Paul
writes, “But I want you to understand that the head of every
man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God”
(I Corinthians 11:3, ESV).
The
collections of essays in Trinity Without Hierarchy: Reclaiming Nicene Orthodoxy in Evangelical
Orthodoxy, edited by Michael F. Bird and Scott Harrower, is largely
concerned with how the above verse should be interpreted and how the church
universal has interpreted it over the years.
The
essays also largely respond to the work of Wayne Grudem and Bruce Ware who,
when exegeting this verse to prove complementarianism between men and women,
are forced to argue for the eternal functional submission of the Son to the Father.
Many
might respond, “Who cares?” But it is a
critical issue. If the Son is in any way
substantially or essentially less than the Father, then
the Son is not God – He is something else.
The reader enters the territory of Arianism here – and it is not the
argument that Grudem and Ware are Arians, but that their arguments necessarily
lead to this heresy.
Rather,
the essays argue that the Father and Son (and Holy Spirit) are one in essence,
but distinct in their roles in carrying out His Will. Likewise, they argue that the submission that
is found – especially in the Gospel of John – must be read with the
understanding that Jesus is the God-Man.
He is 100% God and 100% human in one person, with two natures and two
wills. So, in His humanity, of course
Jesus submits to God the Father.
The
first four chapters look at the Scripture and what it has to say about the
relationship between the Father and the Son.
Chapters
five through nine engage historical theology through the ages, and chapters ten
through sixteen engage systematic theology on the question and address Grudem
and Ware directly.
Each
chapter contains copious footnotes and bibliography, and the book ends with a
Scripture and Ancient source index, as well as a name index.
This
book is a powerhouse of scholarship which ought to greatly further the debate –
and perhaps end it biblically.
I
found the biblical chapters most helpful and the strongest. And some essays were better than others – in my
opinion – for a variety of reasons. For
example, as I read the chapter on John Owen, I felt like the author didn’t care
for Owen, which distracted from the argument.
The
book is well worth purchasing and reading and using in continuing to express
the relationships, will and work, of the Trinity.
I
received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, Kregel, and
Goodreads.com.]
1 comment:
The book is not going to end a debate as the Bible cannot be ended. As usual, when grudem responds to his critics, then the debate is over as far as honest people are concerned. But the partisan hacks will continue to blabber on and on refusing to accept defeat
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