Fred Sanders 'Embracing The Trinity' is on the whole a good book, if not especially easy to read. At least it is a timely reminder to Evangelicals of our Trinitarian roots and a need to have Trinitarian thinking well embedded in our theology and practice of Christian living.
Sanders writes that the Trinity isn't for anything, the Trinity is God. (page 61). So, even to ask, 'What is the Trinity for?' is to misunderstand what God is revealing of himself when he reveals his Trinitarian nature to us.
The best chapter is chapter 4 'The Shape of the Gospel'. In this long chapter Sanders clearly relates the Trinity to all of the Gospel in a most helpful way. On p. 136-141 writing of the work of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel Sanders uses the phrase 'the Holy Spirit puts us in our place'. This is not used to demean but to teach us that the Holy Spirit, by his powerful indwelling work, places us within the Gospel story.
One final point, writing (page 113) on the depth of the Gospel and of '"head" Christians who mistakenly believe that being "theologically correct" is the sum and substance of Christian living.' and quoting Henry Scougal we read:
Scougal indicts, I consider these "orthodox notions" believers to be the nearest to the real thing, but for that reason they are probably the most thoroughly trapped. If you tell one of these top-heavy believers that they are missing out on the reality of salvation, they will immediately make room in their intellectual systerm for a doctrine about "the reality of salvation." They earnestly seek to embrace all God's truth, but if you tell them they are missing the power of godliness, they will buy (or write) a book about it. dp a Bible study about it, or in some other way try to put together a proper doctine about it.
Indeed!
On the whole a good book. Not to be recommended to young Christians or those without some theological background or interest.
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