Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

Manifold Witness 5

posted by Scot McKnight | 12:05am Tuesday October 27, 2009

ManWit.jpgJohn Franke, in his new and exciting book Manifold Witness: The Plurality of Truth (Living Theology) addresses the topic of truth. 

No one speaks entirely for the emerging conversation, but many speak against the emerging conversation as if it can be narrowed to one point of view. This is why it is important for critics to read what John Franke says about truth, ultimate Truth:
“Simply for me… Truth … is a person, Jesus Christ” (43). Thus, “Knowing truth and participating in truth depend … on being properly related to this one person who is divine truth” (44). But, there’s more: Jesus is not alone the truth, he is the Truth in relation to the Father. And he is Truth in relation to the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit. Here John is working with John 14 and John 15. Truth, then, is bound up with and identical to the persons of the Trinity (45). God, for the Christian, is the Triune God.

But some, Franke observes, say the Trinity is not used as a term in the Bible, so Franke observes this in response: “theological teaching which the early Christians understood as defending the central faith convictions of the Bible and the church” (47). It was a “nonnegotiable of the gospel” (47).
Trinitarian thinking preserves the monotheism of the Old Testament and the unmistakable belief of the exalted status of Jesus Christ and the Spirit. The challenge of connecting these two beliefs — God’s oneness and the deity of Christ and the Spirit — led to the Trinity as the only way to make sense of the Christian God.
John tells a story of a conversation with students who knew one had to believe in the Trinity but could neither define it nor show its impact on daily living. John thinks Trinity matters deeply:
God is as God acts, and God’s acts are love. The eternal Trinitarian relationship is one of love. That inner love is a unity-in-plurality and a plurality-in-love. In this (perichoretic) relationship, we learn two things about God — who is Truth:
1. God is Social: three persons in one, one in three.
2. God is missional: the Father “sends” love to the Son and the Son “sends” love to the Spirit” and the Spirit “sends” and … each is missionally related to the other. As one Being, Three Persons. But there’s more: the missional God sends his love to the created world in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God creates as an extension of love and he redeems in that same love.


Leave a Comment ยป
Related Topics: Emerging Movement
beliefnet
  list archives most recent most popular  
beliefnet
Previous Posts

This blog is no longer active
This blog is no longer being actively updated. Please feel free to browse the archives or: Read our most popular inspiration blog See our most popular inspirational video Take our most popular quiz

posted 3:10:39pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Our Common Prayerbook 30 - 3
Psalm 30 thanks God (vv. 1-3, 11-12) and exhorts others to thank God (vv. 4-5). Both emerge from the concrete reality of David's own experience. Here is what that experience looks like:Step one: David was set on high and was flourishing at the hand of God's bounty (v. 7a).Step two: David became too

posted 12:15:30pm Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Theology After Darwin 1 (RJS)
One of the more important and more difficult pieces of the puzzle as we feel our way forward at the interface of science and faith is the theological implications of discoveries in modern science. A comment on my post Evolution in the Key of D: Deity or Deism noted: ...this reminds me of why I get a

posted 6:01:52am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Almost Christian 4
Who does well when it comes to passing on the faith to the youth? Studies show two groups do really well: conservative Protestants and Mormons; two groups that don't do well are mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. Kenda Dean's new book is called Almost Christian: What the Faith of Ou

posted 12:01:53am Aug. 31, 2010 | read full post »

Let's Get Neanderthal!
The Cave Man Diet, or Paleo Diet, is getting attention. (Nothing is said about Culver's at all.) The big omission, I have to admit, is that those folks were hunters -- using spears or smacking some rabbit upside the conk or grabbing a fish or two with their hands ... but that's what makes this diet

posted 2:05:48pm Aug. 30, 2010 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments read comments(5)
post a comment
Alan

posted October 27, 2009 at 1:56 pm


The image was pointed out to me by my friend Nick. He said it reminded him of my final project for a photo class. It was one to tell Scripture with hands. There are pairs of images meant to convey different Biblical stories. I just found it to be super interesting.
Do you know where your image came from?



report abuse
 

Rick

posted October 27, 2009 at 2:51 pm


Truth, then, is bound up with and identical to the persons of the Trinity (45). God, for the Christian, is the Triune God… It was a “nonnegotiable of the gospel” (47)…John thinks Trinity matters deeply…”
But is this emphasized enough in many evangelical churches? Unfortunately, I am not sure it is.



report abuse
 

Dana Ames

posted October 27, 2009 at 6:35 pm


This is the section that resonates with me most out of all you have posted, Scot.
It’s no accident that the Trinity is evoked so often in EO liturgy and prayer. As my priest said to me months ago, our worship is about THIS God, THIS One- the One that is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Dana



report abuse
 

Kevin Cassidy

posted October 27, 2009 at 6:56 pm


The passages you’ve quoted are interesting and contain power and truth. I do not see how they are themselves controversial, nor how they answer any of the critical concerns with the emergent conversation. These passages show where there is agreement, not discord.
Is there something from this basis that is extrapolated with which is disagreed?



report abuse
 

Michael W. Kruse

posted October 27, 2009 at 9:26 pm


Just got the book in the mail today. I’ve got nothing to add to this conversation but I’m looking forward to reading it.



report abuse
 

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.

Share this story

Related Topics: Emerging Movement
beliefnet
  list archives most recent most popular  
beliefnet

About Beliefnet

Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

Help

Media Kit

Subscribe

Legal

Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

Advertisement

Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.