Word and Power Church - Chapter 5

I read chapter 5 of The Word and Power Church over lunch.

Chapter 5 is called "The Legacy of Evangelicals." He says:

Suffering is inevitable in a fallen world. We are not promised a life free of problems. We are promised the strength and courage to face our problems with hope. Even Jesus "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Heb 5:8).

Ken Gire wrote, "The closest communion with God comes, I believe, through the sacrament of tears. Just as grapes are crushed to make wine and grain to make bread, so the elements of this sacrament come from the crushing experiences of life."

...

Much of the charismatic literature on the Christian life is event-oriented. Testimonies often center on the crisis event of the baptism of the Spirit or a particular deliverance or divine encounter. ... God does use significant events in our lives. But a crisis-driven spirituality that depends too heavily on the next event will not sustain a lifetime of spiritual growth. Sometimes believers can become addicted to crisis-events, rushing from church to church or conference to conference in search of the next touch from God.

OK. I thought that was a decent chapter, although seems to focus on what he knows and has liked, for example Expository Preaching, which is not a bad mode of preaching, but it isn't everyone's style. My personal style is more of a blend of a story form. So was Jesus' style. Jesus was not expository. And if Paul was expository, he handled the Psalms very poorly.

Anyway, I'm still reading. The next chapter is The Legacy of Charismatics. Interesting that he has switched to Charismatics instead of Pentecostals. Not sure if that is significant. We'll see.