The Triune Nature of God. Robert D. Cornwall
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follows is an invitation to Disciples, and others who struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity, to enter a conversation about the Trinity. I do not intend for this brief book to be taken as an imposition of a trinitarian vision on the Stone-Campbell Movement as a whole or on the Disciples branch in particular. However, I strongly believe that the doctrine of the Trinity can enhance one’s vision of God. I agree with Leonard Allen, a Church of Christ theologian, who writes that that “the explicit doctrine of the Trinity that gradually emerged in the first four centuries was not simply a philosophical construct imposed back upon Scripture but rather a result of the necessary work of filling out the New Testament’s pervasive triadic language about God as the gospel mission engaged Greco-Roman culture.”4
Since this book emerged from a larger theological project meant to stir theological conversation within my own ecclesial community, I offer it up to Disciples and the Christian community at large as an invitation to think deeply about the theological foundations of the Christian faith. That is, this is my invitation to fellow Disciples (and others) to move along the path of faith toward understanding, knowing that full understanding will never come to us in this life. As Paul reminds us, we are simply viewing reality as if a reflection in a mirror (1 Cor. 13: 12).
This journey of discovery will include engaging in conversations with members of the Stone-Campbell tradition, especially Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone. We will also engage the biblical record, for that is in keeping with the tradition of my people. We will also spend some time looking at the development over time of trinitarian vocabulary as well as historical efforts to understand and define the nature of God as Trinity. In the course of the journey I will engage with Disciple theologians, especially Clark Williamson and Joe Jones, but also theologians from outside the movement, especially Elizabeth Johnson and Catherine Mowry LaCugna—both of whom are Roman Catholic feminist theologians—whose work I have found helpful. As the conversation moves to a close I want to pose the question of whether having creeds is a necessary step in our ability to speak faithfully as Christians about God. I realize this will seem counter-intuitive, but I wonder whether we would be better off to affirm, at the very least, the confession of Constantinople as a sign of our ecumenical commitments.
Again, I write this book as a Disciple pastor and theologian, with Disciples in mind. While Disciples are my primary audience, because we struggle with, and often shy away from, this conversation, I know we are not alone. In part, this is because many Christians find the Trinity to be an incomprehensible doctrine. Even within strongly trinitarian communities there is a tendency to either embrace tri-theism (three gods) or modalism (one god who is experienced in three modes of being). It is no wonder that Barton Stone threw up his hands in bewilderment, declaring that the doctrine was completely illogical. So, whether you are a Disciple, a member of the Stone-Campbell Movement, or some other tradition, I invite you to join me on this journey of discovery regarding the Trinity. Perhaps you will join me in embracing a trinitarian understanding of God’s nature, or perhaps not. That is your prerogative (at least from a Disciples perspective). Whether you embrace the doctrine or not, I think it’s incumbent upon us to try to understand the issues at hand.
1 Robert D. Cornwall, Freedom in Covenant: Reflections on the Distinctive Values and Practices of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2015), pp. 8-9.
2 Edward Scribner Ames, The New Orthodoxy, (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1918), pp. 45-46.
3 Ames, New Orthodoxy, p. 46.
4 Leonard Allen, Poured Out: The Spirit of God Empowering the Mission of God, (Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press, 2018), p. 63.
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