Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
13th out of 203 books
—
254 voters
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
In the name of the Father, the Son, and ... the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today's church has admired the gift but neglected to open it.
Br...more
Br...more
Paperback, 166 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by David C. Cook
(first published August 20th 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
I was more impressed by this book than I thought I would have been and more disappointed by it than I would I would be. What I mean by this is:
For me, pages 32-35 were worth the price of the book. Seriously. If you burned this book after I read page 35, I would not have wasted a penny. There was one analogy he gave that was so good!
Here is my paraphrase (because my copy is loaned out): What if I told you that I had an encounter with God where He actually came into my body and gave me a supernatu...more
For me, pages 32-35 were worth the price of the book. Seriously. If you burned this book after I read page 35, I would not have wasted a penny. There was one analogy he gave that was so good!
Here is my paraphrase (because my copy is loaned out): What if I told you that I had an encounter with God where He actually came into my body and gave me a supernatu...more
I read this using the kindle app and now face the dilemma of wanting a bound copy. Back in my early education days I took a class on the Holy Spirit and have always been convinced that we often neglect this aspect of God. I worship in a denomination that seems to have many of its roots grounded in reactionism. The Holy Spirit has been abused and taught poorly so we (maybe just me) have stayed clear of that topic and by doing so missed out on important aspects of faith.
There are two statements t...more
There are two statements t...more
A challenging, practical study on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is not a theology study, instead it is a challenge by Chan to see what Jesus said His purpose in giving us the Holy Spirit, then putting into practice what it means to walk by the spirit.
I was constantly forced to look at how I pull back from the Spirit's direction in my life and grasp the impact that has.
I led this in a church class of about 30 people using the video, with the workbook as a resource.
The video's are...more
I was constantly forced to look at how I pull back from the Spirit's direction in my life and grasp the impact that has.
I led this in a church class of about 30 people using the video, with the workbook as a resource.
The video's are...more
This is one of those books that changes you forever. One of my favorite parts is where the author is explaining how he is giving sacrificially to the ministry he is so passionate about, which is human trafficking. He gives to the point that he draws criticism from others who say, "you've given enough, shouldn't you be thinking about yourself now? Shouldn't you be concerned about your future? Don't you think you should have save up for an emergency?" I love his answer: What part about children be...more
Chan is one of the most popular and famous pastors in the country. He’s best known for his book Crazy Love, and for his passion and energy when preaching or speaking. Unlike Crazy Love that was written for both Christians and non-Christians, Forgotten God is written primarily for Christians and explores the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Chan’s premise is that the Holy Spirit is one of the least understood and least studied parts of our faith despite being part of the Trinity. And his belie...more
Mar 20, 2012
Robert Durough, Jr.
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Robert by:
Went through the book as a study series.
In Forgotten God Chan invites his reader to take a deeper look into one's understanding of the Holy Spirit, the seemingly "forgotten" part of the Trinity. It appears a more apt description may be "ignored" or "quenched", since it is acknowledged that the reader is aware of the Him (the pronoun preferred by Chan over the commonly used "it"), but tends to "quench" (1 Thess. 5:19) Him more than "forget" Him (this is not a book intended for nonbelievers, nor is it one on "how to become a Christian,"...more
This title fits nicely into a category I would call “Vernacular Theology” because, while it isn’t up to the level of academic or even advanced lay-level theological writing, it isn’t exactly mere “Christian Living” either.
I appreciated Francis Chan’s effort to challenge Christians toward more thorough and faithful consideration and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. In that way, it was a very strong work on a needed topic. The Holy Spirit— and our theological reflection on His presence and work in o...more
I appreciated Francis Chan’s effort to challenge Christians toward more thorough and faithful consideration and reliance upon the Holy Spirit. In that way, it was a very strong work on a needed topic. The Holy Spirit— and our theological reflection on His presence and work in o...more
view all 3 comments
In this book, pastor Francis Chan attempts to "reverse our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit", the third of the trinity he has named "the forgotten God." Unfortunately, he spends more of his time apologizing for his beliefs about the Holy Spirit and asking the reader if she has the courage to change her beliefs about the Holy Spirit. Several chapters can be summed up this way: 1. "Would you change what you believe if I showed you the Bible said something that contradicts your current beliefs?",...more
Francis Chan's book Forgotten God was well written and worth the read. I've come from a background that for fear of being too charismatic has down-played the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. As Chan works through Scripture texts, he forcefully points out the work of the Holy Spirit in redemption, sanctification, and preservation--all key components of the gospel power at work in our lives. I was struck with the simple and straight forward way his book reminds just how i...more
Jul 28, 2011
Zack
added it
Francis Chan desperately desires for those who claim to be Christians to use the Bible as the guide for their lifestyle choices and everyday decisions. He is a great communicator who conveys biblical truths without being hard to understand, impractical, or watered down. In this book, he discusses the unbelievably precious gift of the Holy Spirit and the wonder of literally having God live inside of you, always with you, to guide you and give you strength to live a godly life. If this is true in...more
I am teaching Sunday School in the morning for a good friend of mine. I do so with much trepidation. Who am I, to attempt to speak on the Holy Spirt, part of the triune God? I don’t even have my Jesus or My God even close to figured out, and now I am tasked with teaching others the theology of the Holy Spirit.
And, it can’t be made up, that right smack in the middle of preparing for Sunday school to teach on the Holy Spirit, I am giving the topic to my final paper for my Seminary New Testament Cl...more
And, it can’t be made up, that right smack in the middle of preparing for Sunday school to teach on the Holy Spirit, I am giving the topic to my final paper for my Seminary New Testament Cl...more
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Francis Chan is on a mission to change Western Christianity.
Not a mission to make us better informed, or more culturally relevant, or even more doctrinally correct.
He is on a mission for us to walk with the "Forgotten God," the Holy Spirit. He calls the Holy Spirit such because he affirms that although we say we know and walk with Him, our lives testify otherwise:
"The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished...more
Francis Chan is on a mission to change Western Christianity.
Not a mission to make us better informed, or more culturally relevant, or even more doctrinally correct.
He is on a mission for us to walk with the "Forgotten God," the Holy Spirit. He calls the Holy Spirit such because he affirms that although we say we know and walk with Him, our lives testify otherwise:
"The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished...more
I finished reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan...what a great book! Right from the start, through solid scriptural support, Francis brings us back to the Holy Spirit as the Bible portrays Him. He explains how we have missed a huge blessing in the Holy Spirit and our neglect is causing disastrous results. Not only does he point out where we are missing the Spirit, but he also address how we can bridge that gap.
In between chapters he also gives examples of people he thinks are truly living by th...more
In between chapters he also gives examples of people he thinks are truly living by th...more
I enjoy having my heart and life challenged by the Word of God, so I loved this book! The challenge presented in this book is to reverse the neglect of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Holy Spirit, we know about the Holy Spirit, but do we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and overflow our lives? As Christians our lives are often not much different than before we received Jesus, and not much different than the world around us. Yet as we look at what the Bible has to say about the Holy Spirit, it is...more
My junior year in High School I picked up the habit of listening to the preaching of Charles Stanley. Most afternoons on the way home from school the dial on my family’s ’79 Corolla was set to 830AM and I listened to his baritone southern cadence. It’s not surprising then, that one of the first Christian books I purchased on my own was Stanley’s freshly printed The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life. 15 years later, Chan’s Forgotten God took me right back to that book.
Now, it’s unlikely those who pick...more
Now, it’s unlikely those who pick...more
I listened to the audiobook, read by Chan himself and you can tell that he's passionate about his subject -- I liked that. In a series of succinct and to the point chapters, Chan writes about why we need the Holy Spirit, who He is, and what it looks like when He is operating unencumbered in our lives. At the end of each chapter, he also includes profiles of everyday people who have been touched and inspired by the Holy Spirit's leadings and models that aspect of life with the Holy Spirit. The bo...more
This review originally appeared on my blog, Jacob's Café.
I recently finished listening to the audiobook version of Francis Chan's Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. It was not as part of one of the reviewer programs, although I did get it free through a christianaudio coupon code.
This is sometimes billed as the sequel to Crazy Love, which I really liked. The interview with Chan preceding the book itself was very nice, and Chan said he actually was more excited about...more
I recently finished listening to the audiobook version of Francis Chan's Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. It was not as part of one of the reviewer programs, although I did get it free through a christianaudio coupon code.
This is sometimes billed as the sequel to Crazy Love, which I really liked. The interview with Chan preceding the book itself was very nice, and Chan said he actually was more excited about...more
This is the second book published by the author of “Crazy Love” (which is one of the greatest books published in the last few years). Those familiar with Chan’s previous work will undoubtedly love this one. In it, he explores the theology of the Holy Spirit. His premise is that the Holy Spirit is the “forgotten” person of the Holy Trinity — not in the sense that he is actually forgotten or left out completely, but that our understanding of the Spirit lags behind our understanding of the roles th...more
Anyone who’s read my blog for any amount of time knows of my respect for Francis Chan, and you probably know how much I loved his first book Crazy Love. And I – apparently – was not the only one! Crazy Love had a pretty big impact. The book sold 250,000 copies in its first year and has been translated into more than ten languages.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get the opportunity to review Chan’s latest book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, which was rele...more
Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get the opportunity to review Chan’s latest book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, which was rele...more
In Forgotten God, Francis Chan challenges believers to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit of God. Chan, a former pastor and widely-acclaimed Christian speaker, brings his trademark plain speech and passion to this, his second major book—his first being Crazy Love.
Positive
Chan argues that many believers have a basic doctrine of the Holy Spirit as part of the trinity, but the same Christians have no real experience with the Spirit of God. The author challenges Christians to stop settling for hea...more
Positive
Chan argues that many believers have a basic doctrine of the Holy Spirit as part of the trinity, but the same Christians have no real experience with the Spirit of God. The author challenges Christians to stop settling for hea...more
Francis Chan has hit the nail right on the head with Forgotten God. This book is about the "forgotten" member of the trinity, the Holy Spirit. Not only does he lay out the basic truths about this entity, Chan challenges every Christian to reevaluate his or her own relationship with it. To ask the tough questions about what we really believe, and if we believe those things, how they should spur us to action. As a minister, I have been greatly challenged by Forgotten God, and if I am completely ho...more
I love Francis Chan and his insatiable desire to "get" the Spirit. The book (with an intriguing title) doesn't focus on the depth of pneumatology that some might expect, rather, it serves as a challenge to daily submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 6 is a personal favorite, but I skimmed major chunks of other chapters. There are some great quotes, some convicting thoughts, and a few good ideas to help the reader understand more of the Holy Spirit's activity beyond Acts 2.
I was hopi...more
I was hopi...more
Nov 11, 2011
Jennifer Leigh
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
philosophy-and-religion,
1000000-pages-books
Though this book is considered “Inspirational,” I feel that Chan’s narrative voice is very distinct—he is not preaching at his readers, but rather working through what he is writing for himself and sharing it with those who decide to pick up his book and take this journey with him. This book is not merely another instructional guide for living a better life according to so-and-so’s personal opinion. Instead, this book delves into the Word of God, and Chan lets the Scripture do most of the talkin...more
The book was well titled, as it is entirely concerned with the person of the Holy Spirit. Chan manages to pull off writing a book that is entertaining, instructional and challenging. In Forgotten God he describes the false beliefs about the Holy Spirit, and then proceeds to systematically go through what the Bible teaches on the subject – all without losing the interest of the reader. Chan also discusses the way in which most churches have a very unscriptural view and response to the Holy Spirit...more
I loved this book. There were times when I felt like Chan had written what was in my own head and heart - almost as if I had written it myself - and there were times when I was instructed and convicted. It is a book that pulls no punches in talking about the Church's "tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit," but it does so with much grace. A reader may find himself challenged and greatly convicted, but there is nothing here to make one feel condemned, which is as it should be.
Chan presents a very bal...more
Chan presents a very bal...more
A solid book with lots of good things to say. There were only two real flaws with the book and Chan's approach to the Spirit. First, he seems to take prophecy as an ongoing (typical) element of Christian worship and experience, where I believe that such things ended in A.D. 70 (except in unusual circumstances and missionary work). While annoying, Chan isn't me, so I can't really hold him to the standard I would hold the book to if I were writing it.
The (much) larger concern with the book is a ty...more
The (much) larger concern with the book is a ty...more
This is one of the very few books here on Goodreads that I did not finish. This was an Amazon freebie.
The focus of this book is to allow the Holy Spirit more access into your life. Worthy goal. However, way too much time is spent describing this need and not nearly enough addressing this need. I kept reading this and saying "Alright already! Get on with it!" I decided to stop reading it at about the 55% mark.
This is my introduction to Mr. Chan. I've got 2 more Amazon freebies but I'm not going t...more
The focus of this book is to allow the Holy Spirit more access into your life. Worthy goal. However, way too much time is spent describing this need and not nearly enough addressing this need. I kept reading this and saying "Alright already! Get on with it!" I decided to stop reading it at about the 55% mark.
This is my introduction to Mr. Chan. I've got 2 more Amazon freebies but I'm not going t...more
This book was good if it was the first one you had read on the subject. Having read several books on the Holy Spirit and on having a relationship with God, this was rudimentary. The first few chapters he seemed to be convincing me to read the book. Around chapter 3 or 4 he gave the theology of the Holy Spirit. The next couple of chapters he seemed to be questioning my motives for wanting to know the Holy Spirit better. The last few chapters were spent telling me that the Holy Spirit is an entity...more
Suggesting that we in the church are too focused on personal comfort and caught up in multitasking distractions, Chan encourages the reader to reassess how life is meant to be lived by the power of the Holy Spirit. By seeking to follow the Spirit's leading, we give up our own agenda in exchange for joy, eternal purpose, and the opportunity to glorify Christ.
Though no surprises popped up, reading this book renewed my appreciation for the Spirit and reminded me that it is necessary to be in situa...more
Though no surprises popped up, reading this book renewed my appreciation for the Spirit and reminded me that it is necessary to be in situa...more
This is an excellent primer in the Person, work, and role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individual Christ-followers as well as the Body of Christ as a whole. I was surprised by how thoroughly Chan provided a big picture overview of this subject, combining sound teaching with impassioned exhortation. While there are plenty of other books that dig more deeply into various aspects of the Spirit and His work, I cannot imagine a more skillful overview of the topic as a whole.
IF I could ask for a...more
IF I could ask for a...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Francis Chan is an American pastor and teacher, who lives in California with his wife, Lisa, and their four children. He is the former pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, CA, which he and his wife started in 1994.
More about Francis Chan...
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace.”
—
153 people liked it
“It is easy to use the phrase 'God's will for my life' as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience. ... My hope is that instead of searching for 'God's will for my life' each of us would learn to seek hard after 'the Spirit's leading in my life today.' May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit's leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now.”
—
11 people liked it
More quotes…
