Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist [Paperback]

Sam Storms (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Enjoying God Ministries; 1St Edition edition (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977173909
• ISBN-13: 978-0977173907
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, but worth reading, January 16, 2007

By 

Shannon L. Lewis - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist (Paperback)

Let it be known that I am a HUGE fan of Sam Storms - he is placed on the top of my bookshelf along with my other favorite authors, along-side others like John Piper, Wayne Grudem, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Driscoll, and Jonathan Edwards. Having read his 4 latest books (many of his others are currently out of print, though I hear "Chosen by God" is being updated and re-released later this year), I must say that this is not his best. Yes, the content is good, and much needed, and ANYONE - and I do mean ANYONE - who is struggling to find their place in this spiritual world in the midsts of asking simultaneous questions about both the sovereignty of God and the proper practice of the spiritual gifts will have a lot to benefit from in reading this. However, if you're a skeptic of either, this book will not convince you. Personally, I would like to see Convergence put in the hands of an excellent editor, moving entire sections of the book around (ideally, following chapter 1, the last half of the book which addresses more doctrinal issues, would do well being moved towards the front, or interspersed between segments of Sam's personal story), and helping to clarify some sentances, and simply fixing a few grammatical errors, then reprinted in a second - updated edition. Apart from that, however, Storms is worth listening to, and this is still a worthy addition to your library, especially if you're asking the same questions that Sam is addressing here.

p.s. - and afterward, if you haven't read "A Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Gifts" or "Pleasures Evermore", you absolutely must. There are clearly Sam's best in-print work to date!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Convergence: A great book from a Christ loving Calvinist, March 8, 2006

By 

H. Simmons (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist (Paperback)

This is a great book. Sam Storms has shown that a passion for Truth and a desire for experiential manifestations of the Truth are not at odds with one another, at least they should not be. Storms shares some absolutely amazing in-breaking(s) of the Kingdom of God that he has witnessed that should encourage all believers alike. If you are reformed in your soteriology and think that this means you must be a cessationist, think again. Storms is a gift to the body of Christ. Storms is one of those individuals whom God in His providence is using to help unite the body of Christ. If you have been blessed by Grudem, Piper, and Mahaney than I think that you will be blessed by the writings of this man who has a passion for the supremacy of God in all things.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Difficult Discussion, January 29, 2006

By 

David Arndt (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Convergence: Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist (Paperback)

I appreciate the difficult task of trying to communicate to different worlds when you have one foot in both. As the author says, you open yourself up to being shot at from both directions. Yet if we are ever going to rise above mere caricatures of those in different groups than our own, we must have a conversation like the one this book attempts to have.
The author takes great pains to say he would rather not talk about his own life and does so only because he feels compelled to give testimony to what God has done for him. I actually think the book would have been more effective if he had made it almost exclusively autobiographical. Hearing someone's life story has a way of opening us up beyond the sometimes rigid categories we settle into.
I did not agree with all the author's conclusions, his logic or even his attitude at times. He made me mad at a few points. But I appreciate his effort.
He is a theologian and so it must be expected that he attempts to by systematic and theological. I do not think the theological aspect of the book will be found to be especially convincing or compelling to either side. On the other hand, it takes a large soul who loves people and loves truth enough to be willing to dive into the middle of a contemporary church division.