Although the realm of the Christian community and, particularly, the Christian Church, might seem as entirely unclouded, several underlying conflicts have developed over years of interpreting the Word of God and implementing theological research. In his book The Word and Power Church, Dough Bannister (2009) expresses the concern that the inclination to choose between the Word and the Spirit rather than embrace the two has been reducing the spiritual potential of the Christian Church. Although Bannister’s argument might be overly reliant on anecdotal evidence and subjective personal experiences, his coherent argument concerning the rift between conservative evangelicals and cessationists makes the book very compelling.
Although a significant number of arguments that Bannister (2009) makes are rooted in his personal experience, the reading interacts quite closely with the anticipated ministry context. Namely, Bannister’s (2009, p. 17) statement articulates the presence of a brewing conflict and the resulting increasing tension within the Christian community: “Yet the text was leading me into beliefs that many evangelicals in those days didn’t agree with.” The described problem stemming from the lack of agreement on several issues, including different interpretations of the Biblical text, has been affecting the Christian community for a significant amount of time. Therefore, it is anticipated that the concerns expressed in The Word and Power of Church will find their way into the future ministry environment as well.
Indeed, the argument presented in the book is coherent and compelling, with a plethora of anecdotal pieces of evidence to support it and establish a clear pattern of interactions observed within the Church. Moreover, despite incorporating mostly unique experiences of the author, the book was also very compelling from the personal perspective of the reader: “Our nation is at a critical juncture and is poised to reject the Christian faith forever” (Bannister, 2009, p. 21). As I read the book, I realized that my worldview involved a unified Christian community and that my spiritual expectations did not align with the observed state of affairs. Specifically, the book revealed quite a lot to me about my perception of the role of a minister, the interpretation of the Bible, the idea of cooperation between Church members, and other crucial details about my stance on the issue. Particularly, I realized that, even as an individual, I had the power to prompt change and start the transformation that would allow for the further unification of the Christian community and the resolution of the existing conflicts. Specifically, the imbalance between the Word and the Spirit, as Bannister (2009) described it, could be addressed.
Therefore, even though I did not agree with all the points that Bannister made in his book, most of the arguments were quite convincing. For example, even though the statement concerning the need to incorporate the Spirit into the current Christian practices involved a significant number of subjective opinions, the general point that the author was making appeared quite coherent and reasonable. Thus, the book has left a noticeable impact on my perception of the role of a Christian leader, as well as the current state of the ministry.
Despite the abundance of personal opinions, anecdotal evidence, and subjective statements, Bannister’s (2009) The Word and Power Church provides a very accurate description of the nature of the current conflict within the Christian Church. Therefore, the book needs to be seen as a guide to building a stronger and more unified Christian community. Moreover, Bannister has offered important insights into how the ministry can be improved by offering different interpretations of the Scripture by emphasizing the role of the Spirit along with that one of the Word.
Reference
Banister, D. (2009). The word and power church: What happens when a church seeks All God has to offer? Zondervan.