wisdom from John Webster

"Christian theology has a singular preoccupation: God, and everything else sub specie divinitatis. All other Christian doctrines are applications or corollaries of the one doctrine, the doctrine of the Trinity."

John Webster, Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch, Cambridge: CUP, 2003, p. 43.

Comments

Eric Gregory said…
Interesting, however, that the doctrine of the Trinity was not firmly established in either the East or the West as DOCTRINE until after the first three Ecumenical Councils.

http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0835/_INDEX.HTM
Terry Wright said…
I think Webster's point is that the doctrine of the Trinity, for Christians, is the starting point for all other doctrine: No (triune) God, no nuttin'!
Eric Gregory said…
Though I agree with the doctrine of the Trinity, I think our foundational theology should be something more clearly taught in Church history and in Scripture:

God is love.

Start there, and even if you wrestle all your life with the Trinity and the actual natures (homoousios vs. consubstantiability vs. essence) of God, you're still good to go.

God is love and love is real.
Nothing said…
Agreed, which is why innerfaith dialogue and missions must incorporate a "Trinitarian" approach to missiology just as much as an incarnational approach. Preaching the incarnate Jesus is, it seems, void without the Trinity
Nothing said…
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