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The Holy Spirit in Action: Why Christians Call Him "The Lord and Giver of Life"
New paperback
148 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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112 people want to read
About the author
Frank Sheed
71 books124 followersFrancis Joseph Sheed was an Australian-born lawyer, Catholic writer, publisher, speaker, and lay theologian. He and his wife Maisie Ward were famous in their day as the names behind the imprint Sheed & Ward and as forceful public lecturers in the Catholic Evidence Guild.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 27, 2013
I love the sub-title of this book, taken from the Nicene Creed. I've said that the Holy Spirit is "Lord and Giver of Life" all life long without thinking about the meaning of the words.
Sheed, like G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, masterfully diagnoses problems arising from the misuse of the imagination and suggests a better way of thinking about what we believe. "We might ask ourselves whether our own interest in the Spirit is as great as his primacy in our lives demands."
The book is like a party-mix. Every piece of it is tasty and edifying, but there are a lot of little pieces jumbled together, without a strong overarching structure. I'm not saying that I could write a better book myself along more systematic lines, just noticing the difficulty of finding the right setting to preserve all of the little jewels of wisdom that Sheed has collected.
The editor of the book was asleep at the switch. "Ruah" is not "translated as God," nor does it (or the word intended, "Elohim") appear "forty times" in chapter 1 of Genesis (pp. 21-22). The typo completely destroys Sheed's argument that because "Elohim" is used to mean "God" in 31 instances in the first chapter, it must also mean "God" in its very first appearance, "ruah Elohim," so that the correct translation is "breath of God" or "Spirit of God" rather than "a mighty wind."
Less dramatically, Sheed says that the "filioque" clause appeared in the West in the fourth century, whereas the Catechism of the Catholic Church #247 says that the filioque was endorsed by the Pope in the fifth century (447 AD).
There are other such holidays in the text. The last is a description of Jude as a "hundred line letter" (p. 127). In my bible, there are only 25 verses in Jude. The reference to a hundred lines makes no sense at all to me, unless Sheed was counting lines on a page in a particular version of the Bible.
Let the one among us whose memory never fails be the one to cast the first stone. And let that stone be directed at the editor, not the author. Typos happen!
Sheed, like G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, masterfully diagnoses problems arising from the misuse of the imagination and suggests a better way of thinking about what we believe. "We might ask ourselves whether our own interest in the Spirit is as great as his primacy in our lives demands."
The book is like a party-mix. Every piece of it is tasty and edifying, but there are a lot of little pieces jumbled together, without a strong overarching structure. I'm not saying that I could write a better book myself along more systematic lines, just noticing the difficulty of finding the right setting to preserve all of the little jewels of wisdom that Sheed has collected.
The editor of the book was asleep at the switch. "Ruah" is not "translated as God," nor does it (or the word intended, "Elohim") appear "forty times" in chapter 1 of Genesis (pp. 21-22). The typo completely destroys Sheed's argument that because "Elohim" is used to mean "God" in 31 instances in the first chapter, it must also mean "God" in its very first appearance, "ruah Elohim," so that the correct translation is "breath of God" or "Spirit of God" rather than "a mighty wind."
Less dramatically, Sheed says that the "filioque" clause appeared in the West in the fourth century, whereas the Catechism of the Catholic Church #247 says that the filioque was endorsed by the Pope in the fifth century (447 AD).
There are other such holidays in the text. The last is a description of Jude as a "hundred line letter" (p. 127). In my bible, there are only 25 verses in Jude. The reference to a hundred lines makes no sense at all to me, unless Sheed was counting lines on a page in a particular version of the Bible.
Let the one among us whose memory never fails be the one to cast the first stone. And let that stone be directed at the editor, not the author. Typos happen!
December 27, 2022
To tried to write a proper review. But it’s a very easy read for a theological – spiritual book. Even so, has a lot in to help you, on your faith journey.
April 1, 2015
The premise of this shorter book is to empower the reader with a clearer picture of the role of, presence, importance and relevance of the Holy Spirit. The author presents a comprehensive description of the Holy Spirit. He uses scripture and comparatives to the other members of the three godhead deity. His belief that the Holy Spirit cements the 'born again/growth in faith' experience forms the base of his belief. He touches on the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the end, the author argues that the Holy Spirit helps one become a solid and better Christian. I found the book to be well-written but with some flaws in the ideological area. Still, it is a good read for anyone who is new to the study of the Holy Spirit.
February 11, 2012
Awesome! Frank Sheed is always easy to read, without watering anything down. This is one of the few books I've read (or seen, really) focusing on the Holy Spirit. An excellent introduction to Who the Holy Spirit Is, what He does, and His relationship with us and His action in our lives. A great book to recommend for those new to the faith or young people preparing for their Confirmation.
July 9, 2022
it is helpful for understanding the Holy Spirit‘s action in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament. Chapter 4 was good for Christian Creed on Trinity helps to get the abstraction. “God wants us to be good, will help us to be good l, but he doesn’t withhold his love until we become good…it would be hard to put more of the Gospel in one sentence.” page 66
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews