What Are Spiritual Gifts?: Rethinking the Conventional View [Paperback]

Kenneth Berding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2006

In this groundbreaking work, New Testament scholar Kenneth Berding suggests that we have misunderstood the spiritual gifts themselves and how they function, and thus have embarked on a misplaced search to find individualized spiritual gifts. (20070122)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Those who hold the conventional view of the spiritual giftsólisted in Ephesians 4, Romans 12, I Corinthians 12ódescribe them as special abilities, powers and enablements. Contrary to this viewówhich, the author asserts, leads believers to focus on individual gifts or powers as opposed to GodóBerding offers another perspective, defining the gifts as ministries and focusing on believers' roles, functions and assignments in the community of faith. Believers are encouraged to replace the question "What are my special abilities?" with "Where does God want me to serve?" Equally accessible to scholars and general readers, Berding's work is highly recommended for all thoughtful Christians, as his topic leaves no believer untouched. (C. Brian Smith Christian Retailing )

From the Back Cover

“What Are Spiritual Gifts? is a clear and readable presentation of a subject of great importance to the church. A necessary read for anyone concerned about church structure and ministry, it goes a long way toward bringing together both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal believers.”

—Benny C. Aker, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

Many Christians have tried to discover their spiritual gifts only to find the process frustrating and complicated. Rarely in our search do we actually ask what should be our central question: What are spiritual gifts?

Kenneth Berding believes we have misunderstood spiritual gifts, which has led to a misguided search. His convincing and readable study suggests that the Holy Spirit does not give special abilities (the conventional view), but rather calls us and places us into various ministries to build up and strengthen the body of Christ.

Beginning with a fictional “spiritual gifts” seminar, Berding addresses up front the concerns and questions readers will have about this popular topic. He then discusses the central biblical texts on spiritual gifts and explains Paul’s use of key terms and the role of the Spirit.

Kenneth Berding (Ph.D., Westminster Theological Seminary) is associate professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, La Mirada, Calif. He is the author of Polycarp and Paul (Brill) and has extensive ministry experience both overseas and in the local church.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications; annotated edition edition (October 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825421241
• ISBN-13: 978-0825421242
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #579,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth Berding (Ken) is a professor of Biblical Studies at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University where he has served since 2002. He teaches courses such as Life & Letters of Paul, Biblical Interpretation & Spiritual Formation, Biblical Greek, and Pauline Theology: Romans. He previously taught full-time at Nyack College just north of New York City, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York (and Ukraine and Anaheim).

Ken is happily married to Trudi, who has been his friend since his freshman year of high school. Like Philip in the Bible(!), he has four daughters, Lydia, Grace, Ela, and Ana. Ken and his wife Trudi lived in the Middle East for seven years and have many friends around the world. Both Ken and Trudi are quite involved at Whittier Hills Church in Whittier, California, where Ken is an overseer and teacher, and Trudi teaches and leads in women's ministry.

Ken is also a musician, playing four instruments: piano, guitar, drums, and saz (a Middle Eastern instrument). He has written many songs, including music for teaching. Some of these songs are aimed at helping people achieve biblical literacy; others for learning Greek grammar. It is not unusual to walk by one of his classes at Biola University and hear music coming out of the classroom!

Ken writes both academic and non-academic articles and books. His academic interests are in the New Testament (especially the Apostle Paul) and in the Apostolic Fathers (especially Polycarp). He is keenly interested that people understand the centrality of Jesus Christ, how to walk in the Holy Spirit, and how to live with an awareness of the brevity of life and the length of eternity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gifts in Scripture, November 24, 2006

By 

Labarum (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What Are Spiritual Gifts?: Rethinking the Conventional View (Paperback)

If one is involved in Evangelical Protestantism, one of the more common themes is the discerning of spiritual gifts. Local churches, denominations, and various parachurch ministries all encourage those involved to discover the hidden talent that God has given them (it is naturally assumed such a talent exists) and to answer the call to use these special gifts in His service. Often there will be seminars and courses offered to assist the Christian in the discernment process. So pervasive is this trend that it is rarely ever challenged or even given a second thought...until now.

Kenneth Berding, a professor of New Testament at Biola University, has in What Are Spiritual Gifts? given the topic careful consideration and concluded that the conventioal wisdom, however well-intentioned, simply cannot hold water biblically. He effectively argues that the conventional view fails to understand the scriptural context and imposes an interpretive framework that is foreign to the understanding of the New Testament writers.

After an introductory section done in question and answer format, Berding gets to the heart of his thesis by refuting the common assumptions within the Evangelical tradition concerning the spiritual gifts. Rather than special abilities conferred to an individual, he argues the spiritual gifts are to be seen as ministries conferred to the Church and it is through the Holy Spirit working within the Body of Christ that these ministries are properly conducted.

The passages in the New Testament concerning spiritual gifts are thoroughly examined and, in a careful exegesis, Berding convincingly demonstrates the weaknesses inherent in the conventional view. In the various passages in the Epistles of St. Paul that are commonly put forward to encourage Christians to discover their "special gifts", he points out the complete misunderstanding of the Apostle's actual intent in outlining the functions of the early Church. Anticipating counterclaims, Berding also clinches the argument in advance.

Berding then fleshes out his arguments by adding a richer context in which to understand the larger context of the epistles. He considers key elements in the passages (i.e., ministry and service, the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church) and gives the larger picture painted by St. Paul in his epistles so as to understand them more accurately within the more limited context that is the topic of this book. In so doing, the misorientation at the foundations of the more common understanding of these passages within the Evangelical movement becomes more readily demonstrable.

The final section of the book moves from theory to practice and examines the implications of the previous discussion and its applications within the Church. Examples of the use of the spiritual gifts within the Church are taken from the New Testament and suggestions as to how the general blueprint given in Holy Scripture may be applied today are considered. An important conclusion to be drawn is that the focus on a potential role within the Church is to be less concerned with any inate ability of our own than it is to consider where we may be needed to build up the Body of Christ.

Kenneth Berding has provided a careful, Biblical examination of a topic that is a major preoccupation of much of the Church. In a wave of classes, surveys, and various tools adopted from both the corporate world and pop psychology, he has gone back to an often ignored source of inspiration - the Holy Scriptures. In lending clarity to a muddled situation, What Are Spiritual Gifts? is a much needed antidote to the misapplications of foreign methodologies that too often cloud the topic.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God-honoring and -glorifying, January 11, 2007

By 

Christian Lawrence "Christian Lawrence" (Redlands, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Are Spiritual Gifts?: Rethinking the Conventional View (Paperback)

Whether or not you agree with the premise of this book, you will most likely still gain much from reading it. I gained a deeper and richer understanding of the parts of Scripture discussed and was graced with the sincerity and reverence that Dr. Berding's writing exudes. Furthermore, this book has the potential to bridge so many divisions in Christ's body today between charismatics and non-charismatics through a better understanding of God's truth and the biblical emphasis on unity in Christ above 'spiritual gifts', that they are to be used to build up the body, not tear it down.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different perspective on the spiritual gifts., March 14, 2008

By 

Leah Maines (Georgetown, KY, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What Are Spiritual Gifts?: Rethinking the Conventional View (Paperback)

As the title of his book suggests, Kenneth Berding's goal in writing this book is to provoke the reader into viewing the subject of the spiritual gifts from a different perspective. Berding encourages his readers to ask, "Does the Holy Spirit give special abilities that we must discover? . . . or does the Holy Spirit call and place us into various ministries that build up the community that He has formed?" Berding's conclusion is that Paul's "vision for the church was a Spirit-filled corporate body that, despite the diversity of functions and assignments, was constantly being strengthened and unified through the ministries exercised in it" (Berding 7). Berding insists that his goal is biblically based, and he ultimately wants to show the reader "what Paul always intended to communicate, or not to communicate--about spiritual ministries (and/or abilities)" (Berding 8).

Berding breaks the book down into four parts. Part One is a series of questions and answers in the form of a dialogue; Part Two is described by Berding as the "heart of the book;" Part Three focuses on Paul's letters and spiritual ministries; and Part Four gives practical ways to apply the author's teaching. The book also has an excellent appendix section and extensive notes and references. Overall, the book is very well written, however, Part One weakens the book. Berding, in an attempt to portray a lecture scene, included unnecessary dialogue such as "Let's pause for a few questions right now. Yes, over on the right side" (Berding 36). The question and answer dialogue format of Part One was distracting, and even at times annoying.

Even though the dialogue format is annoying, the reader should not be discouraged from reading the section. Berding addresses his central theme in this section. Berding approaches the spiritual gifts from a different perspective than mainstream Christianity, and he uses this format to introduce his view. Berding also clearly explains the opposing view. The conventional view "says the spiritual gifts are abilities, or enablements, given by the Holy Spirit to individual believers to help them serve others" (Berding 25). These are spiritual abilities for use in the ministry. It is dependent on the Christian to find his or her gift either via taking a spiritual gifts test or checklist, or by the act of serving and eventually discovering the gift in the act of serving--it eventually reveals itself (Berding 27). Either way, the responsibility and power of finding what spiritual gift a person has is dependent on that individual's actions. If the person does not proactively seek to discover his or her gift, the gift remains dormant or unused. My question is, where does the Holy Spirit and His power stand according to this viewpoint? If the gifts' activation depends on the individual, is not the Holy Spirit's power diminished? My understanding is that the Holy Spirit, part of the Godhead, all knowing and all powerful, is fully able to bestow and activate the spiritual gifts as needed without waiting for the individual to activate the gifts. If the Spirit is able to bestow, surely He is able to activate that which He has bestowed.

Berding's viewpoint helps to clarify the issue of spiritual gifts. He sees the gifts as "roles, ministries, assignments, and functions." Berding insists that the biblical view is one in which "individual believers serve in their God-given roles to strengthen the collective body of believers so they can all grow in Christ. As a result, the glory of God and his salvation will be declared to the world" (Berding 33). Berding states that the ministry is not reserved for clergy, "Every Christian has been given specific ministries" (Berding 37). I agree with the author. At times it seems that Christian lay people assume the church is a place where they should be ministered to, and forget that as the Body of Christ, the Church, we are all called to minister to one another and to bring the Good News to the lost. We all have a ministry--a way to serve and bless others.

The author informs the reader that the Greek word charisma has generally been misinterpreted as meaning "special ability." He supports his claims by quoting Scripture passages that clearly show that charisma is not necessarily "ability" (2 Cor 1:11, Rom 5:15-16, Rom 6:23). For those of us who assumed that charisma only meant a special ability this is an eye opening revelation. The passages clearly show that charisma can mean God's grace, and not merely special ability. Furthermore, Berding gives good evidence that the charisma referred to in 1 Timothy refers to Timothy being commissioned to ministry, and not being given a special ability (Berding 59).

In addition, Berding makes the crucial point that Greek words, giving examples of charisma and pneumatika, should not be isolated out of context when seeking their interpretation into English. Greek words must be read in context (Berding 70). Any first year Greek student can confirm that Koine Greek must be read in context. The reader must not isolate words when translating, but must translate the passages in context in order to grasp the meaning. This is a crucial point in understanding the Greek language and the New Testament. Unfortunately, many individuals who refer to the Greek translation have not actually studied Greek beyond a language tools class, or a Strong's concordance--and this lack of knowledge can lead to misinterpretation of the text, and wrong teaching.

The crux of Berding's argument is referenced in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, and can also be applied to Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, "In opposition to the Corinthian Christians' self-centered interest in miraculous activities, Paul says that God has placed each believer in roles of ministry for the purpose of edifying His church." We are not given special abilities, but God has assigned each of us ministries:

"God wants to build up the body of Christ and so has placed individual members in various roles and functions to accomplish this. Paul doesn't encourage his readers to try to discover their special spiritual abilities; rather, he challenges and encourages them to strengthen the community of faith in whatever roles of ministry that God has placed them." (Berding 77)

The Spiritual gifts are for the edification of the Body of Christ. They are God-centered, and not self-centered.

Berding effectively gives supporting evidence to strengthen his claims. The listed roles in Eph 4: 11 and 1 Cor 12:28-29 are ministry roles and not special abilities. One good example is the role of apostle. Apostle is a ministry assignment and cannot logically be thought of as a special ability. Berding asks a valid question, "How, then, can all spiritual gifts be understood as abilities if one of the items in the list is understood not as an ability but as a ministry assignment (Berding 88)? In addition, Berding gives more strong evidence when referring to the list given in Romans 12. He points out that Bible verses should be read in unity, but English speakers tend to separate verses 4-5 and 6-8 into separate subjects. Berding could have strengthened this unity approach by mentioning that the original Greek was not broken down by chapter and verse--this comes much later in church history. The verses are best read together instead of separating them into different thoughts (Berding 97-98).

Berding also challenges Christians to rethink how God empowers believers for ministry. While it is certain that God does empower Christians through the Holy Spirit, and that "there is no spiritual activity whatsoever that can be done in a spiritually effective way apart from the Spirit's work," God does sometime call us to serve out of our weakness and not our strengths (Berding 165). Paul, himself, ministered in weakness. He had an affliction that he three times asked God to take from him, but Paul tells us that God has chosen "the weak to shame the strong" (1 Cor 1:27-28). We are called to serve and minister even in, or in spite of, our weaknesses. Berding quotes Henry and Mel Blackaby who encourage Christians:

"So never put limits on how God can use your life. Obey almighty God and trust that He knows what He's doing in your life. Don't look at your abilities and natural talents alone and serve only in the areas you feel competent. If you do, you'll eliminate yourself from significant arenas of service (Berding 173)."

Berding leads the reader to think about Paul's focus in his letters:

"Paul seems to be unique, however, at least among the New Testament letter writers, in extensively using metaphors for ministry, any dozens of which appear in his epistles. In comparison, relatively few metaphors for ministry appear in the New Testament letters not written by Paul (Berding 191)."

The point is that Paul's letters focus largely on ministry, and the gifts mentioned in Paul's letters are forms of ministry, and not of special ability. Each of these ministries is for edifying the Body of Christ, and bringing glory to God. Paul's focus is on the Body as a whole, and how each individual believer is called to minister. Jesus teaches us that those who want to be first must become servants. As Christians, we are called to serve using the various gifts of ministry that the Lord has given us, and not to seek self-centered special abilities.

In conclusion, this book is well written, with the exception of Part One, interesting, insightful, and thought provoking. Berding supports his claims using sound arguments and Biblical support. Berding also gives sound advice to all Christians who are seeking knowledge about spiritual gifts, and God's plan for their lives:

You don't need to take a spiritual gifts test or check off... Read more ›