Covenant, Community, and the Spirit - Paperback

by Robert Sherman (Author)

This comprehensive textbook by a well-respected Reformed theologian brings together two perennial issues in Christian theology: the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and ecclesiology. It demonstrates the importance of the Holy Spirit in empowering the being and mission of the church and shows how the church's identity and calling are embedded in the larger covenantal purposes of the triune God. Accessibly written with pastors in training in mind, the book probes the classic rubrics of the church as the people of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, igniting readers' ecclesiological imaginations and reclaiming a more biblical, theological, and pastoral vision of church.

Back Jacket

Written with clarity and full of biblical and practical discernment, Covenant, Community, and the Spirit displays the riches that Christian teaching about the Trinity and the Holy Spirit brings to our experience and understanding of the church. This is generous Reformed theology at its best.
--John Webster, University of St. Andrews

"Uniting us to Christ through the faith-creating gospel, the Holy Spirit simultaneously unites us to Christ's body. Robert Sherman integrates topics that too often float apart, especially personal salvation, the work of the Spirit, and the nature and mission of the church. Deeply rooted in Scripture and the wisdom of Christian interpretation, this exploration is also wonderfully accessible. This is a welcome contribution to the ecumenical conversation, but it is more than that; it is a personally enriching and edifying meditation on what it means to belong to the people of the Triune God."
--Michael Horton, Westminster Seminary California

"More than solely an ecclesiology, this book offers a richly accessible introduction to the whole of Christian doctrine. Reformed Christians will find here an eloquent and enjoyable presentation of their faith, in a mode that is at once classical and contemporary. For Christians of other traditions, this book manifests the gracious interaction and friendly argumentation that represents the best of ecumenically minded, nonpolemical theology. Read this book to learn what Reformed Christianity is, and read this book to learn what true ecumenism is."
--Matthew Levering, Mundelein Seminary

"A language of hope rarely occurs in talk of the church today. Crisis and cynicism too often mar conversation about the congregation. Robert Sherman's Covenant, Community, and the Spirit helps us recover an ecclesiology of hope by setting the church community in the context of the gospel of the Triune God and by retrieving not only the powerful imagery of Holy Scripture throughout but also the idioms of the Christian tradition, in both classical and Reformed variations. As Christ's body, God's people, and the Spirit's temple, we are reminded that the church has life-giving hope, and, as pilgrims on a journey, we see that the church is graced with a vital mission and a joyful calling."
--Michael Allen, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

Author Biography

Robert Sherman (PhD, University of Chicago Divinity School) previously served as the Richard P. Buck Professor of Christian Theology at Bangor Theological Seminary in Bangor, Maine. A leading theologian of the Reformed tradition, he is the author of "King, Priest, and Prophet: A Trinitarian Theology of Atonement."