No Doctrine of the Trinity Is an Island

As a new introduction emphasizes, the deep mysteries of Father, Son, and Spirit can’t be grasped in isolation.

Historically speaking, theological debates over the Trinity have been a major factor in the denominational breakdown of the church. Moreover, the extent to which these debates have influenced—and continue to influence—our individual conceptions of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot be overstated.

Take, for instance, the Filioque—the notion that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, as the Nicene Creed has it. The Filioque has been debated for over 1,400 years, heavily contributing to the church’s 1054 split into the Latin West (Catholicism) and the Greek-Byzantine East (Orthodoxy).

As those who reject the Filioque often argue, if the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, then the Father’s unique role in the Trinity is undermined and the Spirit is made subordinate. Those in favor may retort: If the Spirit proceeds from only the Father, the Son’s divinity and salvific work are threatened. In short, acceptance or rejection of the Filioque affects how we define and distinguish the divine persons—and how we worship them, too.

This is true of the many other Trinitarian issues as well. And so, wrestling with how and why we think what we think about the Father, Son, and Spirit—how they relate, work, and reveal themselves to us—is an essential task. This task requires serious biblical, historical, and theological investigation.

Theologian D. Glenn Butner’s Trinitarian Dogmatics, an introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity, is a roadmap for just that. His approach to the Filioque is like that of the many other Trinitarian topics he tackles—ecumenical, fair, and nuanced. He distinguishes between hills to die on and hills to build bridges to, demonstrating ...

Continue reading...

from Christianity Today Magazine
Umn ministry