Why don’t we talk more about the Holy Spirit?

Why don't Christians talk more about the Holy Spirit? So asks Dan Edelen in a blog post from early last year. He wants to know why Christian blogs, bookstores, and churches are full of talk about just about every imaginable topic... but seem strangely silent about the third person of the Trinity.

This question came up indirectly at church earlier this month when a long-time member of my congregation finally made an official profession of faith after decades of attending and participating in church life. He cited a decades-long personal struggle over the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as one of the reasons he had hitherto felt unable to publicly profess his Christian faith.

That, and Dan's post above, really stuck with me, because they made me realize how little I talk (or even think) about the Holy Spirit compared to the persons of God the Father and Jesus the Son. And I can't think of a compelling reason why this is the case. I certainly believe in the Holy Spirit and Christian teachings about His role. But somehow talking about the Father and the Son comes more naturally to me when discussing my faith.

Have you noticed this relative silence about the Holy Spirit in your church or in the blogs and books you read? Does the phrase "Holy Spirit" conjure up too many uncomfortable images of snake-handling charismatics and other fringe movements? Or does the average Christian struggle to understand the role that the Holy Spirit plays in the grand spiritual scheme of things? Does the Holy Spirit feel more "impersonal" at first glance than the Father and Son? What do you think?

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Comments (2)

I think the real definations fo trinity which have been confusing me have been tracked down.we all christian out there must join hands together to preach the genue word of the most HIGH God.................. i here by wish u all the best in ur struggle to make heaven.
When I was growing up, the Holy Spirit was taught to me as chiefly the part of God given to us by Jesus to hold in our hearts and to be our conscience (sp?). I believe we do as a Church talk about the Holy Spirit often--but we never mention Him by name, we just say "I feel God" or, "God spoke to me". I don't think that's wrong, but perhaps biblically we should say "I heard the Holy Spirit", or "I felt the Holy Spirit's presence"--because we don't say "When God died on the cross", do we? Obviously it's not wrong if we were to say that, but we always say "Jesus died on the cross".

I think it's important to worship the Holy Spirit as an equal part of the trinity--pray to the Holy Spirit just as much as you pray to God and to Jesus--perhaps more, since he is what Jesus gave to us to keep in our hearts until his return, which means if any one of the three were the closest to us, it would be the Holy Spirit.

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