Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning it Down: Church in the 21st Century [Paperback]

David Housholder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2009

Have you ever watched "holy roller" preachers on television and felt like they were hosts of a party to which you weren't invited? Or, if you were invited, would you want to be? Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning It Down is a unique guidebook for "normal" Christians who are curious about the whole "Holy Spirit thing." Using easy-to-understand, non-Pentecostal language, pastor David Housholder ushers readers through the Pentecostal faith, a world of encounter and supernatural-oriented Christianity. By sharing his own story of growing up in a traditional Lutheran environment, his first personal experiences with Pentecostal Christianity, and his embracing of these two worlds, he skillfully bridges the gap between Pentecostal and mainstream camps to improve their understanding of each other. This engaging, boundary-breaking volume will reveal how you, too, can fully experience the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Housholder was born in Idaho and raised in a traditional Lutheran church environment. He came into direct contact with Pentecostal Christianity while church planting in rural Washington State, and has been traveling the world and teaching on both sides of the Pentecostal/mainstream "spiritual fence" ever since. He earned his Master of Divinity at Chicago's Lutheran School of Theology and was a Fulbright scholar in New Testament at the University of Bonn, Germany. A pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Alliance of Renewal Churches, he is an international conference speaker and author of the Galatians portion of Augsburg/Fortress Book of Faith series (2009). Today he lives in Huntington Beach, California, where he works as a church planter at Robinwood Church and surfs the waves with his friends on most days. David and his wife, Wendy, have one son, Lars.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 143923731X
• ISBN-13: 978-1439237311
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, clear, and practical - A must read!!!, September 2, 2009

By 

John M. Alexander "At The Garage" (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning it Down: Church in the 21st Century (Paperback)

In "Light Youth Church Without Burning It Down," author and Pastor David Housholder takes a swing a bridging the seemingly large gap between Pentecostals and mainline Protestants. Hous, however, with a background in both Pentecostal and Lutheran traditions, makes it clear that there isn't as big of a gap as once thought.

Hous provides clarity on the following subjects: Speaking in tongues, healing, receiving the Spirit, charismatic worship, and deliverance, to name a few. Traditionally, mainline Protestants would be fearful of many of these topics and afraid to engage any of them. But Hous makes it very clear that this is not to be the case.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a brief and practical guide to the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement that is sweeping the globe (Africa, Latin America, and China). Don't be afraid to be filled with the Spirit! Pick this book up and you won't be disappointed!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Holy Spirit is behind this book on the Holy Spirit, September 8, 2009

By 

Dana E. Hanson (LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning it Down: Church in the 21st Century (Paperback)

Someone had to write this book.

In the same spirit as Tony Compolo in:"How To Be Pentecostal Without Speaking In Tongues"from a generation ago, David Housholder writes a wonderful introduction to the world of the spirit-filled, charasmatic, pentecostal, _____ (whatever term you use) movement that is sweeping through the world today (tongues and all!).

If you come out of a Christian tradition that has often treated the Holy Spirit as the "neglected outsider" of the Trinity, but you are compelled by that same Spirit to be open to his power, "Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning it Down: Church in the 21st Century" is for you.

David Housholder is uniquely capable of guiding the intrigued reader as he has lived out faith with one foot in the highly experiential Pentecostal camp and another foot in the highly intellectual mainline Lutheran camp (Fulbright scholar, as a matter of fact).

This book is a quick read filled with clear information and very practical suggestions on how to be more open to the Spirit yourself and how to be a positive influence in the process of opening up your Christian community. I was especially impressed by the graciousness with which David teaches those who are seeking the Spirit to deal with their Pentecostal and Charismatic brothers and sisters.

I have an absolute prejudice in favor of practical books that are simple without being simplistic and "Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning it Down: Church in the 21st Century" is just that. As a Christian wired in a similar way, David has been instrumental in modeling the Spirit-filled life for me, influencing my own transformation and the transformation of thousands of other Christians around the country. David is a "been there/ done that" guide who has finally written down what he teaches and models so well.

This is one Christian book that ought to have a money back guarantee:

"Money back if you don't get a little Spirit on you along the way..."

Buy it.
Read it.
Live it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Quick and Insightful Read, September 21, 2009

By 

Nancy P. Hoyt (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Light Your Church on Fire Without Burning it Down: Church in the 21st Century (Paperback)

"For many of us who grew up in historical congregations, the Holy Spirit lived somewhere in the Apostle's Creed, and He didn't get out much." I openly laughed and instantly related to this line from the book. Hous has written a road map for an awesome trip with the Holy Spirit. Light You Church on Fire without Buring it Down is a practical and easy to read guide for Christians wanting to be filled with the Spirit. I highly recommend it!