Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Jesus Creed

Home
Evangelical
Fresh Air, with Jack Levison

Fresh Air, with Jack Levison

Last updated on: February 22, 2013 at 6:01 am by Scot McKnight

Fresh Air, with Jack Levison 2013-02-22T06:01:46-06:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mark Stevens conducted this excellent interview with Jack Levison, who has written an excellent book on the Holy Spirit and I’m posting the whole interview here with Mark’s permission.

Interview with Jack Levison

Mark – First of all let me congratulate you on your new book Fresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an inspired life. I know it has been one of, if not, my favourite book this year and as important in my spiritual journey as Fee’s Empowering Presence and Eugene Peterson’s Under the Unpredictable Plant.

I am wondering what prompted you to write the book?

Jack – I was fifteen when a young minister, fresh out of Bible College, dismissed spiritual gifts as quickly as I could snap my fingers. No mystery. No magic. No marvel. I knew he couldn’t be right. Turns out he wasn’t.

But that’s not the whole story. During my first teaching stint, I taught a course on the holy spirit. I didn’t have much experience, so I found a minister who did: Paul Smith, who led a church that has since been booted out of the Southern Baptist Convention. Paul was influenced by the Vineyard movement, so after class we did things like sit around, lay hands on one another, listen for revealed words, and try to discern if they were bogus or true. Most, I think, were remarkably true.

Then, in 1992, I wrote an article for a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar called—ready for a mouthful?—“Prophetic Inspiration in Pseudo-Philo’s Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum.” Two decades later, the scholar in me is still enthralled.

So what prompted me to write Fresh Air? The holy spirit, I hope. It was time to gather together forty years as a Christian, thirty years as a scholar, twenty as a father, and a fiery determination to live an inspired life. Fresh Air does that. Because it’s full of personal stories, it’s not arid scholarship. Because it’s rooted in scholarship, it’s not sentimental. I hope it’s a unique combination of both.

Mark – As readers of my blog will know I am quite the fan of Eugene Peterson. He has described your book as “Good, healthy and sanctified” How did you feel when you first heard his endorsement?

Jack – Priscilla and I are amateur snowshoers. (Is that a word?) We came back from the mountains, and I heard Priscilla call up the stairs, “Jack! You’ve got to come hear this. You’ve got to come hear this.” A voice message from Eugene Peterson. He said, “Jack. This is Eugene Peterson. I loved your book.” Really, he said that. He continued, “I loved reading your book.”

A week later his endorsement arrived in the mail, accompanied by a warm, personal letter. How did I feel? Astonished. Thrilled.

As to the “good, healthy, and sanctified,” that’s another story altogether. I called Eugene, whom I’d never met, and said, “My son Jeremy and I want to make a road trip, and we thought Montana would be fun. Could we come out and film you?” He said yes right away. So Jeremy and I packed up our van with junk food and headed to Montana. Jeremy filmed Eugene and left after a few days with a signed copy of The Message.

So I didn’t read those words. I heard them first in Eugene’s office, as he spoke them. They came from a man who is “good, healthy, and sanctified.”

Mark – I don’t think I have come across one negative review of the book thus far. In fact it is my impression that the book has helped a lot of “former Pentecostals and Charismatics”. How have you perceived the response to the book?

Jack – The response has been incredibly heartening. At an academic meeting in Chicago, a youngish (thirty-something) scholar thanked me for the book because it gave him a spirituality in which to stand now that he’s left his more conservative roots. Two weeks ago I heard from an associate dean at a large state university; she’s not a Christian but thanked me at length for Fresh Air. That same week I heard from a chaplain at a Christian college who said he recommended Fresh Air in chapel, complete with a Power Point image of the cover, as the book to read on the holy spirit.

And you’re right about Pentecostals. Fresh Air offers a vital space which affirms the rich presence of the holy spirit—not necessarily in fleeting, if fabulous, mountaintop experiences, but in the valley, even the valley of the shadow of death.

We grow up. Life beats us up. This is a book that black and blue saints can embrace. That’s one reason why it begins on the ash heap, with Job, rather than in the potential triumphalism of Pentecost

Mark – In the book you talk about your own journey in and around Pentecostalism and Charismatic Christianity. Firstly, what do you think the biggest challenge for Pentecostals is right now? Secondly, do you think it is helpful to distinguish between Pentecostals (as related to denominations like the AoG) and those of Pentecost? (Maybe small p Pentecostals who might be exiled from Pentecostal denominations for one reason or another but who, like me, still appreciate the Holy Spirit for an inspired life).

Jack – Were I wiser, I would defer to my Pentecostal colleagues on this, but you asked, so here goes.

1) Challenge #1: Look for the Holy Spirit beyond the spectacular. The sensational is there; no question about that. But the spirit is also the spirit-breath of God that quietly enlivens us in sickness, in grief, in exhaustion.

2) Challenge #2: Rediscover a sense of self-sacrifice. I worry that Pentecostals, with increasing wealth and social standing, will fall prey to a gospel of self-fulfilment. How can the holy spirit help me with my problems? I love the chapter, “Jesus’ Test,” because it challenges to the core the message that the holy spirit fills my needs. What then does the holy spirit do? The holy spirit redefines my needs to conform to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3) Challenge #3: Embrace spontaneity and study. Time after time, inspired people in the Bible speak words of scripture. Elizabeth. Mary. Simeon. Certainly Peter at Pentecost, who quotes scripture after scripture when the spirit fills him. This is a combination of intense study and spontaneity, preparation and inspiration.

Mark – You are in the unique position of being a “pastor’s husband” and I noted throughout the book that there is pastoral sensitivity in what you have written. How much did your wife and her vocation influence the writing of this book?

Jack – Oh sure, go ahead and credit my wife with my pastoral sensitivity! Okay, so you’re right about Priscilla, though she’s not thoughtful, kind, and generous because she’s a pastor. She has these virtues because she works at it as a Christian. When I toddle off to pee in the morning, I usually see candlelight and hear Priscilla chant psalms.

I couldn’t possibly measure Priscilla’s influence. I’ve known 30 years of deep, faithful, love. I write from that place of grace, the contentedness that draws me away from petty jealousies and back into the scope of love. Shakespeare described this love in his 29th sonnet:

Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;

For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Her influence? Immeasurable.

Mark – Now for some tough questions! If you had just a few sentences to explain the role of the Spirit in the Christian life to a believer who was not from a Pentecostal or charismatic background what would you say?

Jack – I’d use only one—a quotation from Fresh Air, of course! The Holy Spirit is “God’s mystical, practical, expansive, unbridled presence in the world, where we least expect it—in every breath we take, in social transformation, in community, in hostile situations, and in serious learning” (page 5). Okay, then I’d add a question: “Which dimension of the holy spirit do you want to experience together?”

Mark – If you had another paragraph to explain the holy spirit to a non-Christian what would you say?

Jack – I’d start with chapter 2 of Fresh Air, “Daniel’s Discipline.”

You are inspired. Every time you breathe, you breathe God’s ruach, spirit-breath. So breathe often. Breathe deeply. And here’s how—straight from the book of Daniel, of lion’s den and fiery furnace fame.

ü Eat your veggies! Daniel refused to eat the king’s rich foods and to climb the ladder of success because “the spirit-breath pulses in people who opt for simplicity and humility rather than ambition and acquisition” (Fresh Air, page 62). So learn to live simply.

ü Live for the long haul! Don’t go for the quick fix, the flashy experience. Live instead for the long haul—like Daniel. Three generations of foreign rulers recognized extraordinary spirit, spirit as spirit was meant to be, in Daniel. So don’t search out the spectacular; discover the spirit in everyday disciplines.

ü Don’t do a thing! For three generations, “the spirit-breath in Daniel accomplishes nothing. The spirit-breath is verbless, the agent of no powerful acts and no miraculous deeds. The spirit-breath doesn’t well up inside Daniel or knock him over or strip him of control. … In a sustained long-haul, deep, rich settledness, the spirit-breath in Daniel is the source of sheer wisdom, the reservoir of understanding, the spring of knowledge” (Fresh Air, page 65)

I believe the spirit yearns to lead you to Jesus (I’d say). Clear a space in your routine to cultivate that spirit. Live simply; learn to breathe again. Live for the long haul; don’t look for shortcuts. And don’t do a thing; acquaint yourself again quietly with the spirit already in you, the spirit that gives you life, the spirit that introduces you afresh to Jesus.

If I had more than one paragraph, I’d say lots more. For instance, many of us live out-of-breath lives, with little spirit inspiring us. God wants to fill us to the brim—filling us full—with the spirit so that we can know fullness of life, love, and lavish generosity.

Mark – There were a dozen questions I wanted to ask you while I was reading this book but perhaps the one I wrestle with the most is found in your chapter “Joel’s Dream” in which you argue that Joel’s vision of the pouring out of the Spirit on all flesh expands the Mosaic vision of the Spirit as limited to Israel. You say, “Joel’s dream horizontally stretches the story of Moses, in which the Spirit is limited to all of the Lord’s people – all Israel…Yet for Joel this experience will reach all flesh” (p. 102). You go on to explore the spiritual and social reality of Joel’s vision. Could you expand a little on this point and are you speaking about social justice or the Spirit as a witness to Christ apart from the church?

Jack – Both. You’ve hit the nails on the heads. Both. I thought long and hard about this chapter. Not so much the biblical stuff: it’s no scholarly feat to see that the vision of Joel expands the experience of Moses and the elders (Numbers 11); nor is it unique to see how Peter expands Joel’s vision at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-21). But what does this expansion mean?

I think it means the spirit is active outside the church, transforming society. And where would that be? Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross and Crescent—and other organizations that break down barriers, which is what Moses’ story, Joel’s dream, and the first Pentecostal experience are about.

I meant what I said in Fresh Air: “Supporting organizations such as World Vision may not feel like a work of the spirit, especially if we view this work in personal terms. There may be no private awe or enthralling public worship or powerful preaching. We may not feel elated or euphoric or jubilant. Yet the work of the spirit isn’t just personal in Joel’s vision, where the spirit is not inpoured—poured in—into individuals; the spirit is outpoured—poured out—over societies” (Fresh Air, pages 104-105).

Other mission-minded thinkers have said similar things. Lesslie Newbigin, in The Open Secret (one of my favorite books), discerns the holy spirit at work before the arrival of Christians. In fact, the task of Christian missionaries is to identify those places where the spirit is already at work—and join in. (This is a lot like prevenient grace, the belief that God paves the way before us. Now that is a conception I learned from being married to a United Methodist pastor!)

Mark – After reading this book I have become quite the fan of your writing and now you have me awaiting your next book. May I ask what it is that you are working on?

Jack – I have a book coming out with Eerdmans Publishers late this year or early next, called Ecstasy, Virtue, Learning and Life in the Spirit. (This title is still too long. A free copy to whoever sends me the winning title!) For those who value Fresh Air, this is the next step. It’s got lots more study of scripture, but it stays with the theme that the holy spirit inspires a spectrum of experiences from ecstasy to serious study.

I’m keen to provide the church with a model of inspiration that is both vibrant and virtuous, spontaneous and studious. Fresh Air frequently touches on this. Ecstasy, Virtue, Learning and Life in the Spirit makes a biblical and, I hope, convincing case that the truest sign of the spirit is not a fleeting experience of the spectacular but a lifetime of virtue and learning.

In the meantime, I’ve written an online 10-part study of the book of Acts, which Seattle Pacific University will post every Monday morning, beginning March 25. I loved writing this. It’s whimsical, deeply biblical, and (should I say it?) pastorally sensitive. I’d urge every one of your readers to sign up for this at www.spu.edu/lectio.

Mark – Thank you for your time, Jack.

My pleasure, Mark. I’ve enjoyed every minute of thinking, writing, and revising. Thank you for posing such thoughtful questions. Thank you as well for being such a champion of Fresh Air: the Holy Spirit for an Inspired Life.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 21, 2013

Time-Killers

Next Post

February 22, 2013 From the Shepherd's Nook: John Frye

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: In Revelation, there are ten elders seated around God's throne.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE