The God Who Is Triune: Revisioning the Christian Doctrine of God
"What a delight to find a mature systematic theologian who takes Jesus seriously when he talks about God! Coppedge actually believes Jesus meant it when he said that if one wants to know the Father or the Spirit that one must start with the Son. The result is that God becomes more than an idea, or a dogma, or one who is always a third-personal 'he' whom we know about. This triune God is shown to be a second-personal 'you' to whom one must respond with much more than a mere thought. Good stuff!" (Dennis F. Kinlaw, Founder, Francis Asbury Society, and Former President, Asbury College)"Allan Coppedge has produced a comprehensive trinitarian doctrine of God. His thirty years of praying, teaching and preaching have culminated in one of the clearest discussions of the holy One ever produced. Coppedge's facile handling of ancient resources and the most recent theological assessments of the divine nature, as well as his offering of a new paradigm for relating holiness and love in the personhood of God, are more than gratifying--this is a unique call to a theological revolution. With Jesus at the center he deftly draws all the major trinitarian commonplaces into a tapestry of divine roles. That rigorous biblical framework provides the backdrop for several key issues: triune theism, personhood, the relationship of holiness and love, a trinitarian worldview, a dynamic view of providence, and a rigorous challenge to open theism. Allan Coppedge has spent his life making disciples of Jesus Christ. This masterful text is one facet of that life-giving ministry--that which feeds the mind so that the heart and the life can please the triune One who has made us in his image. Teachers, pastors and anyone who wants to think more clearly about God and to live in the dynamic life of personal holy love will benefit from this text." (M. William Ury, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi)"Allan Coppedge has shown us how the recently revived interest in the Trinity can lead us to some new answers to some old theological conundrums. He has shown us a way forward, and we owe him a debt of gratitude." (John Oswalt, Research Professor of Old Testament, Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi)