Overview

"Do our images of ""one God in three persons"" reflect God well? Throughout history, Christians have pictured the relationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through analogies. Such illustrations--some from the West but also from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other places--come laden with theological ramifications that the church has rejected (heresies) or embraced (doctrines). In Three in One, William David Spencer shares a lifetime of insights from teaching within the global church, bringing fresh images and analogies of the Trinity to deepen our theological vocabulary. Drawing from his extensive teaching in geographically and culturally diverse contexts and his artist's passion for evocative words and visuals, Spencer offers readers a rich, multifaceted, and practical exploration of the Trinity. Alongside historical and contemporary theology and biblical studies, he considers the strengths and shortcomings of various analogies used to explain the Trinity, such as: Light Water The Celtic knot The totem pole Musical harmonies The human body The family Readers of Three in One will gain a personal understanding of the Trinity as well as tools for teaching about the Trinity in adult and children's ministry contexts."

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9780825446061

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Reviews

Bill Spencer has a penchant for going after the tough questions, and in Three in One he takes us on an important journey through the history, theology, and morphology of explaining the nature of the unexplainable. Concerned that we use illustrating images correctly in talking about the nature of the triune God, Spencer urges caution in our use of one-dimensional images for our multidimensional God. But he also reminds us of the profoundly effective ways in which Jesus's parables helped his listeners grasp truths about God. --Alice Mathews, PhD Lois W. Bennett Distinguished Professor Emerita, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) The Christian doctrine of the Trinity has been professed and debated by countless believers and scholars for two millennia. What more insight can a new book bring? Doctor Spencer's astute observations and robust arguments advocate for the use of imperfect imagery for better understanding of God and for effective evangelism. While the book will benefit anyone who wants to know more about the mysterious God they worship, the author as a renowned theologian and a lifelong urban minister intends it for thousands of his urban-campus seminary students who are bi-vocational ministers in practical ministries. It speaks volumes about using images and illustrations as legitimate and profitable ways to reveal the nature of God to profound effect. --Lance Pan investment research professional, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) William David Spencer treats us to a cultural linguistic medley on the identity of the Trinity in his book Three in One: Analogies for the Trinity. He brings to bear on the topic his energies as theologian, biblical scholar, novelist, and cultural critic. Spencer's goal is through language to ask whether the Bible really teaches that God is a Trinity, whether it is even legitimate to express the inexpressible in language. Jesus's example offers such permission. This sanction is followed by a cross-cultural analysis from early Christian exegesis into the present. The chapter that asks about an analogy to that of a family raises such questions as whether God has a wife, is gendered, or is best thought of as community. Spencer's answer to these and other questions takes us on a journey from the ancient Near East to the contemporary world through the eyes of one-third world scholars but also through those of students and theologians from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other cultures. Throughout, Spencer stays centered on the role of language, its capabilities and limits, while emphasizing the personal identity of the triune God in dynamic, analogical thinking.--Rev Rodney L Petersen, PhD visiting scholar, Duke Divinity School (1/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) At a time when many continue to revisit and reexamine the gains and losses of the so-called twentieth century Barthian and Rahnerian trinitarian 'revival', 'renaissance', or better put 'reengagement', here comes globally-minded churchman and biblical theologian Dr. William David Spencer's particular contribution to the growing literature: Three in One . While focusing on questions and issues attending to language, Spencer's Three in One is both a testament to his high view of Scripture as well as his expertise in the theological retrieval of the Christian tradition. What is unique to Three in One among many recently published treatises in trinitarian theology, is Spencer's evident trajectory as a life-long urban pastor-scholar and his urgent call to once again consider the practical implications of images for the Trinity. --David A. Escobar ThM, PhD Associate Professor of Theology and Director Hispanic Ministry Program, Western Theological Seminary (8/22/2022 12:00:00 AM)

Bill Spencer has a penchant for going after the tough questions, and in Three in One he takes us on an important journey through the history, theology, and morphology of explaining the nature of the unexplainable. Concerned that we use illustrating images correctly in talking about the nature of the triune God, Spencer urges caution in our use of one-dimensional images for our multidimensional God. But he also reminds us of the profoundly effective ways in which Jesus's parables helped his listeners grasp truths about God. --Alice Mathews, PhD Lois W. Bennett Distinguished Professor Emerita, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) The Christian doctrine of the Trinity has been professed and debated by countless believers and scholars for two millennia. What more insight can a new book bring? Doctor Spencer's astute observations and robust arguments advocate for the use of imperfect imagery for better understanding of God and for effective evangelism. While the book will benefit anyone who wants to know more about the mysterious God they worship, the author as a renowned theologian and a lifelong urban minister intends it for thousands of his urban-campus seminary students who are bi-vocational ministers in practical ministries. It speaks volumes about using images and illustrations as legitimate and profitable ways to reveal the nature of God to profound effect. --Lance Pan investment research professional, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1/17/2022 12:00:00 AM) William David Spencer treats us to a cultural linguistic medley on the identity of the Trinity in his book Three in One: Analogies for the Trinity. He brings to bear on the topic his energies as theologian, biblical scholar, novelist, and cultural critic. Spencer's goal is through language to ask whether the Bible really teaches that God is a Trinity, whether it is even legitimate to express the inexpressible in language. Jesus's example offers such permission. This sanction is followed by a cross-cultural analysis from early Christian exegesis into the present. The chapter that asks about an analogy to that of a family raises such questions as whether God has a wife, is gendered, or is best thought of as community. Spencer's answer to these and other questions takes us on a journey from the ancient Near East to the contemporary world through the eyes of one-third world scholars but also through those of students and theologians from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other cultures. Throughout, Spencer stays centered on the role of language, its capabilities and limits, while emphasizing the personal identity of the triune God in dynamic, analogical thinking.--Rev Rodney L Petersen, PhD visiting scholar, Duke Divinity School (1/17/2022 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

William David Spencer (ThD, Boston University School of Theology) is distinguished adjunct professor of theology and the arts at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Boston campus (Center for Urban Ministerial Education). He has authored, coauthored, or coedited eighteen books, including The Global God: Multicultural Evangelical Views of God and Global Voices on Biblical Equality: Women and Men Serving Together in the Church, as well as hundreds of publications in journals and periodicals. He has served in urban ministry for fifty-five years.

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