Methodist and leade r in Uruguay, states that "Latin A merican Protestantism is now made up for the most part of Pentecostal c hurc hes" (C hristiiln Cent11ry, September 27 , 1972, p . 955) ; and that inc lu des the large Presbyteria n, Methodist, a nd Baptist C hurc hes as well as the traditional Pentecostal C hurc hes.

154 A ft e r having said a ll th ese positive things about th e c ha ri s mati c moveme nt , some people mi ght conc lude that I a m oblivious to the e rrors and excesses of thi s move­ ment. Not so. I have not o nl y read more tha n a dozen books by neo-Pent ecosta l leaders, (including the recent fin e work by J a mes Jones, Filled With Ne111 Wine [N ew York: Harpe r a nd Row, 1974)); I have also atte nded a numbe r of c ha ris ma tic mee tings both in Ja pan a nd in thi s a rea. Whe reas I have tried to be as ope n a nd sympathe ti c as possible, a nd have o ft e n been positi vely impressed by what I witnessed, I have also found much that is contrived a nd re petiti ous, s upe rfi cia l and unbala nced. Scripture was not treated seriou sly and what passed for " prophecy" often impressed me as ina nities unworthy of the H o ly S pirit. However, far more importa nt th a n my pe rsona l impressions a re some cleep­ seate cl theological reserva ti ons. This is no t the pl ace for a full -tl e cl gecl biblical-theolog­ ical a na ly sis a nd critique . That has been provided by people like F rederick Dale Brune r, A Theology qf' the H o ly S pirit (Grand Rapids: Eerclma ns, 1970), a nd J ames D . G. Dunn, Baptism i11 the /-l o lySpirit (London: SCM Press, 1970), a nd the shorter studies by Anthony Hockema , John Stott, a nd Berna rd Ra mm. (The la tter 's book is the most recent to elate, viz., Rapping A bout the Spirit [Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1974] . This is a popula r, but solid, study). My basic reservations a re these: I- The re is far too often a failure to take a ll of Scripture seriously . The result is a truncated gospe l. 2-0ne unfortunate conseque nce is a n in adequate unde rsta nding of the C hri stia n life , especially of the whole doctrine of sanctification. Pivota l he re is what I feel is the Pe ntecostal mi sunderstanding of the so-called " ba ptism in or of the Holy S pirit" as something which is subseque nt to, a nd di stinct from , becoming a C hri stia n. In the last analysis, it is a pe rsonal e ncounter with J esus C hri st a nd the concomitant transforming gift of the Spirit that ma kes a man a C hris­ tian. We must be fill ed with the Spirit again and again, a nd "stir into fl a me again the gift already received" (2 Timothy I :6); but this is true of a ll C hri stians. 3-My biggest diffic ulty with the Pe ntecostal-Cha ri s ma ti c movement, in the last a naly sis, is not that it stresses the work of the Holy Spirit too much, but too little! I ts viewpoint is too na rrow a nd myopic. We can learn muc h from it about the gifts of the Spirit, about powe r, freedom , and joy in the Spirit. But the chari s ma ti c theologia ns ha ve much to learn from Calvin in pa rticula r, a nd the Reformed tradition in ge neral, a bout th e Spirit a nd creation, the relation of the W o rd a nd the S pirit, the S pirit a nd th e c hurc h a nd sacrame nts, the Spirit a nd tradition, the Spirit a nd the C hri sti a n life. Pentecostal types te nd to focus on the " individual-s ponta neous" aspects of the Spirit's work, whereas tradi­ tiona li sts stress the "continuing coll ective" ma nifestations of the S pirit (This distinction is made by Joh~ Steve ns Ke rr in hi s ne w book, The Fire Flares A new: A Look at the Ne111 (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974).

15 5 Conclusion Both are necessary-individua l-sponta neous a nd the continuing-co ll ective. Traditional Protestants, especia ll y in the Reformed tradition , are often lacking if.I the former area-although ma ny new winds of the Spirit , I trust-have been bl owi ng in the Reformed C hurch in recent years. Pe ntecosta ls tend to be lacking in the latter category. As John Sherrill put it years ago in hi s best-sell er, They Speak Witlt O ther Tongues, pp. 139- 140, the Reformed tradition is strong o n order a nd weak on fr eedom. The opposit e is true of the chari smatics. We need each other. This, in conclusion, is my pl ea. That we are as ready to recogni ze our needs, weaknesses, a nd practi cal as we are eager to point out the weaknesses of the c ha ri smati cs. Ecclesia semper reformanda- by the Word and the Spirit. As Lewis Mudge, a Presbyterian theologian, wrote in 1963 (in hi s book One C lt11rclt: Ca tlt o lic and Re.formed), our and confessions do not do justi ce to the bib li cal emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. "The result is that in reading what the Bible says about the Spirit we are blind and deaf' (p. 68). Many Pe nt ecosta ls, I a m sure, wou ld say "Ame n" to that! T he situation has changed a nd improved in ma ny ways since Abraham Kuyper wrote the preface to hi s study of the Holy Spirit. Eve n so, hi s closing words are still quite apropos to our situation: Even though we honor the Father a nd beli eve on the Son, how little do we li ve in the Holy Spirit! It even seems to us sometim es that for our sanctifi­ cation only, the Holy Spirit is added accidentally to the great redemptive work. T hi s is the reason why our thoughts are so little occupied with the Holy Spirit , why in the ministry of the Word He is so little honored , why the when bowed in supplication before the T hrone of Grace, make Him so little the object of their adoration. You feel involuntarily that of our piety, which is a lready small enough, He receiv es a too scanty portion.

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