New Warhorn Media post by Aaron Prelock:
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Thanks for explaining this out from a Reformed perspective; in that when I read Fundamentalists they don’t really mention the Spirit and His work all that often. Certainly no idea with them of praying directly to the Spirit or worshipping Him directly either. Well, at least that is how it comes across.
A number of branches of American Christianity swung pretty hard after the charismatic rise in the middle of the last century. That, with its distinct lack of doctrinal mooring, and a neglect on a fully Trinitarian theology, generic (ie non-Charismatic) Christianity several generations ago would have neglected a doctrine of the Spirit. I suspect this would also have applied within many Reformed circles as well.
Even in Britain, outside of charismatism and some of the more revival focused branches of Banner of Truth circles, you’d probably have been hard pressed to find real emphasis on the Spirit until recently.
The Puritans had none of this. Their treatments of the Holy Spirit were encyclopaedic. Particular attention was paid to regeneration/sanctification/renovation, all more or less synonyms in their works. Valley of Vision is a very Trinitarian collection of Puritan prayers.
Interestingly enough, Jay Adam’s biblical counselling movement was a recovery of the doctrine of sanctification (and the discipline of pastoral theology), at least early on.
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