A key refrain in Reformed theology is that God’s Spirit trumpets the message of salvation through Jesus Christ into every nook and cranny of the universe—but how? And in what way does this cosmic truth touch and shape the mundane reality of our lives and our world?
In this distillation of his Warfield Lectures, delivered at Princeton Theological Seminary in spring 2014, leading Reformed theologian Cornelis van der Kooi examines the relationship of the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ. He demonstrates how a fuller understanding of the interplay between Christology and pneumatology can encourage the Christian church to have open eyes and ears for the inbreaking of God’s “incredibly benevolent force” into the cosmological emptiness of today’s world.
Cornelis van der Kooi here presents an urgently needed contribution to a future Spirit-Christology and a christologically clarified doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from biblical sources and from Reformation and Dutch Reformed theology, he awakens new trust in God’s creative saving and ennobling work in the world of the twenty-first century.
Michael Welker — University of Heidelberg
Originally given as the prestigious Warfield Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary, This Incredibly Benevolent Force holds many surprises. In and through them, if the author is right, one may hope that a force working for good will emerge, running like a current between this book and its readers.
Kathryn Tanner — Yale Divinity School
How do we know that the Holy Spirit is an incredibly benevolent force? Cornelis van der Kooi has a compelling answer: Jesus Christ. He develops this answer with unusual insight and clarity. A truly enjoyable read for students and seasoned theologians alike.
Frank D. Macchia — Vanguard University
This collection of lectures represents a delightful exercise in pneumatological reflection. I say ‘delightful’ in part because it occasions a kind of joy, not simply because of its subject matter, but also because of its style and approach. . . . Refreshing and vitalizing.
Daniel Castelo (from foreword) — Seattle Pacific University and Seminary
Van der Kooi has written a masterful treatment of the Holy Spirit. Everything in it is fresh, revealing, mature. This will be a theological standard for years.
Cornelius Plantinga Jr. — Calvin Theological Seminary
