Christian Initiation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Evidence from the First Eight Centuries

Rating:
Summary: The Best Theology Book on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!
Review: As a Catholic charismatic who has taken a graduate degree in Theology,I can't help but wonder how we could explain the popular but most misunderstood charismatic phrase "baptism in the Holy Spirit" in terms of biblical exegesis and relating it to Catholic liturgy. This theology book has given me a deeper understanding of the biblical evidence of the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" and its widespread integration to the sacraments of initiation in the Early Church. This book is for every Catholic Charismatic who hungers for a deeper understanding of charisms or gifts of the Spirit in the life of the Church. I would like to personally thank the author-scholars for answering my deepest searching for meaning in my renewed life as a Catholic Charismatic!The book is theological in scope, scholar-based research but readable format for Catholics who have a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the Faith. This book gave profound meaning to my faith and deepened my convictions on the movement of the Spirit in the Church! This book is a class of its own!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Theology Book on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit!
Review: As a Catholic charismatic who has taken a graduate degree in Theology,I can't help but wonder how we could explain the popular but most misunderstood charismatic phrase "baptism in the Holy Spirit" in terms of biblical exegesis and relating it to Catholic liturgy. This theology book has given me a deeper understanding of the biblical evidence of the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" and its widespread integration to the sacraments of initiation in the Early Church. This book is for every Catholic Charismatic who hungers for a deeper understanding of charisms or gifts of the Spirit in the life of the Church. I would like to personally thank the author-scholars for answering my deepest searching for meaning in my renewed life as a Catholic Charismatic!The book is theological in scope, scholar-based research but readable format for Catholics who have a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the Faith. This book gave profound meaning to my faith and deepened my convictions on the movement of the Spirit in the Church! This book is a class of its own!

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable for Protestants and Catholics Alike
Review: In this excellent book, Kilian McDonnell and George Montague, both Roman Catholic priests and well-respected scholars, have addressed critical questions regarding the role of Baptism in the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts in the life of the Church, particularly with respect to the celebration of baptism and confirmation. In doing so, the authors have provided an important contribution to the question of when spiritual gifts -- or at least the more notable gifts such as glossolalia (tongues) and prophecy -- passed out of the common experience of the local church. I was fascinated by the role played by those preparing catechumens for reception into the church in this story. Upon reading this text, one wonders which is the chicken and which is the egg: did the charismatic gifts die out because new christians were taught not to expect them, or did those preparing catechumens simply state the obvious truth that charismatic gifts were no longer being experienced in the church? Given the 20th experience of Pentecost in the Pentecostal/charismatic churches and in the mainline denominations, the answer to this questions is probably "yes" and "yes" -- that the charismatic gifts were less evident, but that the expectations resulting from formative teaching contributed to the demise of such phenomena in the church. At the very least, this book provides contributes to the body of historical evidence that the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by such gifts as tongues and prophecy, did not die out with the close of the New Testament canon, as is taught by some protestant churches. This book would be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of those interested in the history of the church, liturgy, or the role of spiritual gifts in the life of the church.