Who Is the Holy Spirit?: A Walk with the Apostles

by Amos Yong

Christians talk about the Holy Spirit, but rarely know how to recognize the Spirit's presence and activity in the world. These meditations attempt to discern how the winds of the Spirit have blown in the lives of Jesus, his disciples, and the earliest Christians so that we can track and participate in the works of the Holy Spirit in the global village of the 21st century.

Genres: Theology, Christian, New Testament

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Amos Yong is the J. Rodman Williams Professor of Theology and Director of the Ph.D. in Renewal Studies program at Regent University Divinity School in Virginia Beach, VA. He is the Co-editor of Pneuma, the journal of the Society of Pentecostal Studies.

Reviews

[John Trotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book on the Holy Spirit I have ever read

Hands-down, this is the best book I’ve ever read on the holy Spirit. I studied at Pentecostal schools for both undergrad and seminary and have read scores of books on the holy spirit. Nothing compares however to this one. Yong shows so clearly that the Holy Spirit was not only intended to be sent for personal piety or boldness in witness, but to influence every sector of our society. Truly the Spirit is at work in the public square and we must follow him there. For anyone seeking to follow the spirit’s lead into their community and see transformation, I recommend this book.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fourth review of Paraclete Press‘s series of guides on the Holy Spirit. The other books I reviewed, each of the authors seek to articulate their understanding of the Holy Spirit from their own theological tradition (Jewish, Orthodox and Protestant). While the author of Who is the Holy Spirit?, Amos Yong, is deeply formed by the Charismatic and evangelical tradition this book examines the Holy Spirit by providing a close reading of the book of Acts and supplemented by material from Luke. The effect is that Yong is able to draw out some of the social and political implications of who the Spirit is and his activity in the world.

Right now, some of you may be saying, “the Holy Spirit I know, but who is Amos Yong? Why do I need to read this book?” Amos Yong is one of the most well known and respected Pentecostal scholars working today. He is the J. Rodman Williams Professor of Theology at Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach (as a graduate of Regent College, we call this the other Regent). Because Regent University was founded by Pat Robertson some may be tempted to write it off as a ‘rightwing institution’ but Yong’s analysis has implications for people on both the right and the left[note: I actually have no idea what Yong's politics are, I just want to make sure you don't think you know what he's gonna say before you read the book].

This book came to fruition when the acquisitions editor at Paraclete Press read an article by Roger Olson in Christianity Today entitled, “A Wind that Swirls Everywhere: Amos Yong Thinks He Sees the Holy Spirit Working in Other Religions Too[note: the back of the book mistakenly attributes the article to Yong, but it is an article about Yong].” In response to this idea, Amos Yong went to work on exploring the material on the Spirit in Luke and Acts for a Sunday School class at his church. Who is the Holy Spirit? is divided into 39 chapters covering all of Acts and selections from Luke, and a discussion guide for each chapter.

Acts has been fertile ground for Charismatic reflection. Personally I have read through Acts to see evidence of the Spirit, miracles, to discover how to do (be) the church and to explore missional implications. What sets Yong’s book apart is that he focuses not only on where the Spirit is invoked, but what the Spirit evokes. He doesn’t just point out the Spirit’s presence but he asks us to open our eyes to discover that the scope of the Spirit’s work is bigger, more inclusive than we sometimes imagine. Yong writes:

I now believe that the Spirit is at work not just at the level of the individual but also at the level of society and its various political and economic structures; not just the otherworldly, spiritual level but also at the this-worldly level of the material and concrete domains of our lives; not just in and through the church but also in and through wider institutional, cultural and religious realities. In other words, I now think the world of the Holy Spirit is much wider than I’d guessed, and that the work of the Spirit is to redeem and transform our world as a whole along with all of its interconnected parts, systems and structures (x).

And so, Yong sets out to answer the question of Who is the Holy Spirit? not by giving us doctrinal formula and propositional truth, but by paying careful attention to the narrative of Luke-Acts and showing us the Spirit’s work. He explores how the Spirit brings and is bringing about the full promise of the Kingdom of God, how the Spirit overcomes divisions of language, ethnicity, nationality, gender and class, and how the Spirit brings about new freedom and liberation. This isn’t a denial of the Spirit’s individual and personal work within the human soul, but he probes the narrative also for wider socio-political implications. Acts provides rich fodder for reflection as he explores how the church is born through the Spirit’s work in overcoming divisions of language and culture at Pentecost and the Spirit keeps impelling their witness outward from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Each chapter explores a text (or set of texts), discovers what it is saying, the implications of the Spirit’s work, and explores the implications for our own context.

I found this book refreshing! Too often confessional scholars examine spiritual realities in the text while critical scholarship focuses on the political aspects of the early church. It is exciting to read a Bible study which explores both of these poles. Yong’s bibliography, while only showing the references he deems ‘accessible,’ displays his willingness to tackle the issue and draw on a wide range of scholarship. As this is not a scholarly book, there are no footnotes. Most people probably like this better, but I missed them and my reading would have been enriched by knowing where he drew various aspects from and being able to chase things back. But lucky for me, this isn’t the only thing Yong has written on the topic, and I will get my chance.

Yong’s critics (even Olson) point out that his views weaken the need for evangelism by de-emphasizing Christian particularity and paving the way for pluralism and syncretism. This seems hardly fair. By rooting his reflections in the book of Acts, Yong is able to affirm both the continuities and discontinuities between other religions and the gospel. Yong says:

If the work of the Spirit brought about renewal, restoration and re-appropriation of all that was good and true in the social, cultural, and religious spheres of human life, it could also be seen from another perspective that the coming of the Spirit turned the world upside down in each of these domains of human endeavor. Continuity or discontinuity, when and how? These are questions that require ongoing discernment of the Spirit’s presence and activity(160)

This has implications for how we engage in mission. We do not dismiss other religions out of hand as utterly false; we do look for evidence of where the Spirit is at work (like Paul in the Aeropagus).

This book would be great for personal reflection, or as a curriculum for a small group Bible Study. I certainly think it would inspire a rich discussion of the Spirit’s role, presence and work in our lives and in the church. I am not sure that Yong answers, or intends to give us a firm answer to the question: Who is the Holy Spirit?. Instead through his calling to attention the widening scope of the Spirit’s work, he helps us to see that the Spirit is bigger and more wonderful than we have previously imagined.

Thank you to Paraclete press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the Holy Spirit though perhaps a different title might be better. Some picking it up might be expecting an explanation of basic theology on the character of the Spirit, His work in people such as sanctification or aspects like the fruit or gifts of the Spirit. All of these do appear within the reach of the book but are more part than the main emphasis.
Rather this is a looking at the Luke-Acts narrative and the Spirit at work in and through people's lives with clear societal impacts. Barriers being broken down such as male and female, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile... gender, social standing, racial and national differences all being impacted through the Holy Spirit being at work. The status quo being challenged in all kinds of ways - the Gospel at work not some sanitized bottled up distortion of it.
Amos Yong towards the end "the same Spirit who remains God's gift to empower... we need to continue to discern how the Spirit might inspire the church toward an ongoing faithfulness in a pluralistic and complex world".
I wonder if he wrote the book now if there would be any reflections on how what we read in Luke-Acts speaks into the Gospel and those within the LGBTQ+ community?

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not actually that helpful when it comes to the question "Who is the Holy Spirit?" It might have been better if it had been called "An Overview of Luke-Acts." Yong does little to synthesize the Holy Spirit's work as seen in Luke-Acts, and spends most of his time going through the narrative of the text. I expected more from someone as well-versed in pneumatology as Yong is.

[Jenny Dawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great whizz through the gospel of Luke and Acts with a Pentecostal, political lens. Insightful, a life-oriented, impactful reading. Would be great to read this and discuss with groups.

[Kristian Kilgore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent work on the implications of the Holy Spirit's work in the life and culture of believers based on the biblical writings of Luke (Luke/Acts). Dr. Yong's book is not so much a description of the private / personal interactions of the Spirit with a believer (though this is an unavoidable aspect of the topic) but more of a vision of what it looked like for the Holy Spirit to guide and define value and direction in the life of Jesus, of the apostles and then of the reader/modern believer.
The remarkable socio-economic and political ramifications of a community of people led by the Spirit of God is on display here. Dr. Yong uses plain language, not so much theological language, to describe this life of the Spirit. Highly recommended.

(from the Introduction) "I now believe that the Spirit is at work not just at the level of the individual but also at the level of society and its various political and economic structures; not just at the otherworldly, spiritual level but also at the the this-worldly level of the material and concrete domains of our lives; not just in and through the church but also in and through wider institutional, cultural, and even religious realities." - Dr. Amos Yong

This is an excellent balancing point for traditional Pentecostals who tend to define Pentecostalism largely in terms of the public practice of the gifts of the Spirit. The implications for Pentecostalism are far more expansive than tongues and healing, but they in no way leave behind those practices. In fact, it is precisely Dr. Yong's interpretation of what the gifts of the Spirit might represent in the larger, more structural aspects of culture that makes this book highly valuable.

Chapters are broken into very short, 3-4 page sections, so it isn't a complex book in terms of structure. But in the meditation of what is being said the book requires the reader to confront himself/herself in the best possible way.

[Conor Warren · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is interesting how a book can be so egalitarian in some ways but still fall victim to certain undercurrents. I picked this book up originally because it was written by a member of the denomination of my boyhood, the Pentecostals, and I was rather curious as to what an academic work would look like by them. In some ways it was what I expected for certain and I didn't fault the book for that. However, the book contains several factual errors about the ancient world (especially concerning Ephesus) and interprets a lot of the ancient world anachronistically and in sole accordance with Scripture without utilizing any available archaeological data (except when convenient). On top of this there was A LOT of stuff that seemed either vaguely or overtly anti-Semitic. Reading this book actually made me occasionally have feelings of disgust towards XP.

Now then, that being said, this book *doesn't* deserve one star. I gave it two because of the exploration of how the Holy Spirit may work towards the active liberation of people on the Earth, especially oppressed groups such as the disabled, women, and POC (of course sexual and gender minorities were omitted. . .gee whiz, I can't imagine why. . .)

I think this would be a great book for say, Pentecostals to read. Others, maybe not so much.

[Matt]

The title is a little misleading as the question "who is the Holy Spirit" is never really answered. Instead, the book looks at the diverse works of the Holy Spirit across the books of Luke and Acts. But even then, it functions as more of an exposition of the text rather than looking at the work of the Holy spirit.

The book consists of 39 relatively short chapters, considering both their exposition as well as contemporary challenge to us today. The book wasn't trying to be a verse by verse commentary, and I think it succeeds in showing us how the Holy Spirit was "turning the world upside down" in the first century and how the Holy Spirit still can today. I may not share some of his theology (Pentecostal, egalitarian), but I found I appreciated reading how this book has shaped and formed those convictions as well as challenging my own. Reading this book helped me gain a greater appreciation for the story of Luke and Acts. I wouldn't read it as the only book on Luke/Acts, but I found it a helpful introduction.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amos Yong is a Pentecostal theologian teaching at Regent University's Divinity School. That's Pat Robertson's school. Those of you, who like me, aren't big fans of Mr. Robertson's theology or politics, might find it interesting to read this exploration of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit that focuses on both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.

Yong uses the Acts 1:8 schema to organize the book -- the gospel is to be preached in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. It has a study guide at the end and is written with a general audience in mind. I think you will find this an excellent resource to use with congregations -- even more liberal ones!!



The copy read was provided by Paraclete Publications.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short review: This is an interesting concept. Take the parallels of Luke and Acts and discern the work of the Holy Spirit through the apostles and the relationship of Jesus Christ's work. This is popularly written and has 39 short chapters. The biggest negative is that it is probably too wide ranging and could do with a bit more focus. But as a study of the Book of Acts and the early church, especially with its excellent work on economics, culture and religious change it is well worth reading.

My longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/holy-spirit-yong/

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. The best thing I've seen on the Spirit. It's made up of 40 brief (usually 4 pg.) chapters. Also with a very useful study guide and questions for each chapter.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I read it slow - basically as a devotional, but it is so much more.