Pneumatology

Okay, deep breath..

This is the one I've been both looking forward to, and dreading, the most since I began the Systematic Theology series in Fall at seminary. TS503 covers the doctrines of the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, the world to come:

pneumatology, soteriology, ecclesiology and eschatology.

(side note: one of the required texts is Models of the Church, by Avery Cardinal Dulles. Bethel does tend to refer to Catholic theologians fairly often.)

The one I'm most up in the air about is the first doctrine. As I began to think more seriously about the concept of the Trinity last fall, this is where I got stuck. The Divine/human nature of Christ I can see; two, no problem. But I just don't get the third part.

I have no questions, really, either intellectually or experientially, about the various activities and roles and influence of God's spirit. I know what the spirit does; I've felt it directly. But.. a third person? Boy, I just don't know..

There are too many references in the Scripture that discuss the spirit of Christ or the spirit of God, as if it were nothing more than an active extension of the personality of either the Father or the Son, to let me just jump directly to the idea of a co-equal partner with them, possessing real personhood, in a three-fold unity of essence. Unity of essence I'm okay with, but personhood is harder for me to get to.

One of the attributes of personhood is volition, an independent will. I see that clearly in Jesus, who voluntarily chose to follow the Father's will, but I don't see a voluntary *anything* about what the spirit does - no indication of free choice. Just tasks, assignments.

So far the thing that's made the most sense to me is the way Jung Young Lee sees it in his book The Trinity in Asian Perspective. He sees the Father and Son as the yin and yang and the spirit as the ch'i, which is the great harmonizing and binding force in the universe (in the Christian view, part of the essence of God; living & active, yes, but not personal.) The picture is from the cover; I'm sure you can follow the symbolism.

But I'm far from settled on any of this, and am looking forward to an airing out of the subject in class. What I'm dreading is a 30-point (of 100 for the course) Credo paper where I have to explain what I believe. I wish I knew.