Sam Storms - The Charismatic Calvinist

[Orthodoxy]

I know I haven't been on the forum in a long while (not enough time), but I wanted to post a review about a great book by Sam Storms that I just finished reading.

The book, titled Convergence: Confessions of a Charismatic Calvinist, is basically part auto-biography and part-instructional. The premise of the book is that both cessationists and non-cessationists can learn a lot from each other. Cessationists are those Christians who deny that the "supernatural" gifts (i.e. tongues, healings, prophecy, etc.) are available for the church today. In fact, Storms is a former cessationist.

Don't let the title fool you; the book is NOT about Calvinism, but it IS about charismatics. The author happens to be a Calvinist, but he never speaks about or explains Calvinism in his book, except in passing mention.

The whole book looks at the so-called dichotomy in the church today between the intellectual, Word-based evangelicals and the experiential, Spirit-based charismatics. Storms argues that both sides are partially right and partially wrong. The book is extremely honest and self-critical and looks at the faults that both camps need to mend. As I read the book, I kept thinking that Sam Storms must be a very brave man, because what I was reading had the potential to offend those on both sides of the spectrum.

In Part One of the book, Storms talks about his own experiences with the power of the Spirit, such as dreams, visions, healings, and exorcisms he has personally witnessed. Part Two talks about what Storms calls "The Wedding of Word and Spirit," and Part Three talks about how to hear the voice of God. The book is very enjoyable and pretty easy reading (not heavy).

Sam taught at Wheaton College for many years in addition to serving on staff at Metro Christian Fellowship in Kansas City with Mike Bickle (director of International House of Prayer). He now pastors a church in Oklahoma City.

Sam Storms' website, Enjoying God Ministries, has a wealth of helpful articles about many theological and historical studies.

www.enjoyinggodministries.com

I wrote all of this because this book was very encouraging and helpful to me, and it may also be to someone else on this forum. God Bless.

[Orthodoxy]

By the way, if the Admin want to move this thread over to The Library section of the forum, that's fine. Sorry, I didn't realize until after I posted.

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Orthodoxy

By the way, if the Admin want to move this thread over to The Library section of the forum, that's fine. Sorry, I didn't realize until after I posted.

How did the book help you?

[Orthodoxy]

Originally Posted by mizpeh

How did the book help you?

Many charismatics are not very committed to carefully studying out the Scriptures; oftentimes, their "theology" is defined by what felt good during the worship experience instead of being defined by what the Bible says. This leads to a very pragmatic approach to life, and is probably a reason why some charismatics have gone overboard and embraced many bizarre and strange behaviors.

On the other hand, a lot of cessationists are so afraid of showing any hint of emotion during worship, that their services become a dead and lifeless formalism. They often pride themselves in being able to flawlessly exegete an obscure passage of Scripture, but they don't have the joy or power that comes from encountering the Holy Spirit. Strong yearnings, passions, or affections are sometimes non-existent.

Sam Storms looks at both the strengths and weaknesses of each position and encourages the readers to aim for something higher, which he calls the "wedding" or "convergence" of Word and Spirit. Ultimately, Storms embraces charismatic forms of worship and spiritual gifts, but he also has dedicated himself to the careful study and application of the Word.

Most charismatics will probably deny that they rely too much on experience, and cessationists will probably deny that they focus too much on intellectualism. Storms challenges both sides to examine their own weaknesses as well as the strengths of the other side.