My Knowledge And Understanding Of The Holy Spirit

My knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit began later than would be expected for someone who was raised in the church since birth. I grew up in a tradition that, due to fears over the exaltation of emotionality in some charismatic movements, responded by practically ignoring the third part of the Trinity. While I knew the three names that made up the Trinity, the Holy Spirit was some forgotten concept that languished because revealing it might lead to excess. In some ways, I think that fear is a testament to the incredible power dwelling in the Spirit. However, to ignore it completely is an untenable position. While the Spirit has historically struggled to be accepted as a full person within the Trinity, I firmly believe, as do†¦show more content†¦I believe that this understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit provides a fuller and more theologically consistent view of the work of the Spirit. Before I can progress on this point, I must first provide demonstrate the foundation of my beliefs in the Spirit and its gifts. Belief in the Holy Spirit is one of the defining traits of Christianity ; however defining such an entity comprehensively and succinctly is difficult. One definition, merely to begin the discourse, can be found in the The Anchor Bible Dictionary. There, the Holy Spirit is defined as the manifestations of divine presence and power perceptible especially in prophetic inspiration. This definition is simplistic and laden with theological assumptions which, but it provides a starting point in this discussion. One of the primary components that initially struck me from this definition is the emphasis on the role of the Spirit in prophecy and inspiration. This idea does not spring out of nothing, but is routinely supported by writings of the early church fathers and modern theologians. However, this also feels restrictive, minimizing the role