DOCTRINE OF THE TRIUNE GOD

ICD/PV/BD I & II/3

Christian doctrine aims to describe the way things are. It is concerned to tell the truth, in order that
we may enter into and act upon that truth. It is an expression of a responsible and caring faith- a
faith which is prepared to give an account of itself, and give careful consideration of its implications
for the way in which we live. To care about doctrine is to care about the reliability of the foundations
of the Christian life.
Doctrine is our response to the action of God It is a human mental reaction to the historical action of
God. It arises from the passionate commitment of the Christian Church to tell the truth about God,
and show up the weakness and poverty of non-Christian understandings of who God is and what he
is like on the other hand, and who human beings are on the other.
1. God the Father/Mother, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
a. Godhead as Trinity

Tertullian invented the word trinity (Latin, trinitas). The basic feature of the doctrine of God, the
Trinity is that there are three persons in the Godhead- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit- and that
these are to be regarded as equally divine and of equal status. The co-equality of the father Son was
established through the Christological debates leading up to the Council of Nicaea; the divinity of the
Spirit was established later, especially through the writings of Athanasius and Basil of Caesarea.

The doctrine of the Trinity can be regards as the outcome of a process of sustained and critical
reflection on the pattern of divine intervention revealed in Scripture, and continued in Christian
experience. Though the term trinity is not at all used in the Bible directly, the concept of trinity is
vivid in it. Scripture bears witness to a G who demands to be understood in a Trinitarian manner.
(Gen 1; Jn.1; Mt. 28:18-20; 2Cor. 13:13).

b. Trinitarian Interpretations: Western, Eastern and Indian

Concerning the manner in which The Trinity was to be understood, there were two major Trinitarian
interpretations, that is, eastern and western approaches.

Eastern approach tended to emphasise the distinct individuality of the three persons or hypostases,
and to safeguard their unity by stressing the fact that both the Son and the Spirit derived from the
Father. The relation between the persons or hypostases is ontological (based on nature of being),
grounded in what persons they are. Thus the relation of the Son to the Father is defined in terms of
“being begotten” and “sonship”.

There was a great deal of confusion over terminology in East and West. Eg. Hypostasis and ousia
were considered to be synonyms by Origen and by the Council of Nicea. Later the Nicene party
(assuming one ousia and the equivalence of ousia and hypostasis) condemned the Semi-Arians for
the use of three hypostaseis and accused them of trietheism. The Semi-Arians, taking the terms the
other way around as referring to the distinctions rather than the unity of the godhead, accused the
Nicenes of Sabellianism, It was the contribution of the Cappadocian fathers to distinguish ousia and

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hypostasis, and apply ousia to the unity and hypostasis to the distinctions. This usage was confirmed
at the Council of Constantinople in 381.

The final view of the East in line with Cappadocian theology is as follows: an hypostasis is
somewhere between a substance and an attribute. Like an attribute it presupposes a substance, and
like a substance it has attributes. If hypostasis meant substance, the result would be tritheism. If it
meant attribute, the result would be Sabellianism. Ousia means fundamental reality, that which
makes a thing what it is in distinction from something else, that which exists in itself independently
of anything else, that in which attributes, qualities, and properties inhere. Hypostasis means mode of
being, the way in which a substance exists, the manner in which a reality is presented. The wester
affirmation of one substantia sounded like Sabellianism in the East. The affirmation of three
hypostaseis sounded like tritheism in the West.

The western conception of the trinity can be observed in Augustine’s work, On the Trinity. He too
stresses the unity of essence and the Trinity of Persons. Each one of the three Persons possesses the
entire essence, and is in so far identical with the essence and with each one of the other Persons.
They are not like three human persons, each one of which possesses only a part of generic human
nature. The word, person does not satisfy Augustine as a designation of the relationship in which the
three stand to one another; still he continues to use it, as he says, not in order to express the
relationship, but in order not to be silent. In this conception of the Trinity the Holy Spirit is naturally
regarded as proceeding, not only from the Father, but also from the Son.

Augustine gave the classical formulation of the western tradition a strong emphasis on the divine
unity. His fundamental principle was the famous Trinitarian rule: the external acts of the trinity are
indivisible. He also emphasized the equality of the personae and stated that the distinctions are
grounded in their mutual relations in the godhead.

In Brohma Bandhav Upadhyaya, the Indian theologian’s view, Sachitananda is the concept
of Trinity:

The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit

The Creator, the Exemplar The Sanctifier
‘I am’, I love’, ‘I save’
The Still God, the Journeying God, the Returning God
Force, Wisdom, Holiness
The True, the Good, the Beautiful
Sat (Truth), Cit (Intelligence), Ānanda (Joy)

c. The Concept of Perichoresis and its social implications

It is the idea of mutual interpenetration. Perichoresis concept allows the individuality of the persons
to be maintained, while insisting that each person shares in the life of the other two. An image often
used to express this idea is that of “a community of being, ‘in which each person, while maintaining
its distinctive identity, penetrates the others and is penetrated by them.
This concept of perechoresis has important implications for Christian political thought, as Leonardo
Boff (Brazilian theologian) and other theologians concerned with political theology have made clear.
The mutual relationships among three co-equal persons within the Godhead have been argued to

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provide a model both for human relationships within communities and for Christian political and
social theorizing.

2. God the Father/Mother

a. Features of Christian Understanding of God (Attributes, Analogies, Metaphors and

Symbols)
God’s attributes are His characteristics like transcendence, immanence, omnipotent, omnipresence,
omniscience etc. Analogy of God provides the idea that what is God alike: God as Redeemer. (Job
19:25) This concept is mentioned about 160 times in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament. The
Bible is filled with hundreds of metaphors for God like shepherd, father, rock, king. Symbol is a thing
that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something
abstract.eg. My Rock, My Mountain etc.
b. Understanding of God from the Margins (feminist, Dalit, Adivasi, tribal etc.)
There are also social and political consequences to our images of God. As theologians Mary Daly and
Judith Plaskow have pointed out, the characteristics we attribute to God will always be those
characteristics we value most highly in our own society: we will value what we take God to be (and
perhaps, conversely, it’s what we value that we take God to be). So if we say that a core
characteristic of God is mercy, we will value merciful people. If we imagine God as one who
nurtures, we will value nurturing. If we pray to a God who is a property owner (as in the parables of
the vineyard), we will admire people who own houses and land. If we focus instead on God as a
homeless man (as in Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58), we might accord homeless people more esteem.
3. JESUS CHRIST
a. Historical Jesus and the Reign of God
Our Knowledge of Jesus Christ is not simply “academic’ or historical knowledge; it is faith
knowledge. The biblical witness and the proclamation of the church do not intend simply to inform
us about the fact that a man named Jesus once lived a boble life, taught precious truths, and died a
tragic death. What the Bible and the church want primarily to affirm about this person is that in him
God brings forgiveness, liberation, reconciliation, and new life to the world. A soteriological
dimension is present in every later of New Testament tradition and in all the classical Christological
affirmations of the Church.
Jesus Christ cannot be properly understood in a vacuum; he cane be rightly identified only within the
context of God’s purpose and activity in the history of the people of Israel and throughout the
cosmos. The New Testament proclaims that Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant of God with his
people and thus presupposes an understanding of the history and hope of Israel.
b. Select understanding of Jesus Christ in the New Testament

Titles of Jesus Christ: Son of God, (sonship as heir, perfect obedience to father, full
freedom with father) Son of Man (Mark’s gospel: Jesus’ own naming), Messiah, Lord etc.
Metaphors signifying work of Christ: Redeemer, Reconciler, Saviour etc.
Kenotic (self-emptying: Phil. 2:1-9) and Cosmological understanding of Work of Christ
In Jesus Christ God and humanity are united in mutual self-giving love. It is a union of the Spirit in
which there is reciprocal self-limitation and total openness of each to the other. The divinity and
humanity of Jesus are neither confused (monophysitism) nor separated (Nestorianism). It is the very

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nature of God to be self-giving, other-affirming, and community-creating. Life in mutuality and
fellowship does not diminish but defines the reality of God.
‘‘The Cosmic Christ’’ refers to the presence of God (in Christian belief as the second person of the
Trinity) in all things. Christ’s presence, according to multiple biblical sources (notably, the prologue
of John’s Gospel and the understanding of Christ as the firstborn of all creation, as presented in the
passage from Paul quoted earlier), has been active ever since there was a material world, which it
should be emphasized is, for Christians, the created universe. This notion of Christ’s presence in all
things is a significant insight. Such a worldview is well poised to support socio-ecological action.
Ecotheologically speaking, the Cosmic Christ was especially or particularly incarnated in Jesus of
Nazareth. It follows that the union between the Cosmic Christ and humanity unfolded in a uniquely
intense manner in the person of Jesus. The resultant doctrine of the Incarnation can be taken not
only as an affirmation of the importance of humanity but also as an affirmation of the importance
of creation, inclusive of ‘‘the flesh’’ and other elements of the natural world: ‘‘I came that they
may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]’’ (John 10:10). What
for many Christians is the central doctrine of their faith can be thus an impetus to participate, in
however a small and humble manner, in Christ’s work of bringing all the universe toward peace and
reconciliation of a type that is incompatible with environmental injustice.
c. Select Understanding of Jesus Christ in the Early Church
The debates upon person and work of Christ in the early Church took place largely in the
Mediterranean world and were conducted in the Greek language. It was often done in the light of
the presuppositions of major Greek schools of philosophy. This points out the fact that many of the
central terms of the Christological debates of the early Church are Greek, often with a history of use
within the Greek philosophical tradition.
The main landmarks of the patristic (early Church fathers’ era) Christological debate upon the two
natures of Jesus Christ (divinity and humanity) are in terms of two schools, two debates, and two
councils, as follows:
Schools:- The Alexandrian School tended to place emphasis upon the divinity of Christ, and
interpret that divinity in terms of “the world becoming incarnate.” The scriptural text which was of
central importance to this school is John 1:14, “the world became flesh, and dwelt among us.” This
emphasis upon the idea of incarnation led to the festival of Christmas being seen as especially
important. The Antiochene School, however, placed a corresponding emphasis upon the humanity
of Christ, and attached especial importance to his moral example.
Debates:- The Arian controversy of the fourth century is widely regarded as one of the most
significant in the history of the Christian Church. Arius (250-336) argued that the scriptural titles for
Christ, which appeared to point to his being of equal status with God, were merely courtesy titles.
Christ was to be regarded as a creature, although nevertheless as pre-eminent amongst other
creatures. This provoked a hostile response from Athanasius, who argued that the divinity of Christ
was of central importance to the Christian understanding of salvation. He declared that Arius’
Christology was inadequate. Arius’ Christ could not redeemed fallen humanity. In the end, Arianism,
the movement associated with Arius, was declared to be heretical. This was followed by the
Apollinarian debate, which centered on Apollinaris, who was a vigorous opponent of Arius. He
argued that Christ could not be regarded as being totally human. In Christ’s case, the human spirit
was replaced by the divine logos. As a result, Christ did not possess full humanity. This position was
regarded as severely deficient by writers such as Gregory of Nazianzen, in that it implied that Christ
could not fully redeem human nature.
Councils:- The Council of Nicaea (325) was convened by Constantine, the first Christian emperor,
with a view to sorting out the destabilizing Christological disagreements within his empire. This was
the first “ecumenical council” (that is, an assembly of Christians drawn from the entire Christian

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world, whose decisions are regarded as normative for the churches). This council settled the Arian
controversy by affirming that Jesus was homoousios (“one in being” or “of one substance”) with the
Fathers, thus rejecting the Arian position in favour of a vigorous assertion of the divinity of Christ.
The Council of Chalcedon (451), the fourth ecumenical council, confirmed the decisions of Nicea,
and responded to new debates which had subsequently erupted over the humanity of Christ. Thus
Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine in nature.

d. Select Understanding of Jesus Christ in the Contemporary Discussions

Schleiermacher presented Jesus as the Archetype. .For Karl Barth, Jesus is the revelational presence
of God. Albert Schweitzer presented Jesus is the proclaimer of the imminent coming of the
Kingdom of God. Paul Tillich presented Jesus as the New Being, For Dietrich Bonhoeffer; Jesus was
the Man for others. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin affirmed the concept of Cosmic Christ.
According liberation Christology, Jesus is the liberator. Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff,
Jon Sobrino and others have a Christology “from below” (starting with the concrete historical
ministry of Jesus). For them God in Christ entered into utmost solidarity with the poor. Jesus
proclaimed and inaugurated the rule of the gracious and righteous God that encompasses the whole
of life including political, social, cultural affairs. For them Christian faith in Christ is faith commitment
to Jesus, the liberator.
Rosemary Radford Ruether presents Jesus as the messianic prophet, a political figure who
proclaims a this-worldly and non-eschatological kingdom of justice and peace. She is sympathetic
with women who conclude that the maleness of Christ is so fundamental to Christianity that women
cannot see themselves as liberated through him. She is critical of androgynous Christologies and
concludes that a prophetic iconoclastic liberationist Christology is the only possible one for women.

Another version of liberationist Christology is offered by James H. Cone. He asserts that the title
of Jesus as Black Messiah is “the only meaningful Christological statement in our time.”
“Blackness”is defined as participation in being oppressed and in liberation from oppression. It is
because Jesus was a Jew, identified with his people in their oppression, and especially with the
outcast, in order to liberate them that he is properly described as black.

Process theology offers important new insights on Christology. John B. Cobb Jr., borrowing an
idea from art of history, defines “Christ” as the image of a process of creative transformation of our
imagnination and life orientation. He argues that this process is produced by the universal presence
of the transcendent Logos. Since the Logos was distinctively embodied in Jesus, Jesus is properly
called the Christ.

4. THE HOLY SPIRIT

a. Biblical Understanding of the Holy Spirit
In English language, three words- wind, breath and spirit- are used to translate the single Hebrew
term, ruach. But the depth of meaning cannot be expressed fully by these English words.
Biblically, Spirit is narrated as wind (Exod.14:21; Isa. 40:7), breath, something associated with life
(Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 37:1-14) and charism, which means filling of an individual with the spirit of God
(Gen. 41:38-9; Judges 14:6).
The terms Word and Wisdom are applied to Christ, and Old Testament texts concerning the Spirit of
God are applied to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The Spirit is God’s personal presence and

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activity in the world, from creation, through the history of Israel, especially in Jesus, and in the
church as a foretaste of the fulfillment.
In the New Testament, the Spirit is intimately related to Jesus and his ministry. More precisely, Jesus
and the Spirit are interdependent. Jesu is both the receiver and the giver of the Spirit. On the other
hand, Jesus is the gift of the Spirit. The New Testament attests primarily the work of the Spirit in the
life and ministry of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit from the Father and/or the risen Lord to the
church. The New Testament authors speak of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ synonymously.
And they speak of the activity of the risen Lord and the Spirit in the same way, implying that the
risen Lord acts through the Spirit. Holy Spirit is an extension of, Jesus Christ, His continuing presence
in the world.
Biblically, one important work of the Holy Spirit is that He ‘re-presents Christ’. The second aspect of
the work of the Spirit is the ‘creation of new life.’ The spirit is the power of transformation from the
old to the new, from enslavement to the powers of sin and death to a new life in communion with
God and others. Another aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit is ‘liberative’. “Where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom” (2Cor, 3:17) The Spirit energies resistance to injustice and sets people free
(cf. Isa. 42:1ff)

b. Classical Approaches to the Holy Spirit

Classical theism is a historic expression of Christian theism and has been a common description of
God found in systematic theology textbooks. The development of the doctrine of the Holy Spirt is
organically related to the evolution of Christology as part of the development of doctrine of the
Trinity. The starting point for Christian reflections on the Trinity is the New Testament witness to the
presence and activity of God in Christ and through the Spirit. For Irenaeus, the whole process of
salvation, from its beginning to its end, bore witness to the action of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Irenaeus made use of a term which featured prominently in future discussion of the Trinity: “the
economy of salvation.” That word “economy” is derived from the Greek word ‘oikonomia’, which
basically means “the way in which one’s affairs are ordered.” For him, the “economy of salvation”
meant “the way in which God has ordered the salvation of humanity in history.” Irenaeus vigorously
rejected the Gnostic teaching (The creator God is quite distinct from the redeemer God) and
Marcion’s teaching (the Old Testament God is a creator God who is totally different from the
redeemer God of the New Testament) and insisted that the entire process of salvation, from the first
moment of creation to the last moment of history, was the work of the one and the same God.
There was a single economy of salvation, in which the one God –who was both creator and
redeemer-was at work to redeem his creation.
In his Demonstration of the Preaching of the Apostles, Irenaeus insisted upon the distinct yet
related roles of Father, Son, and Spirit within the economy of salvation. He affirmed that each
person in the Godhead is responsible for an aspect of the economy of salvation.
By the second half of the fourth century, the debate concerning the relation of the Father
and the Son gave every indication of having been settled. The recognition that Father and Son were
“of one being” settled the Arian controversy, and established a consensus within the church over the
divinity of the Son. But further theological construction was necessary. What was the relation of the
Spirit to the Father? And to the Son? There was a growing consensus that the Spirit could not be
omitted from the Godhead. The Cappadocian fathers, especially Basil of Caesarea, defended the
divinity of the Spirit in such persuasive terms that the foundation was laid for the final element of

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Trinitarian theology to be put in its place. The divinity and co-equality of Father, Son, and Spirit had
been agreed; it now remained to develop Trinitarian models to allow this understanding of the
Godhead to be visualized.

c. Discussions on Filioque

Agreement on Nicene Creed was the most significant factor for the early Church throughout the
Roman Empire, both east and west up to 1054. Part of that agreed text referred to the Holy Spirit
was “proceeding from the Father.” By the ninth century, the western Church routinely altered this
phrase, speaking of the Holy Spirit “proceeding from the Father and the Son.” The Latin term,
filioque, “and from the Son,” has since come to refer to this addition, now normative within the
western church, and the theology which it expresses.
The basic issue between the eastern and western position was whether the Spirit may be said to
proceed from the Father alone, or from the Father and the Son. The former position is associated
with Eastern Church, and is given most weightage in the writings of the Cappadocian Fathers. While
the western Church had the latter position and is developed in Augustine’s treatise On the Trinity.
The eastern / Greek intention was to safeguard the unique position of the Father as the sole source
of divinity. In that both the Son and Spirit derive from him, although in different but equally valid
manners, their divinity is in turn safeguarded. To the Greeks, the Latin approach seemed to
introduce two separate source of divinity into the Godhead, and to weaken the vital distinction
between Son and Spirit. The Son and Spirit are understood to have distinct, yet complementary
roles; whereas the western tradition sees the Spirit as the Spirit of Christ. The easterners criticized
that the western approach inevitably depersonalizes the Spirit, leads to a misplaced emphasis upon
the person and work of Christ, and reduces the Godhead to an impersonal principle.
The western / Latin intention was to ensure that the Son and Spirit were adequately distinguished
from one another, yet shown to be mutually related to one another. The strongly relational
approach to the idea of “person” adopted made it inevitable that the Spirit would be treated in this
way. Sensitive to the Greek position, later Latin writers stressed that they did not regard their
approach as presupposing two sources of divinity in the Godhead.

d. Ecumenical discussions on Pneumatology

Though the Uppsala Assembly (1968) of World Council of Churches did not have an explicitly
pneumatological theme, it did produce a report from a very significant pneumatological study, This
was the first time that the World Council of Churches (WCC) had chosen a pneumatological theme
for an assembly. The key person behind this pneumatological theme study was Emilio Castro, the
General Secretary.
As part of preparation for the Canberra Assembly, the commission on Faith and Order published
“ecumenical explication of the apostolic faith” as it is confessed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan
Creed (381) in 1990. This was a further stage in one part of a larger programme, “Towards the
Common Expression of the Apostolic Faith Today,” which would involve explication, common
recognition, and common confession. This publication was an outcome of ecumenical sensitive
theological discussion over almost ten years. And this published draft was an official ecumenical
version to deal with both the Holy Spirit and creation, which were Canberra Assembly’s (1991)
themes.

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From beginning to end, it links the work of one person of the Trinity to that other two. At the same
time it continually moves from the work of the Trinity in creation to the work of the Trinity in the
new creation. It is Trinitarian and eschatological throughout. The Faith and Order account does not
attempt to resolve the controversial issue of the activity of the Holy Spirit outside the Church. It
simply acknowledges that some of its members would claim that the Spirit is active only within the
Church while some would recognize everything that is good in the lives of non-Christians as coming
from the Holy Spirit. Others would claim that his sovereignty of the Holy Spirit in history is hidden
from our eyes. It does acknowledge that the Holy Spirit continues to speak to the Jewish people
through their Holy Scriptures.
In the light of this Apostolic Faith Study, the FOC undertook its own review of the theme and
subthemes for the Canberra Assembly, in 1988. Over thirty participants were involved in the
consultation including Roman Catholics, as the Catholic Church was a full member of the FOC.
Three major emphases emerged in the final report: the role and place of the Holy Spirit within the
Trinitarian communion; the Holy Spirit within the community and in relationship to believers; and
the operation of the Holy Spirit outside as well as inside the Church. For Anna Marie Aagaard,
pneumatology was seen to answer the question of how the salvation accomplished by Christ
becomes out gift, our faith, and our life. The proper and only work of the Holy Spirit is our
sanctification. The Christian Church altogether is the sign and instrument of the sanctifying Spirit.
The second subtheme of the seventh general assembly of the World Council of Churches was
“Spirit of Truth – Set us Free”
The book of resources for the Canberra assembly firstly explored the overarching theme, "Come,
Holy Spirit - Renew the Whole Creation." In describing the work of the Holy Spirit, it traced a link
between three biblical quotations, beginning with Gen 1:2. Its starting point, therefore, was the
Spirit of God moving over the waters in the first creation story, the Spirit as the giver of life. Next it
turned to the promise of Joel 2:28 that God would pour out the Spirit "on all flesh," the promise of
universal rebirth. Finally, it turned to Acts 2:16, describing Pentecost as the fulfilment of this
promise. This event gave birth to the Christian community, the Church, empowered by the Spirit to
bear witness to the One who creates, renews, and empowers life in community. The Spirit's work
of renewing creation was seen as bringing to fulfilment God's original purpose unfulfilled because of
human sin; and the truth into which the Spirit guides us was described as manifest in Jesus Christ.
The Spirit's relationship to the Church was very clearly stated but so was the activity of the Spirit "in
all places and among all people.”

e. Reinterpretation of Pneumatology in the context of the Ecological Crisis

Modern human beings experience a crisis which manifests itself across a wide spectrum:
ecologically, sociologically and politically. This crisis, as caused by the so-called mechanical
worldview, calls for a radical change to a new worldview, the so-called postmodern or holistic view.
In ecumenical theology, emphasis is also laid on the world in crisis, which calls for renewal on the
same levels as in holistic thought. This change and renewal is to be brought about by the Holy
Spirit, who is the agent of change in thought, and of involvement in creating a ‘new creation’. It
will be argued that the Holy Spirit is indeed involved as the agent of man’s ethical responsibility; in
Romans 8:1-17 this is seen as exciting, but, in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, the alarming danger in
ecumenical pneumatology is indicated.
Holy Spirit as Green:

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There have still been some developments in this area of ecotheology that are noteworthy from a
perspective concerned with environmental justice. For example, in so much as the Holy Spirit is
associated with God’s breath, that life-giving breath has been connected to green issues (cf. Genesis
2:7). This connection was invoked as part of the National Council of Churches’ (USA) work for
environmental and climate justice, which called on Christians to consider the consequences of
greenhouse gas emissions in light of viewing air as the breath of God. One of the documents
supporting this work quoted Psalms, which offers many resources for a prayerful green Christianity.
‘‘O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your
creatures. When you send forth your breath, they are created; and you renew the face of the
ground’’ (Ps. 104:24, 30).
In terms of green pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit), the most prominent Western
Christian thinker is Mark I. Wallace. In Green Christianity (2010), Wallace argues for an animist
response to the ecological crisis. Borrowing a phrase from the writings of Thomas Berry and in
accord with this article’s discussion of the transformative potential of socio-ecological action
informed by a green reading of the Cosmic Christ, Wallace asserts that the great work of our time is
making the Earth whole and verdant again. He continues that the only sufficient theological basis
for environmental justice action in the mode of the abolitionist, women’s suffrage, and civil rights
movements rests on abandoning contextually maladaptive notions of a disembodied God in the
sky and recovering a sense of Christianity as an Earthly and fleshy religion at its core; a faith that
celebrates embodiment, pleasure, and the created world.

f. Feminine Images of the Holy Spirit

The personification of God is especially evident in the Wisdom literature, such as Proverbs, Job, and
Ecclesiastes. The attribute of divine wisdom is here treated as if it were a person (hence the idea of
“personification”), with an existence apart from, yet dependent upon, God. Wisdom (who is always
treated as female, incidentally) is portrayed as active in creation, fashioning the world in her imprint
(Prov 1: 20-3; 9:1-6; Job 28; Eccl 24).
The word for Spirit is feminine in Hebrew (ruach) although it is neuter in Greek (pneuma) and
masculine in Latin (spiritus). More pertinent, however, are New Testament descriptions of the
nurturing and empowering activities of the Spirit and the fact that in the conversation with
Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks of the work of the Spirit as like that of a mother john
3:5-6).
Some theologians suggest that the Holy Spirit is the feminine counterpart to the incarnate
Son of God. Jose Comblin proposes that the Word and the Spirit were thought as the two hands of
God that are equally divine, after the period of Irenaeus. It one hand of God is the Word of God
incarnate in a single human being, the other hand of God is the Spirit who is intimately present in
one inclusive community, bringing to birth and nurturing God’s new humanity. Comblin suggests
that a theology of the maternity of the Spirit could have counterbalanced the excessive masculinity
of the Church’s traditional imaging of God and its understanding of power. Modifying Comblin’s
proposal somewhat, it might be suggested that the Word and Spirit of God can be described
respectively as the Son and Daughter of God, working together to make us all adopted children of
God.
Eventhough such masculine and feminine imageries are being used in biblical passages and are
welcomed in both theology and liturgy, the name “Spirit” also serves us to remind that God is

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beyond gender. Also beyong our human made images and metaphors. The triune God is neither an
exclusive fraternity nor a divine company composed of two males and one female. That the triune
God is also called Spirit teaches us to think and speak of God as uniquely personal, allowing fender-
specific imager, yet far transcending all such imagery. God is Spirit and lives in perfect love and
mutual relationships.

g. Charismatic Understanding of the Holy Spirit

Charismatic Christians believe that the gifts (Greek charismata, from charis (grace) of the Holy Spirit
as described in the New Testament are available to contemporary Christians through the infilling or
baptism of the Holy Spirit, with-or-without the laying on of hands. Although the Bible lists many gifts
from God through His Holy Spirit, there are nine specific gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 that are
Supernatural in nature and are the focus of and distinguishing features of the Charismatic
Movement: Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Miraculous Powers,
Prophecy, Distinguishing between Spirits, Speaking in different Tongues (Languages), and
Interpretation of Tongues.

While Pentecostals and charismatics share these beliefs, there are differences. Many in the
charismatic movement deliberately distanced themselves from Pentecostalism for cultural and
theological reasons. Foremost among theological reasons is the tendency of many Pentecostals to
insist that speaking in tongues is always the initial physical sign of receiving Spirit baptism.
Although specific teachings will vary from group to group, charismatics generally believe that the
baptism with the Holy Spirit occurs at the new birth and prefer to call subsequent encounters with
the Holy Spirit by other names, such as "being filled". In contrast to Pentecostals, charismatics tend
to accept a range of supernatural experiences (such as prophecy, miracles, healing, or "physical
manifestations of an altered state of consciousness") as evidence of having been baptized or filled
with the Holy Spirit.

Pentecostals are also distinguished from the charismatic movement on the basis of style. Also,
Pentecostals have traditionally placed a high value on evangelization and missionary work.
Charismatics, on the other hand, have tended to see their movement as a force for revitalization
and renewal within their own church traditions.

Critics argue that these signs and revelatory gifts were manifested in the New Testament for a
specific purpose, upon which once accomplished these signs were withdrawn and no longer
function. This position is called cessationism, and is claimed by its proponents to be the almost
universal position of Christians until the Charismatic movement started. The Charismatic Movement
is based on a belief that these gifts are still available today.

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