Gunton's Theory
Maria
I wanted to share this with you in the hope of receiving some
feedback. If you do not remember, I am trying to apply Gunton's
Trinitarian Theological Theory to Public Administration. I am
extracting his theory from the book the One the Three and the Many. I
wil continue to read his other books: I will start with The Promise of
Trinitarian Theology, then follow with Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
and thrid the Triune Ceator. I figure these will be a good start. Then
I will follow with the ones I can get my hands on.
This has been quite challenging. Please keep in mind that I am not a
theologian and will appreciate any feedback in the form of reading,
concepts, or critique. Thank you for everyones help.
Colin Gunton’s Trinitarian Theological Theory
Book: The One the Three and the Many: God Creation and the Culture of
Modernity
Gunton in his book is addressing the need for healing the three
realms: the intellectual, the moral and the aesthetic which have been
not only been disengaged but displaced. The disengagement has taken
place from each other, from their reality, and their origin or nature.
Their displacement has taken place in the misunderstanding of
knowledge, goodness, and beauty (truth). His recommended healing is
not to be understood in an individual manner, but in pursue for a
different understanding where all three should in some understanding
carry the same weight in conceptualization. He recommends theology,
and more precisely, a Trinitarian theological theory.
His theory is mapped below. This should help its application to
the particular, immanent, material while creating a communion with the
universal, transcendental, and immaterial. Within the understanding of
this theory, the first step will be to define Trinity, or at least
Trinity as Gunton understands it. This can be said to be a difficult
aspect of the theory not only because the concept of the Trinity
itself is complex, but also because in his book there is not one
chapter that addresses this directly. He notes the meaning of Trinity
throughout the book.
• One: God, Son, and Spirit; Particular (created – man, earth,
universe) & (Points to the distinctiveness of the persons - 153)
o God: The Creator, System of Universal Coordinates (71)
o The Son: exchanged in economy of divine (158)
o The Spirit: “to do with the crossing of boundaries” relatedness;
“that which is or has spirit is to be open to that which is other than
itself, to move into relation” - 181
• Three: The Trinity (“in the first instance a way of
characterizing the being of God” - 145;“the primary Idea, from which
all ideas evolve” – 144; “richness and diversity of the ways of the
one God towards and in the world”; God’s agency forming a unity
through time and space” -158; a mutually involved personal dynamic” –
163/ communion: “a unity of persons in relation”- 215)
• Many: Collective, Particulars within the Trinity
The second aspect of this theory that will need addressing is
going to be based on the question whether a theological theory can be
applied in a secular environment? Is it possible to apply theological
terms to the efficient and positive programme of public
administration? This question itself is something that on the surface
can be answered in two ways:
• One is if one believes theology to exist only in the realm of
the immaterial or spiritual without relation to the material the
answer will be no. The application of theological principles can not
take place
• However, if one subscribes to Gunton’s call to heal the world
from its fragmented reality, and accepts the conceptualization of the
possible realm where the material and the immaterial, the secular and
the spiritual, the empirical and the theory can relate and exist in a
communion, then the answer is yes. It is possible, and even necessary
to apply theological concepts to a secular environment.
Furthermore, one more aspect that needs to be addressed and that
can be possibly the most difficult question in the application of the
theory is whether the application of a theological theory be possible
for someone that is an atheist or believes certain aspects of society
should not be based on religious basis?
Lastly, there will be a need to address the concept of Social
Trinitarian Theory. This is because in the last chapter of the book
Gunton states that a Trinitarian Theological Theory is not a Social
Trinitarin Theory.
One can see that the call or invitation from Gunton is simple but
quite complex. He invites everyone to think beyond the secular without
creating an absolute value of the spiritual over the secular. He
intends to revolutionize the need to over power, of absolutism, while
offering the solution for relativism. His approach in not something
along the median, mean, or middle of the road, but an acceptance of
something more, a communion.
(I could not post the image of the mapping any help will be
appreciated).