Keep in Step with the Spirit

A measured, thoughtful and thorough treatment of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, communicated with the late, great J.I. Packer's characteristic clarity and common sense. Biblical exposition is rigorous yet accessible, and Packer's pneumatology is supported by several well-chosen excerpts from the Puritans, especially John Owen. However, Packer errs on the side of ecumenicalism in his assessment of the charismatic movement in England in the late 20th century. This book was first published in 1985, with this edition revised for 2005, and it shows its age. Packer's analysis of the 'modern' charismatic movement steers clear of anything remotely polemical, and his scope is limited to an English context, with an emphasis on John Wesley and the Keswick movement. A more up-to-date (and less timid) analysis of the more influential American charismatic movement can be found in John MacArthur's "Strange Fire: the danger of offending the Holy Spirit with counterfeit worship" (2013). Overall, Packer's book is a useful synthesis of the best Reformed thinking on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, but look elsewhere for a serious investigation of the modern Pentecostal and charismatic movements.