The Holy Spirit - Shy Member of the Trinity

by Frederick Dale Bruner, William Hordern

Shy member of the Trinity? Doesn't the Holy Spirit fill us with bold faith? Yes, say the authors, but the Spirit makes us bold in order to proclaim Jesus Christ. Bruner and Horden show how the Spirit points us to Christ - not simply to greater spiritual experiences. The work of the Holy Spirit is to thrill us with Christ, to infect us with enthusiasm for all that Christ can do for men and women and for the world, to change things, to renew institutions, to salvage lives. This helpful study of biblical teaching speaks to all who are faced with divisions and debates about the Holy Spirit today.

Genres: Theology

112 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

Reviews

[Tom]

Dale Bruner, one of my favorite bible scholars, and William Hordern, a Lutheran scholar published four lectures from the early 1980s on the subject of the Holy Spirit, particularly in relationship to the neo-Pentecostal movements of the 20th century.
This is a quick and helpful framing of the theology of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Spirit in the lives of Christians and the Christian church.
In short, the Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity because the Spirit seeks to glorify the Son, to make Jesus known. The second chapter is a strong case for the reality of ONE baptism, of water and the Holy Spirit, over against Pentecostal and Holiness requirements for a second or even third crisis-gifting of the Holy Spirit.
I think these lectures have something important to say both to Pentecostals and to less charismatic traditions. Some of us need to be reminded that we have been given the fullness of the Spirit in our baptism and the freedom to worship God and serve the world with all boldness and giftedness. Some of us need to be reminded that the presence of the Spirit is not to be equated with triumphalism, extroversion, or even that the work of the Spirit can always readily be discerned.
We live in the age of the Spirit, even more truly 25+ years after this book was published. But the Holy Spirit of Christian faith is of a different nature than pop-cultural spirituality. The Holy Spirit is irrevocably linked to Christ, the incarnate Word of God, who suffered and died and rose again, who calls us to suffer and to serve, and to live by faith and not feeling.

[Nathan Carter]

If it wasn’t for a few weird Lutheran quirks on baptism and some favorable quotes of suspect authors, I would say this is the best book I’ve ever read and give to every Christian wanting to understand the Holy Spirit.

[Carolyn Harper]

This exposition about the Holy Spirit in the form of four essays provides an insightful look into the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christian believers. Short yet meaty read. Highly recommend.

[Alex Monseth]

Great overview of Lutheran Spirit emphasis, theology of the cross/glory, and triumphalism. Wish it actually addressed charismatic gifts in the Lutheran church, still waiting for a book to address deficiencies rather than launching grenades.

[David Bickel]

See also Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the New Testament Witness.