Incredible. Staton does a phenomenal job weaving theology and narrative together in a way that, like many of his peers, feels like you’re sitting at a coffee shop having a conversation with him. I was provoked by both his theology and stories, which forced me to come back to previously held beliefs and truly observe whether what I believed about the Holy Spirit actually hit my heart. Truly, this book is a classic. Thank you.

Tyler Stanton delivers another incredible book with The Familiar Stranger, offering a deep dive into who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. Stanton masterfully weaves together Scripture, testimonies, history, and his own story, presenting a rich biblical theology from creation to redemption and the here-but-not-yet kingdom of God. Beyond exploring the gifts of the Spirit, he ties in practical applications that make this book both thought-provoking and actionable. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I’m already planning to revisit it more slowly. Highly recommend!

I knew I wanted to read this one as soon as I saw it was coming out. I really enjoyed Staton’s previous book, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, and I found The Familiar Stranger equally enlightening and challenging. By drawing from both church history and a wide array of personal stories of the work of the Holy Spirit that rightly make much of God, not self, Staton does a great job here of demonstrating how both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit work together in the life of the believer.

If you, like many Christians, feel less familiar with the Holy Spirit than the other members of the Trinity, I think you’ll find The Familiar Stranger helpful. I’d also recommend this book as a starting point for Christians wanting to learn more about the spiritual gifts.

"Wow"!
The challenge here is to not use too many superlatives.
I have read both of Tyler Staton's previous books. They were excellent. This one is better.
My reading is about one-third Christian books. I've read something like 500. This one is in the top 1%.
If that's not enough, it is also the best book on the Holy Spirit I've ever read.
Don't miss out on this book. It is a must for any serious Christian.

The Familiar Stranger by Tyler Staton – Book Review
Posted by: David On: January 28, 2025

The Familiar Stranger: (Re)Introducing the Holy Spirit to Those in Search of an Experiential Spirituality (https://amzn.to/40SM80n) was released on 1/28/25.
Christians today are hungry for authentic spiritual experiences, yet all too often they don’t have the knowledge of or relationship with the Holy Spirit that is the key to a fully alive spirituality. In The Familiar Stranger, pastor and author Tyler Staton draws on Scripture, tradition, and spiritual practices to help you step into a genuine relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Article Snapshot:
Book Review Rating: 8/10

This Book Is:
About the Holy Spirit.
- For those seeking deeper and richer experiences of spirituality.
- A good balance of information and compelling stories.
- A practical guide including sample practices to try.

This Book Is Not:
- Biased towards overvaluing or undervaluing the gifts of the Spirit.

My Top Takeaway
Redemptive Suffering: My top takeaway is the idea that the Holy Spirit is just as active in our suffering as in our triumphs. It can be easy to think that healing occurs when the Spirit is active, and healing doesn’t occur when the Spirit does not act.

Suffering is a part of the human condition. We know that suffering grieves God. It is not how he created the world to be. We have the opportunity to choose what suffering does to us. It is an opportunity to be like Jesus. When we experience suffering, we are able to be compassionate towards others in a deeper way. We have the promise of new life and know that suffering won’t have the last word.

My Evaluation – The Familiar Stranger
If you are experiencing a holy discontent or longing for a deeper and richer experience of faith, then this may be the book for you. Maybe you view spiritual experience as dangerous or manipulative; then this may be the book for you. If you don’t know much about the role of the Holy Spirit, then this may be the book for you.

This book is for the thirsty, the suspicious, and the uninformed.

Staton balances sound theology and biblical wisdom with powerful personal stories. This book isn’t just about spiritual experience, but it includes experiences to help provide context and examples to complement the principles. One of the most powerful is Staton’s own battle with cancer.

Staton includes practices at the end of each chapter that provide ideas for ways to grow in the area discussed in the chapter. This is a practical way to get started and grow deeper in your faith and experience of God.

Book Summary – The Familiar Stranger
The Familiar Stranger is a book about the Holy Spirit. There is a gap between the way the Holy Spirit appears to work in the New Testament and what many of us experience in our lives. Staton claims that it doesn’t have to be this way. We can close this gap and experience the fullness of what God has for us through his Spirit.

"Spiritual health is closing the gap between biblical rumor and actual life as narrowly as possible. Spiritual maturity is narrowing the gap between Kingdom promises and daily grind; between what I believe in my head and what I know in my heart, my emotions, and my bones; between the core beliefs I recite in creeds and sing in worship anthems and the core beliefs I live day in and day out. Spiritual health means that inevitable gap between the story on the page and the story of my life narrows and narrows like a door creaking shut on a dark room until there’s barely a blade of light left. The Holy Spirit is the experiential agent of the Trinitarian God, narrowing the gap between biblical promises and everyday experience and leading to greater spiritual health and maturity." The Familiar Stranger page xii

When the Advocate Comes:
The first part explores John 14-17 as a way to understand who the Holy Spirit is and how we relate to God.

We live in a modern culture where experience has more authority than expertise. Winning the heart has become more important than winning the mind. People are open to spiritual experiences. Spirituality grounded in the person of the Holy Spirit is a doorway into the church and into faith.

Staton goes through the biblical metaphors of breath, water, and a dove to show how we can understand the identity of the Holy Spirit through creation, the Old Testament, Jesus, the New Testament, and today.

Spiritual Experience as Everything or Nothing:
The second part describes the extreme and opposing perspectives that many churches have moved toward and how to discern ways these have formed us. Staton does this by looking at the example of Simon the Sorcerer and Nicodemus the pharisee.

Simon the Sorcerer (Acts chapter 8) represents the extreme of prioritizing experiences above everything else. When Simon saw the manifestations of the Spirit when Phillip laid hands on people, he asked if he could pay to acquire the same power. He viewed it as a technique and a way to have control. The Holy Spirit is diminished into a source of power to exploit or an experience to seek instead of a person to know.

Nicodemus the pharisee (John chapter 3) represents the extreme of being passive towards spiritual experiences or even viewing them as dangerous or suspicious. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night seeking to understand how he could enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus responded that he needed to be born again like a child. As a respected leader, making this choice would cost Nicodemus his identity. He saw Jesus perform miracles and was moved to help give Jesus a proper burial. Despite all of this, he wasn’t willing to go from being a spectator to being a participant.

Staton challenges readers to evaluate where they fall on the spectrum and to move towards a healthy middle ground with an appropriate and nuanced view of the Holy Spirit.

Clothed With Power from On High:
The third part explores the gifts and expressions of the Holy Spirit, and how they can be accessible to ordinary people today. Staton goes through these gifts looking first at the underlying theology, then the model provided in the Bible, and then what it looks like in practice today.

Discernment – making decision amidst the noise
Prophecy – hearing and speaking a message from God
Healing – a sign that points to salvation and God’s Kingdom
Witness – sharing what Jesus has done
Redemptive Suffering – finding glory in suffering

My Top Takeaway – The Familiar Stranger
Redemptive Suffering
My top takeaway is the idea that the Holy Spirit is just as active in our suffering as in our triumphs. It can be easy to think that healing occurs when the Spirit is active and healing doesn’t occur when the Spirit does not act, but that is not the case. Suffering is a part of the human condition. We know that suffering grieves God. It is not how he created the world to be. We have the opportunity to choose what suffering does to us. It is an opportunity to be like Jesus. When we experience suffering, we are able to be compassionate towards others in a deeper way. We have the promise of new life and know that suffering won’t have the last word.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Tyler does it again. Excellent book deep diving into the Holy Spirit, who He is, and what He does. Loved the Biblical theology look at different threads from the beginning to the end of Scripture. I'll definitely be purchasing this and reading through it again more slowly. Also really appreciate the practical application pieces for what to do with this info going forward.

The Familiar Stranger was one of my favorite books I have read this year. Stanton does a phenomenal job weaving in the story of the Scriptures, testimonies, history, and his own story in teaching on the Holy Spirit. Stanton covers more than the simply the gifts of the Spirit and how to practice them. He writes about the larger narrative (creation, redemption, suffering, the here but not yet kingdom of God).

In this book, Tyler Staton explores the nature of the Holy Spirit (as best as any human can) using stories from the Bible and anecdotes in his life. I learned so much from Tyler’s other two books, and this third book did not disappoint. I look forward to rereading Biblical passages I have read hundreds of time with new insight. In addition to the excellent content, the structure of the book is well done. The first part details the Holy Spirit from creation to Jesus to the early church to today while the second is an application that readers are invited to practice.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was such a refreshing read on a topic that I have been wrestling with myself in the past year. Highly recommend if you're looking for a revival of your spiritual life and walk with the Lord.

This was a really good exploration of a topic which isn’t covered much in sermons at least in the churches I attend. The author laid out teaching in a gentle and organised fashion and covered some topics like healing and prophecy in ways that were sensitive and sensible. Thank you for writing this book and I hope it reaches a wide audience.

As with everything I've read by this author, this was very sincere, reflective, and thought-provoking. Highly recommended!

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Tyler Staton is a storyteller. This book is filled with story after story about the Holy Spirit moving in power, in ways we understand and in ways we don't. It is a book very much needed for the church: our lack of understanding about the Holy Spirit leads us to live lives that are nothing like what we are shown in scripture. Staton addresses the core roots of our lack of holy ambition regarding the Holy Spirit, and he cautions us not to live in fear or seek power wrongly, but to come humbly and expectant. I appreciated the healing and suffering chapters the most. Staton writes with kindness and the heart of a shepherd, seeking to remove harm from the flock. I loved the comparison between Simon the Sorcerer and Nicodemus, two characters who I never would've thought to compare, but their stories really help bring the idea of going all in to life. If you want an introduction to the Holy Spirit, this book is a great place to start.