French Arrington: Encountering the Holy Spirit
French L. Arrington, Encountering the Holy Spirit: Paths of Christian Growth and Service (Cleveland, TN: Pathway Press, 2003), 546 pages.
One hundred and four years ago (as of the time of this writing), two births took place: the birth of the twentieth century, and the birth of the Pentecostal movement. And in a little more than a century, that movement has become a global phenomenon, growing in size to the point where more than half of all Christians worldwide consider themselves to be Pentecostal/charismatics. This growth has helped to reawaken interest in and exploration of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and Arrington’s new book is a welcome addition to that exploration. The recently retired professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at the Church of God Theological Seminary, Dr. Arrington expresses the importance of the Third Person of the Trinity very succinctly: “The critical element to the life, vitality and growth of the Christian church has been, and remains, the presence and power of the Spirit” (p. 19).
Arrington, no stranger to Pentecostal scholarship, presents us with an excellent volume on the subject of pneumatology, focusing mainly on the work of the Spirit in each believer, as well as in the local congregation and the Body of Christ as a whole. This focus occurs in an examination of seven main (and fairly comprehensive) topics (p. 20):
1. The Spirit in the Old Testament.
2. The Spirit’s role in conversion and the Christian walk.
3. Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
4. The relationship of glossolalia to baptism in the Spirit.
5. The results of baptism in the Spirit.
6. The gifts of the Spirit.
7. The challenge of living the Spirit-filled life in the church and in the world.
He concludes his book with a chapter filled with accounts of individuals’ experiences with the Spirit.
The only two criticisms I would offer are not really criticisms, but observations. First, I felt that Arrington’s apologetics of the Pentecostal theology of the baptism of the Spirit could have been filled out more (especially in a volume dedicated to describing the work of the Holy Spirit). As a Pentecostal reading the book, I found myself developing unanswered questions that a non-Pentecostal may also have in mind. (However, I do recognize that Arrington’s book is not meant to be an exclusively apologetic work, but rather a systematic introduction to the work of the Spirit. Perhaps he may consider a more defensive work in the future.)
Second, his chapter on the personal testimonies of individuals could have been shortened, while still possessing the same edifying qualities. His desire to present multiple testimonies for the various works of the Spirit resulted in some seemingly repetitive and redundant stories. Perhaps giving one testimony for each work of the Spirit may have been a possibility for consideration in preparing this chapter.
All in all, Arrington’s new book is one I would heartily recommend to any Pentecostal or charismatic believer who desires to gain a more complete understanding of how the Spirit works in the life of the Christian and the church. I pray that Brother Arrington continues to be used by the same Spirit for years to come in providing us with wonderfully edifying works.
Reviewed by Mike Knowles.
You can’t expect a thorough explanation of pneumatology by one who holds to conditional salvation/election. The Spirit and the word agree as one and to get it wrong on salvation is to get it wrong on the Holy Spirit.