Michael Horton
“Who exactly is the mysterious third person of the Trinity? Why does he seem to possess less reality or at least fewer descriptive features than the Father and the Son? Is this only a problem in popular culture and, by implication, in the churches that have helped to shape it? Or is the Spirit’s profile blurry in the broader faith and practice of mainstream Christianity?”
These are some of the questions the Dr Michael Horton answers in this careful work on Pneumatology (Doctrine of the Holy Spirit).
In our day and age, there seems to be several pitfalls when it comes to a biblical understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, from forgetting Him almost altogether to overemphasising a focus on Him, and at the extreme to the heresies of Arianism, modalism, and partialism. This book goes a long way to correcting many misunderstandings of the Trinity and would highly recommend this to all.
Please note: This is a good example of where we need to be careful of reacting too hastily due to our theological differences:
Michael Horton insight is valuable in this area of theology, however he is seen by many as sitting generally on the liberal end of the conservative church. While I appreciate this particular work, his radical two kingdoms (R2K) theology was on display a little, especially in the later chapters.
At the end of a video series (Christianity & Islam) on the White Horse Inn, Michael said:
“… it’s a good thing that we no longer live in an era where Christianity is a culture.”
I do not agree with that statement, but it does make me ponder what sincere beliefs I hold and defend, that are also sincerely wrong.
