Reforming the Doctrine of GodTo an increasing number of people these days, the announcement of God as a timeless immaterial substance, a single subject who is the predetermining cause of all things, does not sound like good news. Concerned that such problematic understandings of God continue to govern current debates, F. LeRon Shults explores the emerging theological revival of such themes as the Trinity and eschatology. Linking traditional attributes of God with contemporary philosophy, his book culminates with a reformed doctrine of God that revolves around themes of God's omniscient faithfulness, omnipotent love, and omnipresent hope. Evangelical in conviction while engaged with a variety of Christian traditions, Shults navigates a faithful way between dismissing the biblical tradition and fossilizing it in early modern categories. Reforming the Doctrine of God marks an astute and much-needed reconstruction of Christian theology for our day. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
11 The Delightful Terror of Theology | 2 |
12 The Philosophical Turn to Relationality | 5 |
13 Refiguring Theological Categories | 9 |
CHALLENGES IN THE DOCTRINE OF GOD | 13 |
GOD AS IMMATERIAL SUBSTANCE? | 15 |
21 Cartesian Anxiety | 18 |
22 Infinity in Early Modern Theological Projects | 22 |
63 Lutheran Reconstructions | 150 |
64 The Ecumenical and Reformative Appeal of Trinitarian Doctrine | 157 |
65 Robust Trinity | 162 |
RENEWING ESCHATOLOGICAL ONTOLOGY | 166 |
71 Traditional Resources | 167 |
72 Reformed Reconstructions | 174 |
73 Lutheran Reconstructions | 183 |
74 The Ecumenical and Reformative Appeal of Eschatological Ontology | 191 |
23 Alterity in Late Modern Philosophy | 26 |
24 Mathematics and Linguistics in Contemporary Science | 30 |
25 Biblical Experiences of Infinity | 35 |
GOD AS SINGLE SUBJECT? | 41 |
31 Ockhamist Anxiety | 44 |
32 Trinity in Early Modern Theological Projects | 48 |
33 Personality in Late Modern Philosophy | 52 |
34 Feeling and Acting in Contemporary Science | 56 |
35 Biblical Experiences of Trinity | 60 |
GOD AS FIRST CAUSE? | 66 |
41 Newtonian Anxiety | 69 |
42 Eschatology in Early Modern Theological Projects | 73 |
43 Futurity in Late Modern Philosophy | 77 |
44 Causality and Temporality in Contemporary Science | 83 |
45 Biblical Experiences of Futurity | 88 |
TRAJECTORIES IN THE DOCTRINE OF GOD | 95 |
RETRIEVING DIVINE INFINITY | 97 |
51 Traditional Resources | 99 |
52 Reformed Reconstructions | 107 |
53 Lutheran Reconstructions | 116 |
54 The Ecumenical and Reformative Appeal of Divine Infinity | 124 |
55 Intensive Infinity | 130 |
REVIVING TRINITARIAN DOCTRINE | 133 |
61 Traditional Resources | 134 |
62 Reformed Reconstructions | 142 |
75 Absolute Futurity | 198 |
REFORMING THE DOCTRINE OF GOD | 203 |
OMNISCIENT FAITHFULNESS | 205 |
81 Beyond the Antinomy of Divine Foreknowledge | 209 |
82 A Trembling Delight in the Name of God | 214 |
83 Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Wisdom | 219 |
84 Reconstructing the Teleological Argument | 225 |
85 The Gospel of Divine Knowing | 230 |
OMNIPOTENT LOVE | 235 |
91 Beyond the Antinomy of Divine Predestination | 237 |
92 A Trembling Delight in the Reign of God | 243 |
93 Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Justice | 249 |
94 Reconstructing the Cosmological Argument | 254 |
95 The Gospel of Divine Acting | 260 |
OMNIPRESENT HOPE | 265 |
101 Beyond the Antinomy of Divine Timelessness | 267 |
102 A Trembling Delight in the Face of God | 273 |
103 Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Freedom | 278 |
104 Reconstructing the Ontological Argument | 282 |
105 The Gospel of Divine Being | 289 |
Epilogue | 294 |
Bibliography | 298 |
| 324 | |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute Futurity agency argues argument Aristotelian articulate Augustine Barth biblical called Calvin Cambridge causality cause century chapter Christian theology Christology church Colin Gunton concept contemporary cosmology creation creatures Descartes distinction divine essence divine Infinity divine knowing dynamic Edinburgh Edited Eerdmans emphasis eschatological eternal existence experience face faith Father finite Fortress freedom glory God's gospel Grand Rapids Gregory of Nyssa Gunton Hebrew Bible Holy Spirit hope human idea immanent immaterial Infinity intellect intensively infinite intuition Jenson Jesus Christ John John Zizioulas Jüngel Karl Barth kingdom knowledge late modern LORD mediated metaphysical Minneapolis Moltmann nature Neoplatonic NPNF2 ontological Oxford Pannenberg persons philosophical Pneumatology Predestination presence Rahner Reconstructions Reformed reign relation relationality share single subject substance T&T Clark Teleological Argument temporal Testament theism themes theologians things tion tradition trans transcendence Translated trinitarian Trinity Triune true Infinity truly infinite understanding unity University Press YHWH York Zizioulas