Rethinking the Trinity

The Trinity is a doctrine under discussion in every generation. In the early centuries of the church the Trinity was debated vigorously, as is evident in the Arius controversy, the filioque controversy, and many others. And the most recent controversy over the modalism of T. D. Jakes and the Elephant Room has raised questions once again.Therefore, it is essential that we take a step back and look at what some of the church fathers had to say. In his recent book, Rethinking the Trinity and Religious Pluralism: An Augustinian Assessment , Keith Johnson looks at the Trinity through the lens of Augustine. Recently, Matthew Claridge wrote a review in “In Christ Alone,” the January issue of Credo Magazine. Claridge begins,

Trinitarian theologizing is all the rave today. Trinitarian theology, of course, has always been foundational for any self-respecting Christian, but the desire to apply Trinitarian-shaped methodologies onto every branch of human thought and experience has become particularly fashionable coming on the heels of the twentieth century “Trinitarian Renaissance.” What are evangelicals to make of these developments? Are they a boon or a bust?

Like most things, the “devil is in the details,” and Keith E. Johnson has done the church a tremendous service by auditing one specific attempt to make the Trinity serviceable in the cause of religious pluralism. Johnson tackles the growing trend among self-professing Christian theologians to justify the possibility of salvation apart from Christ on the basis of Trinitarian doctrine. In three main chapters, Johnson interacts with and critiques an assortment of proposals from a Protestant (Mark Heim), a Pentecostal (Amos Yong), and two Catholic theologians (Jacques Deupuis and Raimundo Panikkar). Alongside these others, Johnson includes Augustine as a dialogue partner. In fact, Augustine’s Trinitarian theology frames and grounds Johnson’s overall strategy and interaction with these inclusivist proposals. The primary benefit of Augustine’s presence in the discussion is surely the polemical payoff. Precisely because Augustine is a shared authority in ecumenical circles, Johnson can deploy him with great polemical affect against rival views that boast in their “ecumenical” credentials. As such, Johnson’s work represents two things in one: a commentary on Augustine’s Trinitarian theology and a critique of various inclusivist views that rely on the Trinity in one form or another.

Finish reading Claridge’s review here.

Read other reviews like this one in the January issue of Credo Magazine, “In Christ Alone.”

The January issue argues for the exclusivity of the gospel, especially in light of the movement known as inclusivism. This issue will seek to answer questions like: Can those who have never heard the gospel of Christ be saved? Will everyone be saved in the end or will some spend an eternity in hell? Must someone have explicit faith in Christ to be saved? Contributors include David Wells, Robert Peterson, Michael Horton, Gerald Bray, Todd Miles, Todd Borger, Ardel Caneday, Nathan Finn, Trevin Wax, Michael Reeves, and many others.

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