Internationally recognized author and theologian Andrew Gabriel opens readers' eyes to who the Holy Spirit is, how He can be fully experienced, and what it means to be charismatic.

Many Christians, not just those who identify with the charismatic tradition, want to experience the Holy Spirit more but are afraid of falling into excess. Some attend churches that rarely speak of the Holy Spirit and are left curious about how the Spirit moves. As a result, too many Christians hesitate to intentionally open themselves to the Spirit's presence.

Written by Andrew Gabriel, an internationally acclaimed theologian of the Spirit, Simply Charismatic reveals a breathtaking vision of what it means to live the Spiritfilled life. Gabriel matches the more charismatic experiences of God with a thoughtful and thorough theology lesson delivered from an honest and often humorous firsthand perspective. Through a tour of contemporary testimonies and biblical accounts of experiencing the Holy Spirit, this book reveals how to discern the legitimate signs of the Spirit's presence. Simply Charismatic encourages readers by showing them ways the Spirit is already quietly at work in and around them.

Simply Charismatic has a wonderful way of blending theology and application as it investigates praying in tongues, how to hear God speak, and the spiritual gifts. It offers answers to questions about being slain in the Spirit, the relationship of faith and the healing power of the Spirit, and what it means to be spiritual. Simply Charismatic is a biblically rooted, pastorally sensitive, and well-informed introduction to some of the basics of the charismatic tradition. Gabriel brings clarity to the confusion as he nudges Spirit-experience junkies toward discernment and steers skeptics toward experiencing the Spirit as more than just idly dwelling within them.

Karl Barth argued for a more satisfactory theology of the Holy Spirit, yet classical theism has so far failed to meet this demand. Pneumatology has been treated as a mere appendage to the doctrine of God, neglecting the fact that 'an understanding of the unique personhood of the Spirit is ... decisive for the understanding of God in general' (Jurgen Moltmann). 'The Lord is the Spirit' addresses these gaps in Trinitarian theology by reconsidering the doctrine of God from a pneumatological vantage point. This approach recovers an emphasis on divine immanence - God's interaction with humanity - which has been marginalised in favour of divine transcendence. This critique tackles the need to account for the Trinity in its totality by stressing the identity of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit from an evangelical and Pentecostal perspective. In a much-needed revision to classical theism, Gabriel convincingly argues that the integration of pneumatology into the doctrine of divine attributes will retrieve divine immanence from the theological margins it has so far occupied. Andrew Gabriel is Assistant Professor of Theology at Horizon College and Seminary, an affiliated college of the University of Saskatchewan. He has published a number of articles in journals including 'Religious Studies and Theology' and the 'Journal of Pentecostal Theology'. 'Towards the end of a fruitful life, Karl Barth sensed the need for a more satisfactory theology of the Holy Spirit. He could not write this work himself or even indicate its shape, but this work by Andrew Gabriel comes reasonably close to doing so and points a way forward. This young pentecostal scholar lays out a profound vision of the Trinitarian Spirit, incorporating some of the fresh thinking which becomes possible when full justice is done to this subject matter. I think it not too rash to see this volume marking a new phase in the development of Pentecostal systematic theology'. Clark H. Pinnock

The essays in this volume evaluate and build on Barth’s theology from the perspective of Pentecostal theology and, thereby, contribute to constructive Pentecostal systematic theology by using Barth as a valuable dialogue partner. At present, a theological conversation of Pentecostals with Barth does not exist and this volume fills this void. More widely, it will aid all those who seek a convergence of the Word and the Spirit in theology. Barth and Pentecostals share some important common theological interests. Barth’s mature theology has a decidedly christological emphasis. Likewise, historically, Pentecostals have often spoken of a “full gospel” with an emphasis on Christ as savior, healer, baptizer (in the Spirit), and soon-and-coming King, with some Pentecostal traditions also adding a fifth emphasis on Christ the sanctifier. Furthermore, near the end of his life, Barth anticipated “the possibility of a theology of the third article, a theology where the Holy Spirit would dominate and be decisive.” The realization of Barth’s dream is no doubt coming to pass in part through the development of Pentecostal theology in as much as pneumatological theology (exploring how pneumatology affects, supplements, and might reform other doctrines) is an emerging paradigm for Pentecostal theology.

Synopsis: "The Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:17) . . . and yet one might be excused for thinking otherwise when reading studies on God's attributes--omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability, impassibility, and the like. Although Christians throughout the ages have defended the deity of the Holy Spirit, theologians have not adequately taken the doctrine of the Holy Spirit into account when formulating a theology of the divine attributes. The resulting understandings of God fall short of being fully Trinitarian. Gabriel builds on contemporary Trinitarian theology by advocating for the integration of insights from pneumatology into the doctrine of God's attributes. Three case studies are presented: impassibility, immutability, and omnipotence. Gabriel writes from an evangelical and Pentecostal vantage point as he engages in ecumenical dialogue with a wide spectrum of historical and contemporary theological voices. Endorsements: "Towards the end of a fruitful life, Karl Barth sensed the need for a more satisfactory theology of the Holy Spirit. He could not write this work himself nor even indicate its shape, but this work by Andrew Gabriel comes reasonably close to doing so and points a way forward. This young Pentecostal scholar lays out a profound vision of the Trinitarian Spirit, incorporating some of the fresh thinking which becomes possible when full justice is done to this subject matter. I think it not too rash to see this volume as marking a new phase in the development of Pentecostal systematic theology." --the late Clark H. Pinnock, author of Flame of Love "Evangelicals in North America are deep into a dialog and controversy concerning the nature and attributes of God, sparked in no small part by the openness of God debate. Into this conversation steps a fine young Pentecostal theologian, joining a welcome new generation of scholars in the tradition of Azusa Street. Gabriel engages biblical and theological resources on the attributes of God from a fresh perspective, one that is Trinitarian but with an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Theologians of all stripes should take note of, and learn from, this important new study on the doctrine of God." --Alan G. Padgett, author of God, Eternity and the Nature of Time "Andrew K. Gabriel offers a new critique of classical theism's account of the divine attributes from a Pentecostal pneumatological perspective. Comprehensive in scope, Gabriel is as constructive in his proposal as he is critical of the received tradition. Widely read, he engages more than the usual suspects, and by his own original contribution has permanently enlarged the conversation table at which Pentecostals now sit." --Ralph Del Colle, author Christ and the Spirit Author Biography: Andrew K. Gabriel is Assistant Professor of Theology at Horizon College and Seminary, an affiliated college of the University of Saskatchewan. He has published a number of articles in journals including Religious Studies and Theology and the Journal of Pentecostal Theology.