This text crafts a trinitarian theology that reorients theology from presumptions about the immateriality of the Trinity toward the places where the Trinity matters—material bodies in historical contexts and the intersecting ways political and theological power structures normalize and marginalize bodies on the basis of material difference.

This text crafts a trinitarian theology that reorients theology from presumptions about the immateriality of the Trinity toward the places where the Trinity matters—material bodies in historical contexts and the intersecting ways political and theological power structures normalize and marginalize bodies on the basis of material difference.

Classical Trinitarianism holds that every action of Trinity in the world is inseparable. That is, the divine persons are equally active in every operation. But then, in what way did the Father create the world through Christ? How can only the Son be incarnate, die, and be resurrected? Why does Christ have to ascend before the Spirit may come? These and many other questions pose serious objections to the doctrine of inseparable operations. In the first book-length treatment of this doctrine, Adonis Vidu takes up these questions and offers a conceptual and dogmatic analysis of this essential axiom, engaging with recent and historical objections. Taking aim at a common “soft” interpretation of the inseparability rule, according to which the divine persons merely cooperate and work in concert with one another, Vidu argues for the retrieval of “hard inseparability,” which emphasizes the unity of divine action, primarily drawing from the patristic and medieval traditions. Having probed the biblical foundations of the rule and recounted the story of its emergence in nascent Trinitarianism and its neglect in modern theology, Vidu builds a constructive case for its retrieval. The rule is then tested precisely on the battlegrounds that were thought to have witnessed its defeat: the doctrines of creation, incarnation, atonement, ascension, and the indwelling of the Spirit. What emerges is a constructive account of theology in which the recovery of this dogmatic rule shines fresh light on ancient doctrines.

A trinitarian and ecumenical approach to the current emphasis on and renewal of Spirit Christology.

This study will be useful for those who study the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, as well as those who are interested in the role of scriptural and philosophical resources in Christian theology. Fi

The heart of Christianity is trinitarian. The subject matter of Trinitarian Theology casts a long shadow over our faith. The relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is central to the salvation story. The Trinity is central to Christianity, for the vibrancy of our churches, and for the clarity of our witness in the world. In Trinitarian Theology, Bruce Ware, Malcon B. Yarnell III, Matthew Y. Emerson, and Luke Stamps discuss issues such as the eternal functional subordination of the Son, the nature of the God-human relationship, and theological methods for forming the doctrine of the Trinity. This is a discussion of great importance, offered by scholars who represent varying views held by today’s Southern Baptist scholars.

When we find the courage to allow our rebel voice to speak, many of us question traditional Christian beliefs about God’s power and how it is exercised in the world and in the church. We ask: What if God is not in omnipotent control of everything? What if God’s exercise of power is relational and noncoercive instead? What if it is the quality rather than the quantity of God’s power that really matters? This book focuses on the theology of power that emerges when we ask such questions. It draws on the social Trinitarian theology of Jürgen Moltmann and the process thought of Charles Hartshorne to image God as a Social Trinity in process. This vision of God understands the Holy Trinity to be fully relational and thoroughly with us and all creation. To think of God and God’s power this way ensures freedom for creature and creation and enables a viable response to the problem of evil and suffering. It also leads to the conclusion that human relationships in the world and in the church are best modeled on the power-sharing solidarity of the Triune God.