Trinity, by Jason Byassee

Chapter 2

The Spirit We Don’t Know

1. I had this exchange with a former Pentecostal who was coming to join our church. She said, “I’m sick of the Holy Spirit.” I responded, “Oh good, we’re mainline Methodists, we rarely speak of the Spirit at all!” 

- Which has been more like your experience? 

- Which experience do you envy? 

2. “When you see love, you see a Trinity,” Augustine said. 

- How does that match your experience? 

- Is it a sufficient role for the Spirit to be the love between the Father and the Son? 

3. Should we name the Spirit “she”? 

- Why or why not? 

4. What strengths or dangers are there in describing the Spirit as the “shy” person of the Trinity? 

5. What is the filioque and why does it matter (if it does at all)? 

6. How can we tell if an impressive “sign” is the work of the Holy Spirit or of some other spirit? 

- Does the miraculous help us clarify which is which or not?

7. Does the Spirit work beyond the bounds of the church or of those who know Jesus? 

- If so, how?