Contemporary Trinitarian Thought

Christians confess that the God of the Gospel is no inert deity. Rather, God is the Holy Trinity: utterly One, yet One precisely in being Three; explosive with majesty and extravagant in mercy. It’s no wonder the Anglican divine John Donne described the mystery of the Triune God as “bones to philosophy, but milk to faith.” In this course, we will explore the doctrine of the Trinity in its historical development and in the life and practice of the Church. Course readings draw from across the Christian tradition – Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant; classical and contemporary; formative and reformative.

The course begins with the doctrine’s scriptural foundations and its development through the Christian tradition. This course places special emphasis on contemporary treatments of the Trinity, considering how the Trinity impacts and is impacted by understandings and experiences of race, sex/gender, political life, liturgy and prayer, or human relationships.

By the end of this course, students should be able to articulate with some degree of confidence the central convictions of Nicene trinitarianism, some major expressions thereof, and describe what is at stake in trinitarian doctrine. Students will also be encouraged to articulate their own theological convictions with reference or in contrast to that framework. Pedagogical methods include lectures, three one-page reflection papers, class discussions, a mid-term book analysis, and a final research paper OR (for 600-level students) a sermon on the Trinity with an accompanying essay.

Pre-requisite:  TH500 

Available via Zoom Only (synchronous or asynchronous)