Full name: Flying Closer to the Flame: A Passion for the Holy Spirit

Author: Charles R. Swindoll Rank: Rating: Original Rating: Pop Rating: Genres/categories: Purchase/reserch links: LibraryThing Amazon Goodreads ISBNs: 9780849910012 0849910013

The subtitle of this book is “A Passion For The Holy Spirit.” It is not a systematic survey of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit but rather more of a personal reflection on some questions the author has grappled with. Like many non-charismatic evangelicals, Swindoll has two poles of tension in his thinking. First, he is convinced that early on he was more certain than he should have been about the doctrine of the Spirit. Everything could be neatly tucked away in a book of theology and anyone who thought otherwise was probably a wild-eyed fanatic. This led the author to explore the doctrine of the Spirit in a more personal way. You might say he moved closer to the charismatic position, though he is quick to point out what he has not embraced.That being said, the other pole of tension is the excess of the charismatic crowd. Anything which smacks of a “carnival atmosphere” must be rejected. I would have to say that I agree with him. There are quite a few charlatans who are “making merchandise of the faith.”I think the value of this book is the introduction of this issue and the beginning of some thoughts about it. Swindoll is sure that the Bible must be the touchstone of our understanding about all of this. I would agree with that as well, but there has to be some integration of experience with our exegesis. That is after all what caused the author to write this book in the first place. Similar books: Fresh Power by Jim Cymbala The Holy Spirit by Billy Graham