Copyright © 2014 Bradley Jason Weldy All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RECENT APOLOGETIC THOUGHT A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Bradley Jason Weldy May 2014 APPROVAL SHEET THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN RECENT APOLOGETIC THOUGHT Bradley Jason Weldy Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Theodore J. Cabal (Chair) __________________________________________ Timothy K. Beougher __________________________________________ James Parker III Date______________________________ To Lindsay, my perfect love, my greatest asset, my cherished friend, and my fellow heir of the grace of life, and to all my family, without whom this journey would not be possible . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . vii PREFACE . viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 The Dearth of the Holy Spirit in Apologetics . 2 Statement of the Problem . 5 Problem Illustrated: Saint Augustine . 7 Augustinian “Admonition” . 8 The Holy Spirit and “Admonition” . 9 Problem Illustrated: Thomas Aquinas . 12 Thomas and Internal Prompting . 13 Thomas and the Gifts of the Spirit . 15 Summation of the Problem . 16 Locating the Relationship between the Holy Spirit and Apologetics . 17 The Paucity of the Holy Spirit in Apologetic Literature . 18 Popular-level Apologetic Works . 19 Advanced-level Apologetic Works . 22 Assessing Apologetic Works. 27 Apologetics and the (Experiential) Knowledge of God . 29 Statement of the Thesis. 35 Methodological Rationale . 37 iv Chapter Page Contemporary Academic Milieu . 42 2. SPIRIT APOLOGETICS WITHIN REFORMED EPISTEMOLOGY . 46 Plantinga and Apologetics . 48 Précis: Reformed Epistemology . 51 Natural Theology Exodus . 51 Classical Foundationalism Undercut . 53 Proper Basicality of Belief in God . 55 The Role of Cognition . 57 Cognitive Faculties, Properly Functioning . 58 The Cognitive Design Plan . 60 The Sensus Divinitatis . 63 The Human Predicament—“Sunk in Sin” . 65 The Internal Instigation of the Holy Spirit . 66 The IIHS and Cognitive Renewal. 67 The IIHS and Faith . 70 Usefulness and Critical Analysis . 72 Conclusion . 77 3. SPIRIT APOLOGETICS WITHIN ANGLICAN-METHODIST EPISTEMOLOGY . 79 Excursus: Anglican-Methodist Association . 80 The Emergence of an Anglican-Methodist Epistemology . 85 AME Emerges Simultaneous to RE. 86 AME Emerges Subsequent to RE . 88 Alston, Abraham, and General Apologetics . 90 Alston and Apologetics . 91 Abraham and Apologetics . 94 v Chapter Page AME and Spirit Apologetic: Locating Details. 97 William Alston’s Spirit Apologetic . 98 Alston Justifies Christian Experience . 98 Alston’s ‘Mediated Immediacy’ and the Holy Spirit . 101 The Spirit as ‘Explanans’ of Knowing God . 107 William Abraham’s Spirit Apologetic . 116 Abraham’s Emphasis on Personal Awareness of God . 118 Abraham’s Emphasis on Personal Judgment . 125 Abraham’s Emphasis on Pneumatic Grounding . 129 Conclusion . 138 4. SPIRIT APOLOGETICS WITHIN CHARISMATIC EPISTEMOLOGY . 140 “Charismatic” as a Gathering Term . 141 Apologetics and Charismatic Influence . 143 Spirit Apologetics and Affective Emphases . 148 The Spirit Apologetic of James K. A. Smith . 150 Affective Epistemology . 150 Elevating the Heart. 155 The Spirit’s Access . 159 Conclusion . 163 5. CONCLUSION . 166 The Spirit as Apologist and Evangelist . 171 Wherever the Wind Blows . 177 An Assessment of Spirit Apologetics . 179 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 183 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AME Anglican-Methodist Epistemology CF Classical Foundationalism IIHS Internal Instigation of the Holy Spirit RE Reformed Epistemology SD Sensus Divinitatis ST Summa Theologiae WCB Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief vii PREFACE I often chortle when discussing this dissertation work with those expressing any interest. Amidst their encouragement and admiration directed toward me and my efforts, there is an unintentional oversight in acknowledging the network of support, assistance, and accountability that has truly made this work possible. First, Dr. Ted Cabal, my supervising professor, is owed a debt of gratitude for his willingness to offer a mixture of freedom, wisdom, and correction. I am also appreciative to other professors— Dr. Tim Beougher, Dr. Chad Brand, and Dr. James Parker— who have provided great guidance and insights and critiques. Second, I am also grateful to a wide network of family, friends, and mentors who demonstrated love and support spanning the years of this terminal degree. Thank you to my parents and in-laws, who have shown inestimable support, even at times when not requested. In many ways, this effort is not at all possible without my parents and in- laws. Thank you also to many friends and peers who challenged my thinking and pushed me toward perseverance—Tawa Anderson, Justin Avery, Kevin Crouch, Tommy Green, Chuck Henderson, and Travis Kerns. Third, and significantly, I am grateful to my wife, Lindsay, for her steadfast and tireless efforts toward me and our beloved children—Shepherd, Annabelle, Colton, and Tate. Her patient and enduring love throughout long nights turned to weeks turned to months turned to years is certainly deserving of more gratitude than I can express. She is the most virtuous woman I know, and with her by my side, I am blessed to complete a true journey. It is to my love that I dedicate this dissertation. May we always walk together as fellow heirs of the grace of life (1 Pet 3:7). viii Finally, and foremost, I thank God for His grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been continually reminded and amazed by the grace He has conferred upon my family and me. He has truly been my strength, my hope, and my foundation. In this work—and all I do—I pray He will be glorified. Bradley Jason Weldy Louisville, Kentucky May 2014 ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION As the Apostle Paul was traveling through Ephesus, he asks the disciples there, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” The Ephesian Christians responded, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2).1 Sadly, similar responses can be heard throughout the history of Christendom due to the long- standing disregard of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Holy Spirit is traditionally and often referred to as the neglected or forgotten Person of the Trinity.2 In recent decades, the Christian church has generally rediscovered, or reengaged, the essential work of the Holy Spirit.3 Moreover, the Holy Spirit presently receives specific treatment across numerous theological areas: systematic theologies, doctrinal volumes, historical investigations, 1Unless otherwise noted, Scripture references herein are from the New American Standard Bible (1995). 2The significance of this assertion—that the Holy Spirit is traditionally neglected—cannot be overstated. Thomas Goodwin made this point centuries ago (mid-1600s), saying, “There is a general omission in the saints of God, in their not giving the Holy Ghost that glory that is due to His person and for His great work of salvation in us, insomuch that we have in our hearts almost lost this third person.” Thomas Goodwin, The Work of the Holy Ghost in Our Salvation, in vol. 6 of The Works of Thomas Goodwin (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1861; repr., Eureka, CA: Tanski, 1996), 3. More recently, the popularity of Francis Chan’s bestselling book bears out the point—through both its content and its title— that: this trend toward neglect is being reversed but more work on the Spirit is certainly needed. See Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2009). 3Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit, Contours of Christian Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996), 11-12. Ferguson writes, “It was commonplace in my student days for authors, lecturers, and preachers to begin their comments on the subject of the Holy Spirit with some such statement as, ‘The Holy Spirit has been until recently the forgotten person of the Godhead.’ No-one writing on this topic today would employ such language. The Holy Spirit is no longer the ‘forgotten person’ of the Godhead” (11). 1 spiritual manifestos, practical volumes, and others. There is no longer a dearth of Spirit theology. Yet, there remains a dearth within Spirit apologetics4 and Spirit philosophy.5 The Dearth of the Holy Spirit in Apologetics Philosopher Paul K. Moser highlights the dearth of the Holy Spirit in Spirit apologetic literature, The Jewish-Christian God goes beyond revelation as the imparting of information and experience. This God offers a distinctive kind of evidence of divine reality, a kind of evidence widely overlooked in philosophical and theological discussions of God’s reality. The evidence is the imparting of God’s Spirit to humans. Such evidence . calls for attention, in religious epistemology, to the human conditions for receiving the Spirit of an all-loving God. Religious epistemology seldom attends to this vital area, despite its prominence in the Jewish-Christian Scriptures.6 As Moser’s statement suggests, there is no deliberate, calculated, or full-orbed treatment of the Holy Spirit’s role in Christian apologetics.7 The vast majority of apologetic 4The word combination “Spirit apologetic(s)” is used frequently in the pages to follow. Simply stated,