- RSS FeedSubscribe
- « Previous PostA La Carte (9/1)
- Next Post »A La Carte (9/2)
Book Review - "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan
- 09/01/09
- 31
Calling the Holy Spirit "Forgotten God" may be a bit of an overstatement. Or perhaps it is an understatement. Some Christians seem to show little evidence that they have any theology of the Spirit while others seem to emphasize the Spirit at the expense of other biblical doctrine. What seems clear is that few Christians have it quite right. In this new book Francis Chan says, "From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny His existence, I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can." With the entertainment (or perhaps "edutainment") model of church so prevalent today, churches have become filled with self-focused consumers instead of Spirit-filled believers. Chan asks this provocative question: "What if you grew up on a desert island with nothing but the Bible to read?" If you had nothing but Scripture to guide you, would your understanding of the Holy Spirit be far different from what it is today? It is probably worth thinking about. Says Chan, "If I were Satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart God's kingdom and purposes, one of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit."
It is easy to fake the presence of the Spirit, isn't it? "Let's be honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming." It is possible for a church to be fun and vibrant and exciting even while utterly ignoring the Holy Spirit--even while outright grieving the Holy Spirit. Such churches may say much about Jesus but little about the Spirit. Yet how then do we reconcile Jesus' words that it is better for us if we have the Spirit than if we have the Son? Chan says, "I think most of us would...choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit?" Do we believe Him? If so, do our lives reflect that belief?"
Alternating teaching with stories and testimonies, Chan seeks to reverse this neglect of the Spirit. Essentially he provides a brief and basic theology of the Spirit (even titling one chapter "Theology of the Holy Spirit 101") and shows how the Spirit can and should operate in the life of the believer. It is an eminently quotable book, offering scores of statements that are worth highlighting and worth pondering in the days and weeks to come. Some reading this review will want to know his position on the continuation of the miraculous spiritual gifts. I would say his is "guarded, hesitant continuationism," though this comes from reading between the lines more than any bold statements to that effect.
If the book has a weakness I would say it is in Chan's unwillingness to draw distinctions and to clearly delineate opposing doctrine. It is all very well to indicate that a church may not quite fit within one mold or another, but sooner or later we do need to make distinctions. Either the Spirit speaks through audible voices or he does not; either words of knowledge exist today or they do not. We cannot have it both ways and the distinction can cut right to the heart of a church's beliefs. I realize that labels can be as unhelpful as they are helpful, but at some point we do need to make distinctions. I will grant that this may not be the role or purpose of Forgotten God but it is still possible that the book can confuse the reader exactly because of this lack of precision.
Nevertheless, for those who have thought little about the person and role of the Holy Spirit, Forgotten God may be just the thing to get them thinking. For those who have not thought about the Spirit for a long time, this may serve as a good wake-up call. It is far from a full-orbed or exhaustive treatment, but neither is that its purpose. Chan sets out to get the reader thinking "that by keeping in step with the Spirit, we might regularly fellowship over what He's doing rather than what He did months or years ago." It's about living a life dependent on and surrendered to the Spirit, about seeking how we can live faithfully here and now. And this he accomplishes well.
Chan's previous book Crazy Love has sold over a quarter million copies and continues to fly off bookstore shelves. Forgotten God shares a message that is nearly as urgent and undoubtedly even more important. It is a fitting sequel that bears many resemblances to the book it follows. After all, how can we show true love if not through the Holy Spirit? There are many people sharing similar messages today, but few doing so to Chan's audience which is largely young and in many cases not very well trained in the teachings of Scripture. I have little doubt that God will use this to shake them up in all the right ways.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I write books and blogs for fun while doing web design and consulting for a living. I worship and serve at 
Published in 2008, this book
This is a guide that calls men,
This review of the bestselling
New to the site? You can get
Comments (31)
I like the phrase "guarded, hesitant continuationism" when referring to Chan's view of the gifts today. I think I'd take that line and also suffer from a little too much fence sitting.
I've been studying the Spirit lately, and ordered this book yesterday. I was wondering, Tim, if you could maybe list off some especially helpful books on the topic. I just finished reading Joy Unspeakable by DMLJ. John Owen's book is on my list, as is Sinclair Ferguson's. Any others you'd recommend?
Don - I haven't read it yet but I have sampled it and R.C Sproul's The Mystery of the Holy Spirit sounds really good . I hope to order it soon . Plus I would highly recommend James White's The Forgotten Trinity . Although its is not exclusively on the Spirit, it is a well written and a solid presentation of how the trinity works in unity but diversity and explains why the Holy Spirit is often one behind the scenes , so to speak.
Thanks, Reg. I'll look into those.
Don,
CJ Mahaney shares some of his favorite books on the Holy Spirit here (Not all these authors share Mahaney's position): http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/Books-on-the-Person-and-Work-of-the-Holy-Spirit.aspx.
Don,
I'll add to the other suggestions Bruce Ware's Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is well worth the read.
"Either the Spirit speaks through audible voices or he does not; either words of knowledge exist today or they do not."
Ah, those pesky propositions again. They seem to be everywhere.
So, does he?
Robert Letham's book, The Holy Trinity, is very good.
Ah, those pesky propositions again. They seem to be everywhere. So, does he?
Not to me! :)
Not sure who said this, and I paraphrase ..."When you become a Christian, you have all of the Holy Spirit you will ever have. The question is, how much of you does the Holy Spirit have?"
It's very hard to extricate ourselves from the "me, myself, and I" culture, but I think,the more a person submits to God's will and the promptings of His Holy Spirit, the more He will become evident in our lives.
My two cents.
Tim, Thanks for reviewing...I'll give this a shot.
If you look at the Eternity Bible College website that Chan founded through his church in California, you will find that he is not a continuationist at all. He is a cessationist on the miraculous gifts.
Coming from a strong Charismatic back ground I can attest to abuses in the realm of the Holy Spirit, the miraculous and the gifts But that does not mean they are not relevant for today which I believe they are. Tim you said, "If the book has a weakness I would say it is in Chan’s unwillingness to draw distinctions and to clearly delineate opposing doctrine. It is all very well to indicate that a church may not quite fit within one mold or another, but sooner or later we do need to make distinctions. Either the Spirit speaks through audible voices or he does not; either words of knowledge exist today or they do not. We cannot have it both ways and the distinction can cut right to the heart of a church’s beliefs. I realize that labels can be as unhelpful as they are helpful, but at some point we do need to make distinctions. I will grant that this may not be the role or purpose of Forgotten God but it is still possible that the book can confuse the reader exactly because of this lack of precision."Those distinctions you're looking for will only cause divisions. To say that God can not speak through words of knowledge prophecy or even verbally, as Driscoll claims happen to him, is to put God in a box. But as you know there are many thousands of Charismatics who have moved toward a more sound and reformed theological understanding of truth which is bringing balance to the Charismatic-Pentecostal body. I may have gotten off point here and hopfully I didn't misunderstand you.Mike
Years ago while on a road trip by myself, I listened to a tape series called 'The Holy Spirit' (I think that was the title) by JI Packer. I can honestly say that it was one of the best series I have ever listened to.
Mike
You stated: "Those distinctions you’re looking for will only cause divisions. To say that God can not speak through words of knowledge prophecy or even verbally, as Driscoll claims happen to him, is to put God in a box."
Sorry I must disagree with you. Both views can not be right, regardless of whether or not they "cause divisions."I do not want to say at this time where I stand on this issue, but I will say that what is important is what the Bible says about the matter. If indeed, the Cessationists are correct on the issue, then they are not putting God in a box. In a sense God puts Himself in a box, in that He can not and will not do something against His Word. To do so, would make the Bible fallible.
Tom,You will have to admit that this subject has been the cause of much division in the church but you said in your #14 post you listened to a series by Packer on the Holy Spirit, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that packer allowed for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to function however he did have strong words of correction to the Pentecostals and Charismatics in their abuses and Piper believes the gift of tongues is a legitimate gift of the Holy Spirit.I am to tired to locate these articles right now but, ok I went ahead and grabbed it here Piper is defending a non-cessationist position. Hopfully it will come through.http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByTopic/87/1498_Signs_and_Wonders_Then_and_Now/
I have a question for you cessationists:
If miracles and prophecies died when the last apostle died, what do we Christians make of the passage in Act 2:17-18? It would appear to me that God has and will indeed use children and women to prophesy...the passage is not limited to apostles only.
17" 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
I always like Renee's posts. I am a charismatic and not ashamed to say so. I haven't heard audible words from the Holy Spirit. I have experienced a few supernatural things. I know this is a very divisive topic in the Church, but as Chan says, who seems to really want to divide Christians? I think Satan enjoys that there is such a huge division in the Church over the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. If he is full of glee about this, they must be pretty high stakes.
I recently read Gordon D. Fee's book Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Dr. Fee co-authored How to Read the Bible for all It's Worth...an excellent introductory book on biblical interpretation) and highly recommend it for those wanting to better understand Paul's understanding of the Holy Spirit.
Regardless what position one takes concerning gifts , the most important and clear teaching from the scripture is to preach Christ and Him crucified . As to the matter of gifts of the Holy Spirit concerning prophesying and the miraculous,they are only mentioned in very few books the most notable Acts and of course the famous Corinthian passages . In Corinth it is interesting that Paul is rebuking the church in the way they use them , turning it around saying love is far more important than any "gift". What I find ironic is people get so wound about about the gifts of the Spirit but why not be more concerned about the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we are to pursue the greater gifts wouldn't preaching/teaching and service to others , be above tongues and healing .
Hi Reg,
I agree - we ought to preach Christ and Him crucified, but that's not where His incredible story ends. Discussing the manifestation of the Holy Spirit amongst believers - the promised Comforter Jesus said He would send - is a necessary discussion...and we will know true believers by their fruits when they discuss the topic lovingly or contentiously.
Among the doctrines of the Reformation, Sola-Scriptura is one of the most important doctrines to come out of the Reformation.I have read quite a few articles on this doctrine, made by some pretty prominent names. One of the things I remember reading in several of them, is that if gifts such as prophecy and tongues are still in existence today, then it essentially would disprove the doctrine of 'Sola-Scriptura'.At the moment I haven't got a link to one of these articles, I will dig one up if asked.Basically the argument goes something like this: "We know that the Word of God is complete. We can not add or subtract from it. If indeed a gift such as prophecy is still around today, by the fault it would be adding to the Word of God, seeing the prophecy came straight from God Himself. "
What do you think?
I thought I would add something else to my last post.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ASV) "16 Every scripture inspired of God (Grk: God-breathed) is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. 17 That the man of God may be complete (Grk: perfect), furnished completely unto every good work."Notice the words that Paul used:
- inspired/God-breathed (thus inerrant and infallible and totally reliable)- complete/perfect (some also say the meaning here is 'mature')- furnished completely- every [good work] (that which believers are saved by grace to do)
In short, the Scriptures are absolute truth, all-encompassing, provide the total means toward perfection, pertain to every possible "good work", i.e., every part of one's life (mind, body and soul).
So, tell me... what more is needed beyond what God has provided in His Word? If the Scriptures were the sole and final authority for Christ's life on earth, (cf. Lk 4:4) then wouldn't I be a fool to argue against it?
Tom,
I agree with you absolutely. Anyone would be a fool to argue against what God has decreed. But there's a problem...is the prophet Joel whom Peter quotes in Acts 2:17-18 (Joel 2:28-31) a false prophet? Did Peter unwittingly spread false teachings? Or is it possible that God will do what God will do through His Spirit whenever He pleases? Why would prophesy today be an "addition" to what is already in scripture? Could prophesy today not be truths and revelations that serve only to buttress God's holy and unpassing Word?
ReneePeter quoted the prophet Joel accurately. The Apostles are considered to be inspired interpreters of the Old Testament, so when Peter said: "THIS (what you see and hear) what was spoken by the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16)."
It also depends on what one means by the term "last days." Clearly the Apostles believed they were in the "last days" two millennia ago. Yet we haven't seen the celestial signs and wonders in the earth and heavens that Joel described since 70 AD. Last days? Yes, the last days of the Old Covenant. The last days of the Temple, the last of the obsolete shadows, now replaced by the Substance of Christ.
A good question to ask ourselves is; how should we define prophecy? Scripture defines it as the infallible, inspired utterance of God Himself through a prophet, and prescribes the death penalty for false prophesying (Deuteronomy 13:5)! I have yet to hear about any Charismatic "prophet" being censured - much less executed - for false prophesying. For instance Rick Joyner and Paul Cain should have been "put to death" - figuratively at least - after their 1992 "prophecy" that God would use Bill Clinton to bring revival to America during his administration, for example. Biblical prophecy was inscripturated. So why do Charismatics not believe that the Scripture is still being written? Has prophecy somehow changed? Does the Bible predict and define this change?
"It shall come to pass in the last days, that the accuracy of prophecy shall decline and be completely lost, so that ye cannot distinguish between false prophets and true... and when a prophet is proven to be a false prophet who speaks lies in My name, ye shall revere him and call him 'anointed' and shall send millions of dollars to support his multimedia ministry (Charismania 2:28f)."
No Christian Charismatic or otherwise can seriously claim Sola Scriptura if he or she believes the modern-day "prophets and prophecy" are not to be judged by the Scriptural standard of 100% accuracy and the expulsion (if not execution) of false prophets.
By the way, I am not calling you a Charismatic.
This message is for Renee
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation going around about what Cessationists believe. It is not that the apostles were the only ones that used sign gifts, that would clearly be against Scripture.Rather, what they believe is that the purpose of the gifts was to validate the apostolic ministry - that is, the message the apostles preached was proven by the gifts that accompanied the message. The gifts were present in all quarters of the Church, but only during the apostolic era, where they were necessary to validate the passing of the Mosaic Covenant because of the death & resurrection of Christ, & the expansion of the visible church from the nation of Israel to professing believers of all nations.
Tom,
Have you read Far From the Madding Crowd?
But I digress...
The term "sola scriptura" was born in a time when the Catholic Church enforced teachings that were outside what the Holy Scriptures taught. Praying to Mary, granting indulgences (for a price), teaching that purgatory is an actual place, or even leaving the reading and interpretations of God's words to so-called "experts" because the plebeians did not have the same spiritual authority or discernment, these were some of the heretical teachings which Luther fought against.
While I agree that there are obvious aberrations of the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian churches today, I will personally never draw a solid line between the Holy Spirit's work in the apostles' day, and the work of the Holy Spirit today, insisting that never the twain shall meet. God is sovereign. He will not contradict Himself, but He will accomplish His work as He planned...not as Luther, Calvin, MacCarthur understand it and decree it in their own written works.
I agree with you and with anyone else who would argue that God will never contradict His own Word. Of course and amen. But God, through the prophet Joel says that His Spirit will fall on young and old, men and women in the last days - and if I am to follow your argument that the term "last days" most probably meant a period in time more contemporary to Joel or even Peter, rather than the final days before Christ's return, then that still leaves one unanswered question. Why is God's Spirit said to fall on women and children, when respected men like John MacCarthur insist that only 40some "men" were endowed with the power of His Spirit, to prophesy and to heal?
I believe in Biblical prophecies. I believe in Isaiah's prophecies about the Christ (Isaiah 53), I believe in Jesus Christ's prophecies about the end time (Matthew 24), and I believe in a literal (not symbolical) translation of the prophecies in Revelation. My convictions tell me that Christians will need the power of the Holy Spirit, not to subvert or add to God's revealed plan, but to bring it to completion.
Finally, who are these two witnesses in Revelation 11? Why are they given the ability to prophecy if prophecies have died? Unless of course, you consider Revelation a book of symbolisms - in which case, I would politely back out of this conversation entirely.
ReneePersonally I am not sure how many were given power to prophecy and heal. If you will read my last post, I said the following: "Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation going around about what Cessationists believe. It is not that the apostles were the only ones that used sign gifts that would clearly be against Scripture..."So obviously according to Scripture i.e. Acts 2:16-18 at that particular time Joel's prophecy was fulfilled. Verses 17-18 give the details to this.Based on what you have said considering the book of Revelation, I perceive you are a dispensationalist. I have absolutely nothing against dispensationalists; in fact I spent the majority of my Christian life as one.However though they say they believe in a literal interpretation of the book of Revelation; they are not totally consistent in that belief. The book of Revelation is a book that must be understood as literal and symbolic, depending on the context.Eschatology is not an area that I believe Christians should part over and it is for that reason, probably the majority of my Christian friends are dispensationalists.Something you may or not be aware of is the fact that Charles Darby is considered the father of Dispensational Eschatology and it was not something that was not held prior to the early 1800s. Dispensationalism should not be mistaken for Historic Premillenialism, which in reality has more in common with the two other major eschatological positions named A-millennialism and Postmillennialism.This topic that we have ventured into now, is huge so because of time restraints and because we have gone off topic, I don't want to go much more into this matter.I want to say thank you for the book recommendation, I have not read 'Far From the Madding Crowd'. I also have a book recommendation for you. It is called 'Understanding Dispensationalists' by Vern S. Poythress.This is not a book that attacks Dispensationalists; instead it seeks to open dialogue with Dispensationalists.As one reviewer said about the book. "...a solid thought provoking study. It should be required reading for people on both sides of this controversy." William S. Hoekema
Tom,
Thanks for your book recommendation. I found it online and I will look into it. My book recommendation was totally off topic - Far From the Madding Crowd is a book written by Thomas Hardy - and I mentioned it because of your namesake :)
Thanks for the insightful discussion.
ReneeLol, I actually have a friend whose favorite author is Thomas Hardy. Although I have yet to read any of his books, I need to.
Tom,
I read the book when I was younger. I was overwhelmed by the minutiae in the first few pages, but the story was well worth a read. It was Hardy's first literary success. The movie, with Alan Bates and Julie Christie, was good too.