the social God

Currently, I'm reading Daniel Migliore's "Faith Seeking Understanding", and I am re-reading Stan Grenz's "Theology for the Community of God" and "The Social God and the Relational Self". This week, I read their thoughts about the personage of God. Migliore describes the doctrine of God as the core of Christian theology. The problem with discerning the person of God lies in the people doing the work of discernment. The logically, philosophical, and emotional presuppositions that humans bring to the task can taint the truth of who God is. In the tradition of this doctrine, Migliore suggests 3 distinct demoralizing issues. First, the history of God's presence in the midst of evil is called into question. By claiming terrible acts in God's name corrupt humans have corrupted the truth about who God is. Migliore describes a second problem in the inference that the traditional views of God are disconnected from modern experiences with God. Migliore also explains a problem that is championed by feminist theology, in that images of God are presented out of a tradition of sexism/racism, and are therefore spoiled by prejudice.The author offers that a holistic and true picture of God can be found in the Christian confession of the Trinity; and it is the essential attribute of God. The doctrine of the trinity began during the patristic era of the second- and third-centuries, but the Roman emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicea in 325 serve as a landmark beginning for general interest and debate of this widespread Christian belief. Externally, the church around 300 was first beginning to take form. Christians could be found in all classes of society throughout the Roman Empire. The modern canon was taking shape and being taught in churches at Alexandria, Rome, Antioch of Syria, and in homes throughout the empire. Internal struggles for power and authority within the church led to many changes and variations in Christian belief during the early fourth century. Salvation had shifted from mere faith in Christ to being found in the sacraments; and personal faith in Christ was replaced by faith in one’s loyalty to the Church. Most early Christians claimed to be the continuation of the work of the God of the Old Testament era. Many early Christians also recognized that God was revealed through Jesus, thus laying the foundation for the belief of His deity. Grenz states that “At the same time, in keeping with the pattern set by [Christ] himself, his followers clearly differentiated between Jesus as the Son and the one whom he claimed to be both his and their Father (e.g., Rom. 15:5-6).” Grenz also added that “Not only did the early Christian faith consist of the confession of Jesus and the belief in one God, it also included the assertion that God is now present among his people through the Holy Spirit.” During his ministry on earth, Jesus described and even named the Spirit’s role (e.g., Matt 28:19; John 14:16). This third part of the Trinity was understood to be part of the “personal, divine reality within the Christian fellowship.” As the early patristics laid a Trinitarian foundation for Christian belief, three distinct schools of Christian thought had developed and displayed antagonism to one another. Even so, Constantine saw Christianity as a growing institution that could save, or at least prolong the dying Roman Empire. For Christianity to unite the Empire, first, Constantine had to unite Christianity. He planned to settle a major Christian controversy on the question of deity of Jesus with the Council of Nicea.