The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet (Review)
Chelsea Green Publishing
White River Junction, Vermont, USA 2022, 231 pages

We are living in a New Age of the Holy Spirit. Fresh manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s grace and power arose at the beginning of the twentieth century at a prayer meeting in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901, continued in the revival at Azusa street in 1906, where racial walls began to tumble, and blossomed in the charismatic movement, first among Anglicans in 1960, later among Presbyterians and Lutherans in 1962, and finally among exuberant Roman Catholics in 1967, demonstrating its across-the-traditions breadth as well as its ecumenical significance.  

Since the twentieth century much has been written about the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and entire books have been devoted to the gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit and even the baptism of the Holy Spirit in ways that would warm Wesleyan, Pentecostal, and Roman Catholic hearts alike. The theological virtues of faith, hope, and love have naturally played out in this literature to the edification of readers, but what has been less prominent in many of these accounts is a thoroughgoing and at times painful discussion of–wait for it now–truth! Yes, truth! In any discussion of the Holy Spirit, whether it be about the gift of tongues or spiritual discernment or a particular fruit of the Spirit, it must first of all be heartily acknowledged that one of the most important and well-worked affirmations about the Holy Spirit in Scripture is that the Spirit is none other than the Spirit of Truth! We are already familiar with the statement of Jesus about himself that he is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), but how many of us realize that the person of the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Truth no less than four times in the New Testament: John 14:16-17, John 15:26, John 16:13, and 1 John 5:6? Of course, we are all grateful for the ministry of Spirit & Truth in Wesleyan circles but how many other Christian traditions have such an emphasis on truth in quite this way?

Beyond this, the Bible places special emphasis on the importance of truth as evidenced in the gospels when Pontius Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). What other body of religious writings has that? Though Jesus at the time offered no answer, the Bible, the New Testament in particular, does indeed fill this out in ways that may actually challenge us and call our assumptions into question.  

Are we surprised by this? Truth, as Scripture understands it, embraces a number of levels. It’s not a simple matter. Of course, factual accuracy is clearly affirmed by Scripture, and this may be as far as many people are willing to go. They will, of course, entertain facts about objects (events, places, and things) so long as none of this touches them personally. But the Bible does indeed go much further than this to offer the truth not only about ourselves, in a very deep and honest way, but also about our communities and our nations in the sight of God, or what Martin Luther had referred to as knowledge coram Deo. It is that framework, that reference point, that makes all the difference.

Continue reading at Firebrand here.

Kenneth J. Collins is Professor of Historical Theology and Wesley Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY, and a member of IRD’s Board of Directors.