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The Age of the Spirit: How the Ghost of an Ancient Controversy Is Shaping the Church
A thousand years ago, the church experienced a time of tremendous upheaval called the Great Schism. The one faith became two churches, East and West, and the course of world history was forever changed. And it all swirled around one Latin word in the Nicene Creed, filioque , that indicated the Holy Spirit proceeded both from God the Father "and from the Son." From the time that phrase was officially instituted onward, the Holy Spirit's place in the Trinity and role in the lives of believers would be fiercely debated, with ramifications being felt through the centuries to this very day.
In this fascinating book, readers will encounter not just the interesting historical realities that have shaped our faith today but also the present resurgence of interest in the Holy Spirit seen in many churches across the theological spectrum. Tickle and Sweeney make accessible and relevant the forces behind the current upheaval in the church, taking readers by the hand and leading them confidently into the Age of the Spirit.
In this fascinating book, readers will encounter not just the interesting historical realities that have shaped our faith today but also the present resurgence of interest in the Holy Spirit seen in many churches across the theological spectrum. Tickle and Sweeney make accessible and relevant the forces behind the current upheaval in the church, taking readers by the hand and leading them confidently into the Age of the Spirit.
192 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2013
22 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Phyllis Tickle
97 books76 followersPhyllis Natalie Tickle was an American author and lecturer whose work focuses on spirituality and religion issues. After serving as a teacher, professor, and academic dean, Tickle entered the publishing industry, serving as the founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, before then becoming a popular writer. She is well known as a leading voice in the emergence church movement. She is perhaps best known for The Divine Hours series of books, published by Doubleday Press, and her book The Great Emergence- How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Tickle was a member of the Episcopal Church, where she was licensed as both a lector and a lay eucharistic minister. She has been widely quoted by many media outlets, including Newsweek, Time, Life, The New York Times, USA Today, CNN, C-SPAN, PBS, The History Channel, the BBC and VOA. It has been said that "Over the past generation, no one has written more deeply and spoken more widely about the contours of American faith and spirituality than Phyllis Tickle." A biography of Tickle, written by Jon M. Sweeney, was published in February 2018. Phyllis Tickle: A Life (Church Publishing, Inc), has been widely reviewed.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 2, 2020
I watched a lecture by the late Phylis Tickle on The Great Emergence (You can find it on Youtube). I really liked her presentation, her knowledge, and her spirit, essentially. The idea that the world is going through another 'upheaval' as she mentions in her book and in her lecture, doesn't seem far fetched given all that has transpired as of late.
Whether or not its "The Great Emergence" as these two have indicated is yet to be seen. But I appreciate the book simply because coming from fundamentalist Christianity, there isn't a whole lot of talk about church history. Fundamentalism can't survive if we acknowledge it.
Considering the role of The Holy Spirit ...well it's kinda fun. It's nice to be able to say that after so many years of fearing God. He's pretty cool.
Whether or not its "The Great Emergence" as these two have indicated is yet to be seen. But I appreciate the book simply because coming from fundamentalist Christianity, there isn't a whole lot of talk about church history. Fundamentalism can't survive if we acknowledge it.
Considering the role of The Holy Spirit ...well it's kinda fun. It's nice to be able to say that after so many years of fearing God. He's pretty cool.
May 12, 2014
Disputes over ecclesiastical authority and dissimilar political and doctrinal threats, along with cultural and language barriers (e.g., Latins who misunderstood Greek), drove the “western” Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches apart. Geographical isolation helped keep them apart. But globalization has torn down that barrier, and the West is now confronting eastern perspectives on all things religious, including the Holy Spirit. As Orthodox, Pentecostal, and Emergence Christianities continually challenge Catholic and Protestant norms, Episcopal author Phyllis Tickle suggests that Joachim of Fiore’s “Age of the Spirit” may now be upon us. Western Christians cannot continue to conveniently ignore the “Third Person” of the Trinity.
What? Isn’t the Holy Spirit is a staple of Christian conversation? Being honest we’d have to admit otherwise. The average Christian doesn’t want to think about the Holy Spirit. Speaking of “discernment” or “being led by the spirit” will draw dirty looks from other church members, who dismiss such talk as only befitting a Pentecostal…you know, those weird people. Add in Jesus’ terrifying warning about blasphemy against the Spirit (Mark 3:28-29), and no one dares question the far-fetched extra-biblical diagrams our teachers present in attempt to illustrate the Trinitarian “mystery” for fear of putting their souls on the line.
We don’t necessarily intend to ignore the Holy Spirit. We just don’t know how to talk about “it”…or “him.” Even the most passionate Trinitarians recognize that their views require a lot more biblical support than we are given. Being unable to “own” their opponents in debate is greatly unsettling to Christians, so it’s easier to dismiss questions with a quick “This is the way it is” and cease further discussion.
It should be of no surprise then that many people are converted to some form of Christianity without ever being introduced to the “Third Person.” Its absent from many tracks, Bible correspondence courses, and after-sermon invitations (i.e., alter calls) is deafening. Individuals “raised in the church” rarely fair better, lacking a definite understanding of what the Holy Spirit is and the role it plays in their lives. Unless one belongs to a religious movement that is all about the influence and work of the Spirit, then the whole of pneumatology is unofficially declared off-limits.
Some of us, however, would like to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and thoroughly investigate what is usually considered a major pillar of the Christian faith. However, balanced and easy-to-read resources are often difficult to find for us lay-Christians. (By “balanced” I mean only in the sense that the author analyzes the history and arguments for variety of views, allowing a well-informed reader to draw his own conclusions.)
What is clearly needed is a way of opening up the discussion and allow for questions, especially if Christians are ever going to be expected to distinguish between orthodoxy and heresy. That’s what’s provided by Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of Publishers Weekly’s Religion Department, with Jon M. Sweeney in The Age of the Spirit: How the Ghost of an Ancient Controversy is Shaping the Church (Baker Books, 2014). Part history and part theology, this book examines how the Holy Spirit has been defined and redefined over the millennia and what effects those definitions have had on Christian doctrine, worship, and living.
As you might have guessed, The Age of the Spirit is not an apologetic for any particular view. However, Tickle does present an argument that the filioque addition to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Lutheran doctrine of sola scriptura effectively limited the power of the “Third Person” in the minds of western Christians. In the wake of what she says might be a major turning point in Christian history, Tickle challenges her readers to find new ways of engaging the Holy Spirit. Whether that might mean accepting an ancient “heresy,” mysticism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Pentecostalism, or Emergence Christianity, or something else remains unsaid.
What I appreciated most about The Age of the Spirit was its easy read (which I suspect was Sweeney’s contribution). Although Tickle made some unconvincing claims and odd speculations at times, I came away with a clearer understanding the ecumenical creeds, the Great Schism, and the infamous ancient heresies. The book didn’t validate my beliefs, but that wasn’t why I picked it up. It gave me a different perspective and made me rethink some of my own assumptions about the Spirit.
As for the more technical details: Phyllis Tickle has a well-known presence within the “emerging church” movement, and the book, lightly peppered with their lingo, seems written for an audience more familiar with it than I. In addition, she makes reference to biblical content without necessarily including a citation, preferring a more fluid style of writing. While this is should be a minute problem for Christians well-read in Scriptures and having at their disposal every means of looking up these passages, it would likely annoy a number of readers who rely on chapter and verse. For that same reason, an index of Bible references would’ve also been nice.
What? Isn’t the Holy Spirit is a staple of Christian conversation? Being honest we’d have to admit otherwise. The average Christian doesn’t want to think about the Holy Spirit. Speaking of “discernment” or “being led by the spirit” will draw dirty looks from other church members, who dismiss such talk as only befitting a Pentecostal…you know, those weird people. Add in Jesus’ terrifying warning about blasphemy against the Spirit (Mark 3:28-29), and no one dares question the far-fetched extra-biblical diagrams our teachers present in attempt to illustrate the Trinitarian “mystery” for fear of putting their souls on the line.
We don’t necessarily intend to ignore the Holy Spirit. We just don’t know how to talk about “it”…or “him.” Even the most passionate Trinitarians recognize that their views require a lot more biblical support than we are given. Being unable to “own” their opponents in debate is greatly unsettling to Christians, so it’s easier to dismiss questions with a quick “This is the way it is” and cease further discussion.
It should be of no surprise then that many people are converted to some form of Christianity without ever being introduced to the “Third Person.” Its absent from many tracks, Bible correspondence courses, and after-sermon invitations (i.e., alter calls) is deafening. Individuals “raised in the church” rarely fair better, lacking a definite understanding of what the Holy Spirit is and the role it plays in their lives. Unless one belongs to a religious movement that is all about the influence and work of the Spirit, then the whole of pneumatology is unofficially declared off-limits.
Some of us, however, would like to have a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit and thoroughly investigate what is usually considered a major pillar of the Christian faith. However, balanced and easy-to-read resources are often difficult to find for us lay-Christians. (By “balanced” I mean only in the sense that the author analyzes the history and arguments for variety of views, allowing a well-informed reader to draw his own conclusions.)
What is clearly needed is a way of opening up the discussion and allow for questions, especially if Christians are ever going to be expected to distinguish between orthodoxy and heresy. That’s what’s provided by Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of Publishers Weekly’s Religion Department, with Jon M. Sweeney in The Age of the Spirit: How the Ghost of an Ancient Controversy is Shaping the Church (Baker Books, 2014). Part history and part theology, this book examines how the Holy Spirit has been defined and redefined over the millennia and what effects those definitions have had on Christian doctrine, worship, and living.
As you might have guessed, The Age of the Spirit is not an apologetic for any particular view. However, Tickle does present an argument that the filioque addition to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Lutheran doctrine of sola scriptura effectively limited the power of the “Third Person” in the minds of western Christians. In the wake of what she says might be a major turning point in Christian history, Tickle challenges her readers to find new ways of engaging the Holy Spirit. Whether that might mean accepting an ancient “heresy,” mysticism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Pentecostalism, or Emergence Christianity, or something else remains unsaid.
What I appreciated most about The Age of the Spirit was its easy read (which I suspect was Sweeney’s contribution). Although Tickle made some unconvincing claims and odd speculations at times, I came away with a clearer understanding the ecumenical creeds, the Great Schism, and the infamous ancient heresies. The book didn’t validate my beliefs, but that wasn’t why I picked it up. It gave me a different perspective and made me rethink some of my own assumptions about the Spirit.
As for the more technical details: Phyllis Tickle has a well-known presence within the “emerging church” movement, and the book, lightly peppered with their lingo, seems written for an audience more familiar with it than I. In addition, she makes reference to biblical content without necessarily including a citation, preferring a more fluid style of writing. While this is should be a minute problem for Christians well-read in Scriptures and having at their disposal every means of looking up these passages, it would likely annoy a number of readers who rely on chapter and verse. For that same reason, an index of Bible references would’ve also been nice.
March 26, 2020
I am intrigued that Tickle and Sweeney are intrigued by the effects of the filioque on Western Christanity and the way that it reverberated down through the Reformation. My perplexing moment, though, was when they stated that the Emergent Church is learning a lot from Orthodoxy - but where? When? How? None of that was addressed.
I thought that there was a big missed opportunity. Admittedly, though, this is the only book of hers that I have read, so I don't know if she has fleshed this out in other books.
I thought that there was a big missed opportunity. Admittedly, though, this is the only book of hers that I have read, so I don't know if she has fleshed this out in other books.
December 22, 2015
A postmodern presentation of the doctrine of the Spirit as enumerated in the creeds with special focus on the implications of the filioque and the divergence between western and eastern Christendom on approaches regarding the Spirit.
As in other works Tickle is quite focused on the bimillennial "realignment" which tends to happen, particularly in Christianity, and sees the realignment taking place in our own time. While that is difficult to dispute, the claim that "Emergence Christianity" is going to be the way forward and represents Joachim of Fiore's "Age of the Spirit" is not only extremely premature but a bit overly triumphalist, and that seems to be the general claim of the book as it wanders through church history. Tickle meanders primarily through the events of the first millennium of Christianity, focusing on those teachings and doctrines related to the understanding of the work of the Spirit-- the Cappadocian Fathers vs. the Pneumachians, and especially the filioque added to the Nicene Creed in the west. The filioque is seen as representing entirely different ways of conceiving of the work of the Spirit, and Tickle laments the separation of 1054 and especially what it meant for understanding the Spirit (until, of course, "recovered" in "Emergence Christianity" today). She also puts some emphasis on Joachim of Fiore and his three ages, and is convinced that we are leaving the "Age of the Son" and are entering the "Age of the Spirit" (hence the book's title).
Tickle takes for granted that the Spirit works in the charismatic/pentecostal movement of the 20th century and sees it as a signpost of the "Age of the Spirit." The same is true about the movements away from doctrine and of decentralization in Christianity. It would seem that she would like to see everyone move toward almost a quakerish system whereby the Spirit and His movement is seen as the primary authority under which any other supposed authority, be it Scripture, tradition, leaders, etc., are sublimated.
It's a very interesting if narrow view of history, and a bit uncreative, as if the only way that the Spirit's movement and work can be appreciated is through the lens of what postmodernist Americans, ever suspicious of inherited authority and centralization, would like to see. In that sense the work tells you much about Tickle, who saw great promise in "Emergence Christianity" as the new way forward. Thus the book suffers from the tyranny of the present, making triumphant claims about what is now without any benefit of understanding where things are headed. Her book may prove prophetic; it is more likely to be yet another witness of the folly of forecasting.
In the end, meh.
As in other works Tickle is quite focused on the bimillennial "realignment" which tends to happen, particularly in Christianity, and sees the realignment taking place in our own time. While that is difficult to dispute, the claim that "Emergence Christianity" is going to be the way forward and represents Joachim of Fiore's "Age of the Spirit" is not only extremely premature but a bit overly triumphalist, and that seems to be the general claim of the book as it wanders through church history. Tickle meanders primarily through the events of the first millennium of Christianity, focusing on those teachings and doctrines related to the understanding of the work of the Spirit-- the Cappadocian Fathers vs. the Pneumachians, and especially the filioque added to the Nicene Creed in the west. The filioque is seen as representing entirely different ways of conceiving of the work of the Spirit, and Tickle laments the separation of 1054 and especially what it meant for understanding the Spirit (until, of course, "recovered" in "Emergence Christianity" today). She also puts some emphasis on Joachim of Fiore and his three ages, and is convinced that we are leaving the "Age of the Son" and are entering the "Age of the Spirit" (hence the book's title).
Tickle takes for granted that the Spirit works in the charismatic/pentecostal movement of the 20th century and sees it as a signpost of the "Age of the Spirit." The same is true about the movements away from doctrine and of decentralization in Christianity. It would seem that she would like to see everyone move toward almost a quakerish system whereby the Spirit and His movement is seen as the primary authority under which any other supposed authority, be it Scripture, tradition, leaders, etc., are sublimated.
It's a very interesting if narrow view of history, and a bit uncreative, as if the only way that the Spirit's movement and work can be appreciated is through the lens of what postmodernist Americans, ever suspicious of inherited authority and centralization, would like to see. In that sense the work tells you much about Tickle, who saw great promise in "Emergence Christianity" as the new way forward. Thus the book suffers from the tyranny of the present, making triumphant claims about what is now without any benefit of understanding where things are headed. Her book may prove prophetic; it is more likely to be yet another witness of the folly of forecasting.
In the end, meh.
September 22, 2017
This wraps up the Phyllis Tickle trilogy for me. This third book shifts the focus from our being in the midst of the Great Emergence to our moving into the age of God the Holy Spirit. This set of books gives much to contemplate regarding where the Church is headed in the coming years.
November 30, 2022
This book gave some really good insights on the struggles of the church councils to combat Arianism in the fourth century. I was never really quite clear on what it was that caused the Nicene Creed to be written or the church to split in the eleventh century. This book makes it all clear.
February 9, 2020
It is amazing that a book that is so wordy can be so short.
February 24, 2021
Learned sooooo much. Should have read this when it first came out.
November 26, 2022
For the life of me, I could not figure out what she was arguing.
May 27, 2024
This is a detailed yet also obviously condensed description of the history of Christianity and of the future of spirituality among those with and without a connection to it.
Read
May 27, 2014I thought that the information was well presented in short chapters.
The references and resources listed were excellent.
I note that the issues of the emerging church are often experiential in scope, connecting with those parts of the past that are encouraging spiritual engagement. I sense that the issue of the church in these days is not to simply become a free wheeling experiential zone of varying concepts which push the implied "spontaneous." The Orthodox seem to have a wondrous journey with the iconic pathways of praying. The liturgy of vespers and compline done well seem to draw the spiritual into church (say, as at St Mark's Cathedral in Seattle). I sense that the old practices of Lectio Divina are becoming more accessible and more approachable than simply sitting and listening to a preacher. Guided devotional prayer times are engaging... and that is the desire of the emerging church, to engage with others in spiritual time.
The emerging church = engagement with the Spirit. An interesting equation, especially in remembering that Joachim of Fiore was the precursor of such a movement within the church 800 years ago. His Ages of the Father; Age of the Son; age of the Spirit construct was condemned by the West - but I have always considered this a Medieval ploy to keep the power of the church intact. That the Spirit might guide beyond the community was not Joachims intent- but to see the Spirit become the path for movement forward beyond institutions. Community must be a part of that conversation. This tends to be the same issue we face today in the emerging church. Authority, church, God, the Spirit ... the investment of individuals is to the Spirit, as it is not apparently constricting to the adherent. A community of the Spirit is necessary, however, especially in a self absorbed and miopic society.
I especially enjoyed the conversation on the issues of the Filioque that developed in the West and became embedded in the Western Catholic Tradition, over against the Trinitarian understandings of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople 381 of the East. I wonder if the issues of Subordination play out in this discussion as clearly as they should. The West, in its embrace of logic, tends to like the Spirit subordinate to the Father and the Son- ie, that the Spirit is a third member of a group that waits around for the God of the Church to tell it what to do, thus controlling the Spirit by its "Proceeding" from both. The Filioque might just be the means that the Western Church attempts to see its place as the holders or worshippers of the Son, who is just as powerful as the Father. What is missed is that the concept of community and communal conversation between the three in one and one in three is put "on the shelf" in that argument. That the Father moves co equally in the Son, and the Spirit; and that the Spirit and the Son are co equal with the Father; and that all are one in with and under the concept of Trinity gets lost when we play games with "who's on first and what's on second." After being brought up with the Filioque, I have no problem dispensing it, so to return to the Council's of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople in 381. Too bad we can't get back to the brethren in Toledo 589 who put the Filioque in the official place it is now. Sometimes we just shoot ourselves in the foot...
The references and resources listed were excellent.
I note that the issues of the emerging church are often experiential in scope, connecting with those parts of the past that are encouraging spiritual engagement. I sense that the issue of the church in these days is not to simply become a free wheeling experiential zone of varying concepts which push the implied "spontaneous." The Orthodox seem to have a wondrous journey with the iconic pathways of praying. The liturgy of vespers and compline done well seem to draw the spiritual into church (say, as at St Mark's Cathedral in Seattle). I sense that the old practices of Lectio Divina are becoming more accessible and more approachable than simply sitting and listening to a preacher. Guided devotional prayer times are engaging... and that is the desire of the emerging church, to engage with others in spiritual time.
The emerging church = engagement with the Spirit. An interesting equation, especially in remembering that Joachim of Fiore was the precursor of such a movement within the church 800 years ago. His Ages of the Father; Age of the Son; age of the Spirit construct was condemned by the West - but I have always considered this a Medieval ploy to keep the power of the church intact. That the Spirit might guide beyond the community was not Joachims intent- but to see the Spirit become the path for movement forward beyond institutions. Community must be a part of that conversation. This tends to be the same issue we face today in the emerging church. Authority, church, God, the Spirit ... the investment of individuals is to the Spirit, as it is not apparently constricting to the adherent. A community of the Spirit is necessary, however, especially in a self absorbed and miopic society.
I especially enjoyed the conversation on the issues of the Filioque that developed in the West and became embedded in the Western Catholic Tradition, over against the Trinitarian understandings of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople 381 of the East. I wonder if the issues of Subordination play out in this discussion as clearly as they should. The West, in its embrace of logic, tends to like the Spirit subordinate to the Father and the Son- ie, that the Spirit is a third member of a group that waits around for the God of the Church to tell it what to do, thus controlling the Spirit by its "Proceeding" from both. The Filioque might just be the means that the Western Church attempts to see its place as the holders or worshippers of the Son, who is just as powerful as the Father. What is missed is that the concept of community and communal conversation between the three in one and one in three is put "on the shelf" in that argument. That the Father moves co equally in the Son, and the Spirit; and that the Spirit and the Son are co equal with the Father; and that all are one in with and under the concept of Trinity gets lost when we play games with "who's on first and what's on second." After being brought up with the Filioque, I have no problem dispensing it, so to return to the Council's of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople in 381. Too bad we can't get back to the brethren in Toledo 589 who put the Filioque in the official place it is now. Sometimes we just shoot ourselves in the foot...
February 27, 2017
I'm not so sure that Pentecostals would be quite so sanguine about Tickle's assessment of their relationship to the Spirit in such post-Modernist terms. But it is a readable story about the evolutionary history of Trinitarian thought, in particular the place and person of the Holy Spirit, and all the violent conflict attached. The people who need to know this aren't all that agreeable to wade through much academia, not when experience is so rewarding. And the people who know nothing past doctrine won't like this much at all.
February 15, 2014
This is Phyllis Tickle's (along with Jon M. Sweeney) third book in a series that seeks to define and describe emergence Christianity. Age of the Spirit is a thoughtfully brief summary of how the Holy Spirit has risen to its current emphasis in contemporary Christianity. Starting with the difficulty the early church had defining the Trinity, Tickle and Sweeney take their readers through the early heresies, or would be heresies, like Montanism, through the turbulent process that became our creeds, and plants them right on the doorsteps of Azusa street, the birthplace of the Pentecostal movement. They conclude with suggesting that there is ample evidence that we have entered the "Age of the Spirit" which has been embraced by emergence Christianity.
The book may feel a bit strange to Pentecostal readers, for what comes across as a bit of a persuasive "God is doing a new thing" argument in the book, has been realized and embraced in charismatic circles--including their textbooks and other writings--for years. This begs a question that has risen out of Tickles other books in this series: is emergence Christianity progressive in its experience and theology when it comes to the Holy Spirit, paving the way forward as a "new kind of Christianity" for others to follow, or is emergence Christianity simply "catching up" as it were, to classical Pentecostalism?
Regardless of the answer (and I betray my Gen X haughtiness by saying I really don't care), "Age of the Spirit" is a helpful, concise introduction to the ways in which the theology of the Holy Spirit developed and grew throughout the centuries. The first few chapters on the Trinity are particularly helpful and insightful. Also, bringing to the forefront the role that "filioque" (adding to the creed that the Spirit comes from the Father AND the son), played in the ruckus that basically became the Great Schism, or the splitting of the church into East and West factions, was eye-opening and challenging.
The book may feel a bit strange to Pentecostal readers, for what comes across as a bit of a persuasive "God is doing a new thing" argument in the book, has been realized and embraced in charismatic circles--including their textbooks and other writings--for years. This begs a question that has risen out of Tickles other books in this series: is emergence Christianity progressive in its experience and theology when it comes to the Holy Spirit, paving the way forward as a "new kind of Christianity" for others to follow, or is emergence Christianity simply "catching up" as it were, to classical Pentecostalism?
Regardless of the answer (and I betray my Gen X haughtiness by saying I really don't care), "Age of the Spirit" is a helpful, concise introduction to the ways in which the theology of the Holy Spirit developed and grew throughout the centuries. The first few chapters on the Trinity are particularly helpful and insightful. Also, bringing to the forefront the role that "filioque" (adding to the creed that the Spirit comes from the Father AND the son), played in the ruckus that basically became the Great Schism, or the splitting of the church into East and West factions, was eye-opening and challenging.
January 24, 2014
St. Augustine wrote: "Every measure of Christian progress comes through a spiritual and reasoned understanding of the Trinity."
The topics of the Trinity and the work of the Holy Spirit have found rising attention in recent years and there have been many books written from a variety of viewpoints. I picked up this book by Tickle (and Sweeney) because they offered to present a historical, contextual overview to try to put a finger on why these topics in particular are shaping this era of Christianity.
The book is not a dry textbook trying to cover all of Christian history. Instead, it follows one thread through some of the major formative moments in both the Eastern and Western branches of the church in a surprisingly easy to read presentation. The student of Church History may not find much that is new within these pages, but may instead observe an interesting commentary on how questions surrounding the Holy Spirit have impacted and shaped historical Christianity.
In drawing some modern day conclusions about where our history has led us, the author speaks a fair amount about Emergence Christianity, and occasionally about Emergent and Convergence Christianity, without clearly defining the terms. If you are unfamiliar with these terms and the difference between them then some background reading may be helpful.
While I am uncomfortable with some of the assumptions made...such as the assertion in the final paragraph that the Holy Spirit did not wish to be known in Basil's day but does wish to be known in our day...I found the book an interesting and informative look at the way that the Emerging church approaches the Holy Spirit and the impact that modern perception regarding the Holy Spirit is having on the universal Church.
I received a free unedited, digital galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The topics of the Trinity and the work of the Holy Spirit have found rising attention in recent years and there have been many books written from a variety of viewpoints. I picked up this book by Tickle (and Sweeney) because they offered to present a historical, contextual overview to try to put a finger on why these topics in particular are shaping this era of Christianity.
The book is not a dry textbook trying to cover all of Christian history. Instead, it follows one thread through some of the major formative moments in both the Eastern and Western branches of the church in a surprisingly easy to read presentation. The student of Church History may not find much that is new within these pages, but may instead observe an interesting commentary on how questions surrounding the Holy Spirit have impacted and shaped historical Christianity.
In drawing some modern day conclusions about where our history has led us, the author speaks a fair amount about Emergence Christianity, and occasionally about Emergent and Convergence Christianity, without clearly defining the terms. If you are unfamiliar with these terms and the difference between them then some background reading may be helpful.
While I am uncomfortable with some of the assumptions made...such as the assertion in the final paragraph that the Holy Spirit did not wish to be known in Basil's day but does wish to be known in our day...I found the book an interesting and informative look at the way that the Emerging church approaches the Holy Spirit and the impact that modern perception regarding the Holy Spirit is having on the universal Church.
I received a free unedited, digital galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
April 1, 2014
This is a brief, readable though, at times, verbose work on the Holy Spirit as thought of and experienced by Christians over the history of the Church. Along the way one finds an informative presentation of historical theology particularly having to do with the controversy over the "filioque" clause leading to the Great Schism of separation of the Orthodox Church from the Latin Church. Most, if not all, of the major heresies of the early church are mentioned or dealt with at some level as most have something to do with the nature, being and character of God and, well, the Holy Spirit is God. This is meant to be something like the third in a series by Phyllis Tickle who is joined by Jon M. Sweeney for this volume. Tickle has previously posited that every 500 years the church is marked by some kind of major upheaval leading to significant change. We, it is supposed, happen to be at the cusp of one of those 500 year jackpots. Personally, I’m not sold on that as having any explanatory power at all. More likely, it seems to me, the data has been selected to fit the pattern. Whatever the case, Tickle reasons from this to the phenomenon of what she has come to term Emergence Christianity. The idea that the Holy Spirit will be significant in God’s future now breaking upon us seems only to be stating the obvious. It might also seem to imply that the Spirit has not been significant in the (more recent) past. That’s just ludicrous. At the end, I’m left scratching my head.
February 26, 2016
Tickle sums up her thesis that we are in the midst of a tectonic shift in Western culture, looking at Christianity through the evolution of the doctrine of the Trinity. It is the Holy Spirit which has always been the most ambiguous aspect of the Trinity. Tickle gives a concise overview of the debates on the Trinity and Holy Spirit over the years, from the Bible to Pentecostalism to the various Emergent/Convergent thinking happening today. The centerpiece is the writing of Joachim of Fiore in the Middle Ages who foretold a coming "Age of the Spirit" after the current "Age of the Son," which followed the pre-Christian "Age of the Father." I found the book ended somewhat abruptly, as I wanted more elaboration of the way forward and the shape the church is taking and will take. Suffice it to say that the days of giving the Holy Spirit short-schrift and subordinating Him/Her to Father and/or Son are over. This is not by any means a hard read, especially for someone familiar with Tickle's other recent books. But it is essential, I think, for anyone hoping to get a perspective on what is going on, and will be happening, in Christianity.
January 15, 2014
The fastest growing segment of Christianity at this time is Pentecostalism with its emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Because of the at other reasons, Tickle calls this era that of the Holy Spirit. He is the person of the Trinity that makes us a bit uneasy as He is hard to understand. Tickle takes us through history, the writings, the council decisions, and so on, to help us see how the Holy Spirit has been understood through the centuries. This is not an academic work although their are plenty of footnotes and Appendixes for further study. This is a very readable work for the layperson. Christians who would like to get an historical overview of the interpretation and theology of the Holy Spirit will appreciate this book. See my full review at http://bit.ly/1iUHyS2.
February 9, 2016
Wrestling with pneumatology, the role of the Spirit in theology and history? Uncomfortable with defining the Holy Spirit? This book engages these challenges in an informative and thoughtful way. A challenging book, one part theology, one part Church history, sympathizing with the Emergence movement. It's taken me a while to read this one, with some denser chapters sneaking in around the discussion of Nicene theology. It challenges ecclesiastical hegemony at a theological level, inviting the reader to think more openly about the work of the Spirit. It's worth the read if you have the energy and focus, and a good dash of curiosity.
April 5, 2014
Though I like Tickle's first book in this series on the Great Emergence best, this was a good book overviewing the history of Trinitarian theology, specifically how early christians understood the Holy Spirit. I expected more on how the Spirit is shaping the church and less on the ancient controversies of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, so if you want a popular level overview of early christian theology, both Orthodoxy and heterodox, and how the Holy Spirit found a place in the Godhead, check it out.
April 6, 2014
I love the way Phyllis Tickle writes; she gets to the point and presents a compelling case. In this book she goes back one thousand years to the Great Schism in Christianity in order to understand better what is happening today. Nutshell: Many in the western church are looking to Eastern Orthodoxy for ways of understanding God's work in the world today.
March 23, 2016
Very interesting historical study as well as an introduction into the concept that we are now living in the age of the spiritual. I probably will think about this concept for a long while. Quite interesting.
August 8, 2021
This book is mostly about the story of the doctrinal history of the Holy Spirit and less about "how the Ghost of an ancient controversy is shaping the church." Told concisely in short chapters, it is a helpful, if not always unbiased, account.
January 16, 2014
I will review this shortly.
March 9, 2016
Good read if you're a theology nerd. Tons of good historical info, but very accessible. Tickle's meta-narrative/thesis is intriguing.
August 8, 2016
Fans of PT will appreciate her scholarship and down to earth writing style.
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