Interview with Revd Dr Tania Harris, author of The Church Who Hears God’s Voice
After experiencing the transforming power of hearing God’s voice in her own life, Revd Dr Tania Harris set out to unlock the questions Christians have debated for centuries: How does God speak? How do you know it’s God? and What difference does it make to the church?
As the central feature of the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost and the grand prize of the New Covenant, the prospect of universal access to the Spirit is a powerful but pastorally risky concept. History tells the torrid tales of abuses associated with the claim “God told me.” Drawing on insights from theology, history and her groundbreaking PhD research, Harris skilfully presents a comprehensive theology and pastoral strategy for how people in the church, whatever the denomination, can hear the Spirit’s voice for themselves.
The Church Who Hears God’s Voice enables church leaders to safely and effectively lead their people into a powerful experience that was intended to be a normal part of every Christian’s life.
Revd Dr Tania Harris is a pastor, speaker, author, practical theologian and the founder of God Conversations.
Tania, your books are birthed out of your ministry with God Conversations. Can you share a little more about its heart and vision?
God Conversations is a global ministry that equips people to hear, recognise and respond to God’s voice. The ministry is based on the conviction that God sent his Holy Spirit to speak to everyone who chooses to follow Jesus (Acts 2:16,17). We outwork the vision through speaking and training in local churches, ministry colleges and organisations of all denominations, using all forms of media including radio, writing, podcasting and TV.
Why did you decide to write The Church Who Hears God’s Voice?
Hearing God’s voice is one of the most life-changing experiences we can have - Scripture testifies to its power to build our relationship with God and bring his purposes to the earth. Yet the prospect of universal access to the Spirit is also a dangerous one. History tells the torrid tales of abuses associated with the claim “God told me.” Theological and pastoral problems have plagued the revelatory experience since the time of the early church.
I wrote The Church who Hears God’s Voice to address the questions, fears and problems surrounding this fascinating but often confusing area of the Christian life. Questions about hearing God’s voice are some of the most commonly asked across the global church, yet rarely are they properly addressed. The book tackles these head-on by drawing on my PhD research, extensive ministry experience and a range of personal testimonies. Ultimately, I wrote the book to help people hear God’s voice more clearly and to equip them to help others do the same.
Who have you written this book for?
Priests, pastors, ministers and leaders of every denomination and nation. The book will also be of interest to Christian thinkers with questions in this area.
Can you explain a little about the structure of the book?
The book is divided into three sections. The first: “The Spirit at Work” introduces the power and the problems of hearing God’s voice today. The second section: “A Theology for Hearing God’s Voice” provides a framework for hearing, recognising, and responding to the Spirit. It draws on this framework to address the theological and pastoral problems of hearing God introduced in Part 1. The third section: “Strategies for Building the Church who Hears God’s Voice” outlines practical research-based strategies for creating a community where everyone can hear, recognise, and respond to the Spirit for themselves.
How is The Church Who Hears God’s Voice different to other books on the subject?
There tends to be two main groupings of books available on the topic of hearing God’s voice. One group is written by theologians who don’t always grapple with the reality of “high-level revelatory” experiences of hearing God’s voice; the other is written by Pentecostal practitioners who share inspiring stories and provide general principles for hearing the Spirit, but rarely ground their teaching in a solid theological framework. This book seeks to bridge the gap between the two.
The Church who Hears God’s Voice tackles both the theological problems (the relationship of Spirit to Scripture, the basis for Cessationism, the authority of contemporary revelatory experience and the role of Spirit encounters in the development of doctrine) as well as the pastoral problems (the issue of discernment, potential for community instability and the transfer of power from pastor to congregation member).
The book is also unique in that it is directed to church and ministry leaders - since they are understood to be in the best position to solve the problems of hearing God’s voice! A crucial theme in this process is the conviction that the Spirit acts as Jesus’ continuing voice and therefore the experience of hearing God is best understood in the context of discipleship - the primary call of the local church.
You write in the book that ‘the local church is the place where God intended us to recognise and respond to the Spirit.’ Why are you so passionate about the local church?
The local church provides the context by which we experience the Spirit’s voice most clearly and effectively. This is part of the reason why the New Covenant is an upgrade on the Old. It is in the accountability of authentic, godly relationships that we can both recognise and respond to God’s voice. Furthermore, the main calling of the church is to “make disciples;” to help people follow Jesus. Since the Spirit acts as Jesus’ continuing voice, this is where the experience of hearing God is best located.
Your book is based on extensive research. What was the most surprising thing that you discovered?
My biggest surprise was in discovering that the topic of hearing God in personal ways is practically absent in the Protestant academic world, and that many of our contemporary practices in the Pentecostal-Charismatic Church align most closely with the Catholic tradition. I found this so difficult to believe, I had to keep going back to check in with my PhD supervisor to see if I’d missed something! The reasons for this are primarily historical but it has meant we have not always understood the experience of hearing God as clearly as we could.
You include many stories of people’s personal experiences of hearing God, which add power and immediacy to the book. Is there one that you can share with us that stands out to you?
My favourite story is “Feet of maggots” - where Nicola heard God speaking to her in a dream about the needs of children in the African slums. Her experience was so vivid, creative, and moving and represented God’s heart for the poor in a life-changing and profound way. It was also very clear, affirming my conviction that the Spirit’s voice is most clearly heard when we are willing to follow.
You don’t shy away from the fact that enabling people to hear God can lead to some pastoral challenges. Indeed, one of the strengths of the book is providing practical guidance alongside biblical and theological discussion. Why was it so important to tackle this issue head on?
During my research, I felt the Holy Spirit say to talk about the tough issues we tend to shy away from. Because my ultimate aim is to help people hear the Spirit, it was important to identify and remove the obstacles that stood in the way. These were both pastoral (“What if I get it wrong?”; “How do I know it’s God?”) and theological (“Isn’t Scripture enough?”; “How does my experience relate to Scripture?”).
Have you learnt anything new/ been reminded afresh about your own personal journey with God while writing this book?
Writing the book has strengthened my own walk with God and inspired me about hearing God’s voice all over again. Everyone’s journey with the Spirit is so different, yet the consistent character and purpose of God behind them all remains the same. The Spirit is truly at work continuing the mission and ministry of Jesus!
How does this book differ from your first book, God Conversations?
God Conversations is a collection of personal stories of hearing God that aim to stimulate resonance with the reader. It was written to invite people on the journey of hearing God and encourage them to keep listening and responding along the way.
The Church who Hears God’s Voice is very different – firstly, it is targeted to ministers and leaders to help them build their own Spirit-led churches and ministries. Secondly, it aims to glean from the best of academia (while still being easily accessible), drawing on the insights of contemporary and historical theology and sociological theory as well as extensive pastoral experience.
What do you hope readers will most get out of reading this book?
Clarity, understanding and inspiration – so that they will be able to hear the voice of the Spirit for themselves and then lead others in their local community to do the same.
In one sentence, how would you describe The Church Who Hears God’s Voice?
The Church who Hears God’s Voice will equip leaders and thinkers to safely and effectively lead people into the powerful experience that was intended to be a normal part of every Christian’s life.
Is there anything we can pray for you/ the work of God Conversations?
That this book will play a significant role in building churches who hear God’s voice all around the world!
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