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tdwightdavis's review
3.0
I'm not entirely sure what to do with this book. It's beautifully written, theologically rich, well researched, tightly argued. All great things. But I don't know why it exists. There's nothing particularly new offered here, and that's kind of Sonderegger's point, I think. Rather than begin the doctrine of God as most contemporary theologians do with a doctrine of the Trinity, Sonderegger argues for the unicity of the One God (with all the random capitalizations that entails, I guess). Sonderegger knows her church history, to be sure. But contemporary voices are missing in favor of nineteenth century theologians with a smattering of Fathers and medieval thinkers. The work is by turns dense and academic and also pastoral and sermonic. There were some great bits. I appreciate Sonderegger's take on gender and God, but I do wonder why she continually refers to God in masculine terms even when she argues that's not necessary. I also appreciated her brief covering of a doctrine of scripture, something I hope she fleshed out in later volumes.
I just can't nail down exactly what's going on here or why this project exists. And, although my liberationist proclivities bristle at doing doctrine in a way that has no immediate, concrete liberatory implications, I'm reserving judgment until some of the later volumes appear, especially those on anthropology and christology.
I just can't nail down exactly what's going on here or why this project exists. And, although my liberationist proclivities bristle at doing doctrine in a way that has no immediate, concrete liberatory implications, I'm reserving judgment until some of the later volumes appear, especially those on anthropology and christology.
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