A THEOLOGY OF WORD AND SPIRIT INAUGURATES CHRISTIAN Foundations , Donald Bloesch's seven - volume masterwork , the fruit of a lifetime of devoted scholarship and passionate theological dialog . In this initial volume Bloesch surveys his method : an approach conversant with up - to - the - minute theological concerns , but vitally grounded in the Reforma tion emphasis on biblical revelation illumined by the Holy Spirit . One of the most widely respected evangelical theologians of the late twentieth century , Bloesch offers his mature assessment and reflections at a time of extraordinary change and challenge . Entire denominations are on the verge of splitting over questions of authority and morality . Arguments about the proper interpretation of the Bible's message rage and seem insolvable . In this fractured , sometimes overwhelming climate , A Theology of Word and Spirit offers learned but accessible corrections for our current malaise and points the way toward a confessional theology for the twenty - first century .