Nothing Greater, Nothing Better: Theological Essays on the Love of God

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Summary: Diverse Essays on Theology and Love
Review: This collection of edited essays is a decidedly theological work. Its value is that it represents the work of theologians, mostly from Reformed theological traditions, who wrestle with how to conceive of divine love.

The book's editor, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, begins his introductory essay -- the best essay of the book -- by noting that "it is exceedingly odd that Christian theologians have themselves been somewhat indifferent -- inattentive, neutral - with regard to the concept of the love of God" (1). It is no exaggeration to say that the defining and situating of divine love is the perennial task of Christian theology.

A growing number of Christian theologians believe that a major advance, even a revolution, in the understanding of the love of God has recently occurred. The traditional view of God entails that the deity metes out good but takes neither joy nor delight in the good that comes about. This classical God is immutable and impassable. Several developments in the twentieth century, however, have changed the way we understand divine love. Among the movements that have generated these developments are process philosophy, Trinitarian theology, liberation theology, feminist theology, and various Postmodern thinkers, like Jean- Luc Marion.

Vanhoozer notes "the concept of the love of God is both fundamental to the doctrine of God and, oddly, disruptive of it. There seems to be no place in a systematics in which the notion of the love of God neatly fits" (13). When discussing the structure of systematic theology, Vanhoozer observes that the love of God functions either (1) "as a discrete doctrinal topic" or (2) "as the structuring principle that provides a point of integration or thematic unity between individual doctrines." "Somewhat surprisingly," states Vanhoozer, "few theologians have chosen that latter option" (14).

In the second half of the opening essay, Vanhoozer briefly discusses how love affects issues such as divine sovereignty, reciprocal relations, divine control, divine suffering, and panentheism. After addressing these issues, he concludes that "we must say at least three things: the love of God is something that God has, something that God does, and something that God is" (23). Vanhoozer closes his introduction by claiming that "the moral of this introduction is that the love of God should occupy no one place in a theological system, but every place" (29).

The rest of Nothing Greater, Nothing Better book includes a variety of essays of varying degrees of helpfulness. Gary Badcock looks at Anders Nygren's famous work, Agape and Eros and concludes, like many others before him, that it is appropriate to speak of divine eros. On the basis of God's act in Christ, that is, creaturely response to divine initiative is something that God needs.

Geoffrey Grogan reviews a diversity of the biblical evidence pertaining to love. Lewis Ayres reflects upon Augustine's understanding of the love of God as it is expressed in St. Augustine's commentary on First John and in his work, On the Trinity. Trevor Hart considers the question of how we speak of God. Following Karl Barth, he concludes that the possibility of human speech about God rests entirely upon the incarnation. What we have in the incarnation is a God-given analogy. Alan Torrance also addresses analogical language, the incarnation, the trinity, and other issues. Torrance wonders if love can be understood as God's essence, and, disappointingly from this reviewer's perspective, concludes that this question is unanswerable. He also rejects natural theology and argues that only those who have fellowship with Christ will allow their minds and language become transformed as to speak adequately of God.

Tony Lane addresses the question of God's wrath in relation to God's love. Lane concludes that one must not affirm wrath as part of God's essence. Paul Helm addresses the question: Can God love the world? One of his conclusions is that God could not be equally benevolent to all human beings, but God can love all humans unequally. Helm also suggests, inaccurately from this reviewer's perspective, that the problem of evil is a matter of degree. David Fergusson addresses the issues of eschatology by asking the question, "Will the love of God ultimately triumph?" After all, if God's future is genuinely open, divine triumph over evil is not a foregone conclusion. Fergusson argues that those who affirm double predestination and those who affirm universalism ultimately remove human freedom by construing God's love as something that constrains human choice. Roy Clements concludes the book with a sermon on Hosea, chapter eleven.

Thomas Jay Oord