TRINITY AND TRANSFORMATION

The triune God of grace, James B. Torrance tirelessly insisted, is the true agent to transform worship, mission, and society. Unfortunately, the church often lapses into moralism and legalism, or exhortations and condemnations, rather than witnessing to the sole-sufficient grace of God in Christ. When we neglect the Trinity, a de facto unitarianism throws the church back onto its own existence and resources. In Christ, however, the church participates through the Spirit in union with Christs communion with the Father. By so doing, it also participates in Christs mission to the world. The essays of this volume articulate and extend Torrances evangelical theology, which draws attention away from ourselves and toward the triune God who is for us and for the world. James B. Torrance was the professor with the pastors heart. As his student at New College, Edinburgh, I particularly valued his emphasis on unconditional grace. The indicatives are prior to the imperatives, he would often say. In other words, what God has already done for us in Christ must be proclaimed as gospel first before we talk about what our response should be. His focus was on teaching more than publishing, but this book will help continue his evangelical emphasis on worship, community, and the triune God of grace. --Thomas Noble, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, and Nazarene Theological College, Manchester James B. Torrance was one of the finest teachers of theology of his generation. His clarity of thought, extroverted love for the Lord Jesus, and gentle pastoral spirit all combined to leave a profound mark on those who sat in his classrooms. The urgency of his denunciation of apartheid in South Africa based on the reconciling work of God in Christ marked him as a prophetic voice among his peers. This timely collection of essays is a fine statement of the respect that he holds and his enduring legacy that continues among us. --Andrew Purves, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Todd Speid