"Baptism of the Holy Spirit"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the scriptural basis for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and compares it to James Dunn's classic work on the same. It looks at how Dunn approaches the subject from a dispensational and existential philosophy and how so many of his conclusions are subject to reconsideration under the full light of Scripture. It shows how his questionable belief regarding the deity and messianic identity of Christ is also reason to question the conclusions he draws. In conclusion, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the church's experience of the same are compared and contrasted to the Eastern Christian views of the theology of the Holy Spirit. Vladimir Lossky.s work, "The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church", also provides the basis for this comparison.

From the Paper:

"This debate has carried with is the unspoken corollary which needs to be addressed in order to clearly evaluate the scriptural record. In Christ, all men, women, slave, free, Jew or gentiles are forever equal. Yet, in experience, there are some who do participate in the experience of the Holy Spirit baptism, and some who do not. In discussing this issue, the related underlying question is "Well, if some do have it, and some don't, then some Christians must by "closer to God" or "more right" than others. This emotional based value judgment has clouded an effective discussion of this experience for centuries. Each believer is on an individual walk with Christ. Those who have been a part of the Christian traditions for decades are no more favored by God than those who have just begun their journey."

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