Question:  Some speak of the anointing as being something different than the Holy Spirit.  We had a long conversation about this and they seemed to be saying it is separate somehow.  For example, they mentioned God’s anointing being on this situation or that situation.  Actually, it was confusing to me.

            Thanks, whether or not you are able to help.

            Ron

Answer:  Dear Ron,

            Anointing, from its strictly biblical definition, concerns oil that is placed on an individual’s head, signifying a setting apart by God, and the imparting of a blessing, or a gift.

            In some Christian circles, especially in charismatic ones, anointing has come to have a larger and more generic usage – and is used generally to infer some special calling or gift that one Christian may (or may not) have – that others do not.  As you state, some may even infer that the Holy Spirit is “not enough” – God gives more than “just the Holy Spirit” – and the “anointing” – loosely defined, is given as proof.  Again, as you mention, it is also used to imply that God has blessed a particular occasion, gathering, etc.  Many Christians believe that the term, as it is used in such cases, is non-specific and is subjectively defined.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht