Book Review: The Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley

If you say the name Charles Stanley in the south you will get a variety of responses such who is he or yeah I heard of him. In the South, especially in the church, his name is well known. Stanley is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA and the featured speaker of InTouch Ministries. He is also the father of Andy Stanley.

His book, The Spirit-Filled Life is a revised edition to his classic, The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life, which I must admit during my early days as a Christian, I wanted to read because I watched Stanley from time to time. This book is basically about who the Holy Spirit is and how He is an "integral part of our Christian experience" (pg. 17). My first question is, since when did the Christian life and walking with Jesus become an experience? Experiences can come and go. Walking with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit is a life that is to be lived out everyday not an experience that fads away like the rush you get when coming off a roller coaster.

Stanley continues on to write about the gifts of the Spirit and how He gives the Christians gifts to be used in the church. Stanley speaks on how the Holy Spirit aids us in decision making. He also addresses the baptism of the Holy Spirit which I thought was spot on because there is confusion over what that means.

Overall, if you watch Charles Stanley preach on TV, that is how he writes as well. No depth and not much theology. I was a little shocked that he quoted R.C. Sproul and J.I. Packer in a couple of places because last time I checked, Stanley is not a reformed theologian. If you want a book that really digs deep into who the Holy Spirit is and what He does, this is not the book for you. If you are a Stanley fan, then you might like this book.

Thanks BookLook Bloggers for letting me review this book.