Participating in God's Life: Two Crossroads for Churches of Christ

by C. Leonard Allen, Danny Swick

In an age marked by loneliness, estrangement and the vacuous spiritualities increasingly offered to fill the void, this book offers much-needed wisdom for recovering a biblical Spirituality rooted in the triune nature of God. It offers not only a fully biblical view of God's relational nature, but also an equally biblical view of humans as relational beings, created in the image of God. It will provide enormous benefit to anyone seeking to discern the contours of a contemporary biblical Spirituality.

Genres: Spirituality, Theology, Church

202 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2001

Reviews

[Jenny Swick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a well-researched history of the Churches of Christ and opened my eyes to how we lost our sense of a relationship with the Spirit.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Allen and Danny Swick provide excellent historical research and explanation for the view of the Holy Spirit in church of Christ history and how that impacts the church in the 21dt century. They provide modest ideas for how to better embrace the Spirit, but more impressive is simply their humility in the presentation and call for an increase in embracing the Spirit. 4.25/5, because it is niche for restoration readers and could have been better expanded, but still very much worth the read.

[Jared Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading this several years later, I think Allen and Swick are a bit imprecise and unfair in their characterizations of certain classical-theistic doctrines toward the end of the book (e.g., immutability, impassibility, etc.). That said, I can deeply appreciate their broader agenda; and I think they offer some profoundly keen historical and theological insight into the relationship between CoCs and the Holy Spirit. I have often told people I think this is one of the most important books ever written specifically for the Churches of Christ, and I still stand by that. May our movement continue to repent of our tragic neglect of the Spirit and become increasingly open to His ministry in and among us today. I think we’ve made great strides in that respect since this book was first published, but we still have quite a way to go.