M. James Sawyer - Resurrecting the Trinity: A Plea to Recover the Wonder and Meaning of the Triune God

The Trinity has rightly come in for sustained attention over the past few decades, as theologians have relearned what we had nearly forgotten, namely, that the Trinity is the ground and grammar of all theology. It is now time for high Trinitarian theology to be translated into language for the churches, and that is what Sawyer is doing in this book. In simple language he explains complex realities and shows why the doctrine of the Trinity is deeply relational and issues out of and then back into rich and intimate worship.

Myk Habets, Dean of Faculty, Head of Carey Graduate School, and
Lecturer in Systematic Theology, Carey Baptist College (New Zealand)

Sawyer presents a very lively account of the Trinity, not as abstract theology, but as an explanation of how the one God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three divine persons. He has read widely, writes eloquently, and constantly interacts with modern culture. I was pleased to see he rejects any hierarchical ordering in the Trinity, affirming unambiguously that the three persons are co-equal God, as the Athanasian Creed asserts.

Kevin Giles, author of The Eternal Generation of the Son:
Maintaining Orthodoxy in Trinitarian Theology

Without a doubt, although Trinitarian discussions abound in the academia today, the doctrine of the Trinity remains to be highly misunderstood, consciously marginalized, and ignorantly unappreciated by many Christians in the local church. Sawyer makes a passionate appeal to give the doctrine of the Trinity a chance. By intentionally looking at it, he asserts, we will come to appreciate its internal splendor and its many personal, soteriological, and missional implications. Sawyer invites us to prepare ourselves to be dazzled by a beauty that our eyes often fail to notice. Resurrecting the Trinity addresses the most common (mis)understandings and answers the most common questions related to the doctrine. The books practical approach makes it like a Trinitarian FAQ page.

Dick O. Eugenio, Associate Professor of Theology at Asia-Pacific
Nazarene Theological Seminary, Philippines

This is an important work of spiritual theology. Sawyer deftly integrates historical and systematic theology with sound exegesis and relevant cultural references, making the overall work a pleasant read, albeit one requiring focused attention. I heartily recommend this work for colleges and seminaries, pastors committed to deeper discipleship in their congregations and any thoughtful believer who wonders why there is such a gap between official theology and everyday spiritualty.

Charlie E. Self, Professor of Church History,
The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

I highly commend this fascinating and highly relevant contribution to Trinitarian studies, applicable both to the theologically initiated, and those less familiar. Eager readers, no matter their background, will gain both theological insight and spiritual encouragement.

Eric Sorenson, Pastor of Christian Formation,
Community Covenant Church, Santa Barbara, CA

Sawyers theologically meaty book is not for the fainthearted. Sawyer means to confront modern misconceptions about God, ones which cut across numerous denominational lines. In his own words, Failure to come to grips with the Trinity as persons in eternal self-giving relationships of love is perhaps the greatest failure of the Western church. Sawyer tackles this problem head-on, digging into Scripture with the help of early church fathers and theologians. Resurrecting the Trinity is a helpful introduction to nuances in Trinitarian thought for the serious Christian reader.

Victor Kuligin, Academic Dean and Lecturer,
Bible Institute of South Africa

To paraphrase Augustine, nothing is as arduous, adventurous, or advantageous as grappling with the Trinity. In this spirit, we vigorously go to the mat for the reasonableness of the doctrine. But frequently we get tied in knots when wrestling with its ramifications for life. With careful instruction and insightful cues, Sawyer ingrains in us a Trinitarian reflex that will strain every sinew of our worship, work, and walk. Indeed, he pushes us to constantly and comprehensively maneuver as one with the Three-in-One.

J. Ed Komoszewski, coauthor, Reinventing Jesus and
Putting Jesus in His Place

This book is a prophetic call for the church to recover orthodoxy via orthopraxis but abandoning the clich and the novel in Christianity. How the church does will depend on whether she is willing to heed this call. Getting our God out of our idolatrous box will be a tall task, but it is well worth it.

Sam Tsang, Associate Professor, Hong Kong Baptist Theological
Seminary; Adjunct Professor, Ambrose University College (Canada)

Sawyer calls on a return to the doctrine of the Trinity as the theological root of all other Christian doctrines and as its unifying foundation. He effectively exposes the danger of any expression or beliefdirect or indirectthat sees no relevance for this doctrine. The book is rich with the historical development of Trinitarian Christian thought, and shows how erroneous theologians, having conceived God in their fallen imaginations, have dangerously made their theological systems their theological methods. Sawyers book is a welcome contribution to help recover any unfortunate disregard for the Trinity.

Imad N. Shehadeh, President and Professor of Theology, Jordan
Evangelical Theological Seminary

This book explains the Trinity from a base of scholarly work in the Bible and historical theology, but makes it real through his own experience along with examples from movies and stories. I appreciated very much both the theological and relational emphases in the book.

David Owen, President, Professor of Old Testament,
Pacific Islands University (Guam)

Resurrecting the Trinity: A Plea to Recover the Wonder and Meaning of the Triune God

2017 by M. James Sawyer

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

LexhamPress.com

First edition by Weaver Book Company.

All rights reserved. You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the NET Bible copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC (www.bible.org). Scripture quoted by permission. All rights reserved. This material is available in its entirety as a free download or for online web use at http://bible.org/.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version.

Print ISBN 9781683591504

Digital ISBN 9781683591511

Cover design: Frank Gutbrod