Abstract
The second volume in Eerdmans’ Majority World series focuses on the doctrine of the Trinity. The goal of this collection of essays is ‘to bring the global church to theological dialogue regarding kaleidoscopic understandings of the Trinity’ (p. 2). Each contributor attempts to reflect on the thesis that ‘God is one and trinitarian’ from their particular context (p. 1).
K. K. Yeo introduces the volume and presents for the reader a brief overview of the current conversation surrounding the Trinity from the twentieth century onward. Gerald Bray’s essay then surveys classical formulations of the Trinity. Pushing for the preservation of the Trinity, Bray shows the need for this heritage to be reformulated in Majority World contexts. Randy S. Woodley reflects on the Trinity from a Cherokee perspective, and argues for an understanding of the Trinity that is not centered on ontological substance, but shalom relationally. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop traces the trends of African Trinitarian reflection. He encourages more sustained theological explication of the Trinity from African pastors and theologians, which has often gone neglected. Antonio Gonzales and C. Rosalee Veloso Ewell show how the doctrine of the Trinity prompts Christians to contribute to a prophetic voice in the community which calls into question sources of political power and preaches a holistic gospel that touches all areas of life. Natee Tanchanpongs evaluates the biblical authenticity of four past Asian interpretations of the Trinity. Finding these to be wanting, he suggests that, ‘Evangelical contextual theology must consist of a movement from one’s interpretive context toward the canonically anchored text’ (p. 119). Atsuhiro Asanao searches for maternal characteristics of the Trinitarian God and finds that Paul’s image of God is the ‘perfect union of male and female’ (p. 136). Zi Wang ends the volume by surveying the term ‘controversy’ within Chinese Christianity, and emphasizes the need for the Christian message to become all things for all peoples. This reader is unsure how Zi Wang’s essay fits in the book. While it is about God, it does not seem to be about the Trinity, but rather the term ‘controversy’ in Chinese Christianity.
On the whole, the book succeeds in bringing a wide range of voices from around the world, and accomplishes its goal of providing a kaleidoscopic range of evangelical understandings of the Trinity. It is a fitting introduction to evangelical Trinitarian thought from the Majority World.