What might it look like to pursue a theology that, in its very form, is warped and bent around the voice of the God who speaks, the one who was is indeed most fully and vivaciously alive, of the one who truly “is a consuming fire” (cf. Heb 12:29)? Volume 2 of Katherine Sonderegger’s tour…

“It is not from below to above that we seek here” (p. 295). Sonderegger’s Systematic Theology is a masterpiece. As its readers, we are invited into the master’s workshop. We glimpse her tools, we watch her work, we see the form of the craft taking shape. I imagine it as a blacksmith’s shop—this is old…

Katherine Sonderegger freely admits that in her Systematic Theology, Volume 2 she has written “an unfamiliar, perhaps odd book on the Holy Trinity” (p. xxix). It is also a masterpiece, a sustained virtuoso performance at the highest level of academic systematic theology. Sonderegger attempts things that only a handful of living practitioners could aspire to;…

Katherine Sonderegger confesses that Volume 2 of her Systematic Theology “is a strange book, a disorienting one, and, some would say, an impossible one” (p. xv). It is, after all, a book about the inner Life of God, as its title makes clear—The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity: Processions and Persons. Theologians have been eagerly…

There is something naturally compelling to Abraham’s call for theology’s return to the language of divine personal agency. It is as if theology had languished under a spell, which was preventing us from seeing the obvious: that there is no metaphysical quandary about the claim that God acts. Invoking an open concept of action, he…

In every era of the church’s history, the question of spiritual gifts has caused significant discussion and debate. One aspect of this doctrine that found almost universal agreement during the sixteenth century, however, was that spiritual gifts existed for the edification of the whole church to the glory of God. This is understanding is exemplified…

Irenaeus did not author a commentary on Genesis, as did other early Christian thinkers. Nor did he write as much about the creative activity of God as other early theologians. But no early Christian used creation to such advantage as Irenaeus of Lyons. To appreciate what Irenaeus made of the creative activity of God it…

If there was an unmistakable constant in John Webster’s thought, it was his resolve to see all things in light of God’s perfection. It was this resolve that in turn gave his thought its particular intensity. As he saw it, theology is truly theological to the extent that its rational movements find their resting place…

Reading Journal Home << Previous Entry Next entry >> N.B.: The following is a guest post by Jonathan Castele (BA ’15). I never asked to be associated with Evangelical Christianity, but I was born and bred in it. I know its virtues and, sadly, its ugly vices all too well. Graduating from Trinity College felt,…

After the Trinity Symposia event hosting Michael Emerson, many of you asked us for the powerpoint he used in his presentation. You can find it in our Media page. We hope you enjoyed Emerson’s lecture and we thank you for joining us in such an important conversation regarding race and the church. We’re looking forward to…

Last February we were sad to announce that Emerson’s lecture had to be postponed for health reasons. For all of you who were hoping to attend, the time has come! Next Thursday the Henry Center along with TEDS is hosting Michael Emerson as part of the Trinity Symposia series. Dr. Emerson has specialized on the role…

live-blogged by Andy Naselli Live from the chapel on the campus at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: Students, faculty, and guests are gathering for a much anticipated Trinity Debate on this question: “Do relations of authority and submission exist eternally among the Persons of the Godhead?” 1. Participants Affirmative Bruce Ware (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) Wayne…