Father, Son and Spirit: Essays Toward a Fully Trinitarian Theology

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Essays in Trinitarian Theology
Review: This posthumously published collection of essays by Colin Gunton continues and extends the trajectory he began in THE PROMISE OF TRINTARIAN THEOLOGY. These well-crafted essays explore numerous themes in Christian theology from a distinctly trinitarian perspective, showing how all truly Christian theology must be trinitarian in sturcture and scope.

The first segment of the book focuses on the theology of the Trinity itself. Gunton tackles issues of the Eastern and Western doctrine(s) of the Trinity, the incarnation, the Holy Spirit and the relation of the economic and immanent trinities and offers fruitful and thought-provoking refelctionss on these themes.

The second section focuses on the implications of Trinitarian theology for other areas of Christian doctrine. The relation between creation and redemption, the Spirit and Jesus, Atonement, Baptism and Eucharist are all treated lucidly and engagingly.

Of particular interest is Gunton's always helpful work on the humanity of Christ and his ever-deepening theology of the Holy Spirit. His treatment of the relation between creation and redemption owes much Irenaeus and Athanasius and is certainly one of the most helpful treatments of those issue availible. His work on atonement as metaphor and transcenendtal is superb and engaging.

Gunton's treatment of baptism was also very good at countering the individualistic understandings of baptism in much of the western church. While his arguments for the practice of infant baptism may not be convincing to all (they aren't to me), they do give one pause in rashly thinking that a person who was baptized as an infant must necesarily be "rebaptized." Put differently, while Gunton's arguments for infant baptism as a church practice may not be totally convincing, they should at lease prevent advocates of "believer's baptism" from simply dismissing all infant baptisms as invalid. Finally, Gunton's treatment of the Eucharist as it relates to the polity of the church was also excellent and helpful. His ability to show how the Eucharist requires the Word is a necessary supplement to the works of creative minds like William Cavanaugh who have done substantial work in Eucharistic theology, yet have paid little attention to the interpretation and performance of the Word as a similarly constitutive ecclesial practice.

On the whole, this collection is excellent and insightful. It addresses important issue from a fully trinitarian perspective and has much to offer the theological audience. I am only sorry the Professor Gunton is no longer with us and cannot contribute more books like this to the discerning Christian leader.