Why has the Pentecostal Holliness Church stopped using the term Holy Ghost and moved to the term Holy Spirit?
Thanks for your inquiry about why the Pentecostal Holiness Church is using the expression "Holy Spirit" more than the expression "Holy Ghost." Both terms refer to the same reality: the third person of the Trinity. In Greek the same words are used for both English translations so there is no distinction in the Bible or New Testament concering the terms.
"Holy Ghost" is an older English phrase that, while better understood in the 17th-19th centuries, began to be replaced with the English phrase "Holy Spirit" in the 20th century. IPHC uses "Holy Spirit" because it conveys to the contemporary mind a better perspective of the person of the Holy Spirit than does the modern term "ghost."
Doug Beacham
Executive Director
Church Education Ministries
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