This essay is interested in T. F. Torrance’s dogmatic theology, which was shaped from beginning to end by his belief that the doctrine of the Trinity was the ground and grammar of theology. Several of Torrance’s key insights were shaped by his belief that what God is toward us, he is internally and eternally within himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The author makes the point, along with Torrance, that when the language of theology is not shaped by who God eternally is and what God actually has done and is doing in history in his Word and Spirit, we are not only cut off from God but cut off from our neighbors. The doctrine of the Trinity is not only shown to be the center of all of Torrance’s doctrines, but moreover suggested to be the center of the reader’s.
The Institute for Cultural Engagement, an official program of Multnomah University and Biblical Seminary