Spirits, Holy and Otherwise

Oh, wait, there's a third member of the Trinity! In this episode we shower a little love on the much-neglected Holy Spirit, following the story of how the Christian doctrine of the Trinity parted company from the Neoplatonic Triad, and why the issue at stake is not just the Spirit's divinity but the Spirit's personhood. But this personal divine Spirit is also holy—suggesting that there are spirits that are unholy. Who and what are they, how should we think about them, and what does that mean for Christian ministry here and around the world?

Notes:

1. Although we say Platonism and Neoplatonism, the really important philosophical figure here is not Plato but Plotinus. Read his Enneads here.

2. Our favorite book on Neoplatonism and its persistence in Western culture is Lovejoy's The Great Chain of Being

3. For more on the development of trinitarian doctrine regarding the Holy Spirit, see Dad's Beloved Community, ch. 4, and on demonology, see ch. 4 of The Substance of the Faith.

4. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit

5. On Beelzebul and the unforgivable sin, Mark 3:22–30

6. Two books to introduce you to exorcism and healing ministry in Madagascar are Rich's The Fifohazana and Bennett's I Am Not Afraid.

7. Here's something I've written on prosperity gospel and another piece on preaching the Trinity.

8. Luther, Small Catechism, 3rd article of the Creed on the Holy Spirit

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