Spirit Christology Mission

277 Pages·2011·1.6 MB·English

by  Lucy Peppiatt

Spirit Christology
and
Mission

Lucy Peppiatt

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for Doctor of
Philosophy at the University of Otago, 2010
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ABSTRACT

It is largely acknowledged throughout the Western church that we now face various
crises. Shrinking numbers and an increasingly secular society has led the church to
face new questions. How do we conduct mission in post-Christendom Europe; how do
we communicate the gospel in ways that will be meaningful to our hearers? In this
thesis I contend that an effective model for mission in post-Christendom Europe will
be a dialogical model of mission based on a theology of incarnation and anointing.
Using Spirit Christology as a dogmatic foundation and drawing primarily on the work
of Ralph Del Colle among others, I explore what it might mean to be effective
witnesses to Jesus Christ in contemporary society. In recent years Spirit Christology
has become a Christological perspective adopted by a number of theologians seeking
to articulate a greater role for the Holy Spirit in our understanding of the person and
work of Jesus Christ. It is still, however, a matter for considerable debate and
discussion as to how exactly the relationship of Christ to the Spirit is to be
understood. The dogmatic questions relating to this one issue, of the relation of Christ
and the Spirit are numerous: the impact Spirit Christology has on models of the
Trinity; the place of Logos Christology in relation to Spirit Christology; the Spirit and
the doctrine of the two natures of Christ are just some. This thesis explores recent
theological developments in Spirit Christology, focusing on orthodox Spirit
Christologies from the Western tradition, with a view to discussing how it may serve
as a dogmatic foundation for a theology of mission. I argue that Spirit Christology,
with its dual emphasis on the missions of the Son and the Spirit in the world is
perfectly placed to act as a doctrinal basis for a contemporary model of mission. In
Part One I evaluate various proposals for a Spirit Christology, discussing some of the
particular dogmatic issues in both Roman Catholic and Reformed Spirit Christologies,
and highlighting some of the advantages for missiology that lie in a theology of the
mutual, coinherent and reciprocal missions of Christ and the Spirit. The notion of the
Spirit as the one who leads humanity back to the Father through the Son comes to the
fore as the proper mission of the Spirit. I go on to discuss the way in which Spirit
Christology, with its emphasis on the work of the Spirit in the humanity of Christ,
becomes a model for us to understand the church’s existence and task as that of Spirit-
filled humanity anointed to co-labour with God in his mission to the world. In Part
Two, I discuss the question of mission, surveying first New Testament models of
mission and then going on to consider various historical and contemporary models of
mission, comparing them to a model of mission based on Spirit Christology.
Throughout the thesis I highlight the numerous advantages of Spirit Christology for a
theology of mission, developing a dialogical model based on the concepts of
incarnation and anointing.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The writing of this thesis would have been impossible without the encouragement and
support of so many friends and family members. First, I would like to thank Simon
Downham, who was the first person to suggest that I pursue postgraduate studies in
theology and who advised me to go to King’s College, London. I had no idea at the
time quite what this would lead to. For ongoing conversation, encouragement,
excellent questions, insightful comments, and for making theology far more fun than
most people think it is, I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to Jonathan Chan, Oliver
Crisp, Gavin D’Costa, Lindsey Hall and Alan Spence. All of them in different ways
have been enormously encouraging over the years. Very special thanks goes to Gavin,
for generously including me in various groups at the University of Bristol, for making
me feel so welcome, and for asking me challenging questions. I am also especially
grateful to Lindsey, for hours of her time, and for being on the end of the phone
whenever needed which, it turned out, was remarkably often! Of all the theologians
who have encouraged me over the years, however, my deepest gratitude goes to my
supervisor, Murray Rae, who has been a great mentor as well as a friend. He believed
that I could do this a long time before I did. For that confidence in me, for knowing
that I would love theology, for his commitment to supervision over such a long
distance and for wonderful family times in Dunedin, I am truly and profoundly
grateful.
For giving me so much over the years, I wish to thank both my parents, Hugh
and Claire Peppiatt. My mother filled the house with books, giving me a love of
words and, by her actions, constantly reminds me of the importance of compassion
and kindness. My father taught me how to think, to argue, and to stand up for what I
believe in. All of this and their immense generosity to others, their steady,
unwavering faith in God, and their belief in the value of academic study gave me such
important foundations and values for studying theology. For these things I am
enormously grateful. It is a great privilege to come from a large and loving family and
I would also very much like to thank my three brothers and my sister, Stephen, Annie,
Eddie and Jay. They will never let me be right and always make me laugh.
While working on my thesis, I worked with my husband, Nick Crawley, at
Crossnet – our amazing little church. I have so much still to learn about mission and
discipleship, but the challenges, joys, struggles, breakthroughs, tears, laughter,
frustrations and surprises of church-planting in Bristol and trying to follow Jesus
Christ have taught me so much. I would like to thank all those who have joined us
along the way and been part of our endeavours to make the good news known to the
people around us. I wish especially to thank those who committed themselves to
joining in with our hopes and dreams for Crossnet, who made sacrifices to seek with
us the leading of the Spirit, and who have truly become part of our family. The
completion of this thesis owes much to them.
There are, however, no adequate words really to thank my own family, Nick,
and my four sons, Seth, Harry, Roscoe and Jem. In the course of writing this thesis,
they have been unerringly supportive of a wife and mother who was often distracted
and slightly obsessed with theology. I have had the very best conversations at
countless meals around our dinner table and have seen our sons blossom into
interesting, thoughtful, amusing and slightly irreverent theologians. My children
challenge me, inspire me and keep everything relentlessly real. This has been one of
my greatest pleasures. My heartfelt and unceasing gratitude goes especially to Nick,
for his patience, his support, his faith, his encouragement, his vast Bible knowledge,
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his prayers, his love for the Lord, endless conversations, and his genuine and ongoing
interest in such a long project. I am blessed to have all five of them in my life. I
cannot think of any other people that I would rather live with, learn with and pray
with. They are the best team ever and have taught me more about mission,
discipleship and the adventure of living with our extraordinary God, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, than they will ever know.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 1-17

Developments in Pneumatology and Spirit Christology 4-7
Spirit Christology: the theologians 7-12
Spirit Christology and Western Mission 12-17

PART ONE: SPIRIT CHRISTOLOGY 18-133

Chapter One: Spirit Christology: A New Perspective 18-63

Introduction to Spirit Christology 18-22
Ralph Del Colle: Christ and the Spirit 22-23
Del Colle: East and West 23-26
A Catholic Pnematological Christology 26-28
Grace and the Work of the Spirit 28-33
Del Colle’s Spirit Christology 33-37
The Yield of Spirit Christology 38-42
David Coffey: The Return Model 43-49
The Return Model and Humanity 49-54
Incarnation and Grace 54-55
An ‘orthodox’ Spirit Christology? 55-59
The Missions of the Spirit and the Son 59-63

Chapter Two: Spirit Christology and the Trinity 64-102

Introduction 64-65
Thomas Weinandy: The Father’s Spirit of Sonship 65-72
Weinandy’s Reconceived Trinity 73-76
Becoming Sons and Daughters 76-80
Colin Gunton: The Trinity and the Spirit 80-86
Gunton’s ‘Spirit Christology’ 86-89
Spirit Christology and the Biblical Witness 89-90
The Spirit in Jesus’ Life and Death 91-93
The Spirit and Salvation 93-99
The Economic and the Immanent Trinity 99-102

Chapter Three: Christ’s Humanity and Ours 103-133

Introduction 103-105
Christology Proper: Spirit Christology and the Doctrine of the
Enhypostasia 105-118
Christ – the Paradigm of Humanity 118-123
Christ, the Spirit and Humanity 124-125
Christ, the Spirit and Human Agency 125-129
Spirit Christology: a ‘unifying’ Christology 130-133
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PART TWO: SPEAKING OF MISSION 134-259

Chapter Four: Models of Mission I 134-177

Introduction 134-135
The Missio Dei and the Mission of the Church 135-138
Mission and Evangelism: What is Mission? 138-142
The Context for Mission and Evangelism in the West 142-155
Models of Mission: The New Testament 155-170
Mission, Martyrdom and Suffering 171-177

Chapter Five: Models of Mission II 178-217

The Church and Mission 178-180
Models of Mission: Ecclesial Models of Mission 180-191
ReJesus: A Contemporary Missional Christology 191-201
The Spirit and Mission 202-217

Chapter Six: The Importance of Human Being 218-250

Human Agency and Humans in Relation 218-222
The Universal and the Particular: Unity and Diversity 222-235
The ‘Unpredictability’ of Mission 235-245
The Embodied Nature of Mission 245-250

Chapter Seven: Conclusion 251-259

Bibliography 260-271

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SPIRIT CHRISTOLOGY AND MISSION

INTRODUCTION

In a recent theological forum on the work of the Spirit, Lyle Dabney asserted,
‘Christianity must ask the question of faith in Christ today: what does it mean to be
Christian in the world post-Christendom? And what is authentic witness to Christ in
such a world?’1 He argues that the post-Christendom and the postmodern world poses
a ‘new and complex set of considerations’ for Christian theology.2 In the light of these
challenges, he goes on to ask, how does the church both affirm and contradict aspects
of the society in which we live? How does Christian theology address itself both to
‘the church and to society in general, speaking to the question of the identity of the
one and to the issue of engagement with the other’?3 Dabney himself argues that these
questions should be answered by what ‘might be called a theology of the third
article;’4 a theology of the Holy Spirit. His plea is that Christian theology should now
‘start with the Spirit’. Dabney, of course, is not the first to call for a theology that
encompasses or begins with a robust pneumatology, and his voice is now one among
many. In this thesis I consider his questions in the light of Spirit Christology. Taking
the newly named ‘doctrine’ of Spirit Christology,5 I go on to explore the implications
of this for mission in contemporary Western Europe, assessing its usefulness for a
model of mission in post-Christendom and postmodern society.
Where theologians considering aspects of pneumatology once prefaced their
work with the observation that little attention has been paid to the person, work and
role of the Holy Spirit, this is no longer the case. Pneumatology is not now a
neglected area of theological study and reflection, but has come to the fore as a topic
for discussion, reflection and debate, evidenced by the many books, articles and
conferences devoted to the study of the Spirit.6 In addition to this, there has been a

1 Dabney, D.L., ‘Starting with the Spirit’ in Pickard, S., & Preece, G. (eds.), Starting with the Spirit
(Australia: Australian Theological Forum, 2001) 3-27, p.16.
2 Dabney, D.L., ‘Starting with the Spirit’, p.23.
3 Dabney, D.L., ‘Starting with the Spirit’, p.23.
4 Dabney, D.L., ‘Starting with the Spirit’, p.23.
5 See Habets, M., The Anointed Son: A Trinitarian Spirit Christology (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick
Publications, 2010), p.4.
6 Some examples among many publications include Bergmann, S., Creation Set Free: The Spirit as
Liberator of Nature (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2005); Coffey, D., Grace: The Gift of the Holy
Spirit (Sydney: Catholic Institute of Sydney, 1979); and idem, ‘The “Incarnation” of the Holy Spirit in
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corresponding growing interest in other academic disciplines in the notion of ‘spirit’
as a category, which has contributed to contemporary discussions on what it means to
consider the question of the S/spirit in the theological world. In systematic theology, a
new perspective in one area of doctrine will have implications for all other doctrines.
One of the corollaries of the interest in pneumatology and a theology of the third
article, is the impact that this has had on the doctrines of creation, the Trinity, Christ,
salvation, the church and so on, opening up fresh discussions and avenues for
theological enquiry. One particular focus for a number of theologians is the
relationship of Christ and the Spirit, and this has been developed into proposals for
various forms of ‘Spirit Christology’. However, it is not simply that there is a
renewed interest in pneumatology and pneumatic Christologies, it is also often

Christ’, Theological Studies 45 (1984), 466-80; ‘A Proper Mission of the Holy Spirit’, Theological
Studies 47 (1986), 227-50; ‘The Holy Spirit as the Mutual Love of the Father and the Son’, Theological
Studies 51 (1990) 193-229; Deus Trinitas: the Doctrine of the Triune God (New York: OUP, 1999);
‘The Theandric Nature of Christ’, Theological Studies 60/3 (1999), 405-431; Congar, Y., I Believe in
the Holy Spirit, 3 Vols. (New York: Seabury Press, 1983); and idem, The Word and the Spirit (London:
Geoffrey Chapman, 1986); Cooke, B., Power and the Spirit of God: Toward an Experience-Based
Pneumatology (Oxford: OUP, 2004); Del Colle, R., Christ and the Spirit: Spirit-Christology in
Trinitarian Perspective (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994); and idem, ‘Schleiermacher and
Spirit Christology: Unexplored Horizons of The Christian Faith’ International Journal of Systematic
Theology 1 (1999), 286-307; ‘Postmodernism and the Pentecostal-Charismatic Experience’ Journal of
Pentecostal Theology 17 (2000), 97-116; ‘Spirit-Christology: Dogmatic Foundations for Pentecostal-
Charismatic Spirituality’, Journal of Pentecostal Theology 3 (1993), 91-112; ‘Reflections on the
Filioque’, Journal of Ecumenical Studies 34/2 (1997), 202-217; ‘The Holy Spirit: Presence, Power,
Person’, Theological Studies 62 (2001), 322-340; ‘The Pursuit of Holiness: A Roman Catholic-
Pentecostal Dialogue’, Journal of Ecumenical Studies 37/3-4 (2000), 301-320; ‘Spirit Christology:
Dogmatic Foundations for Pentecostal-Charismatic Spirituality’, Journal of Pentecostal Theology 3
(1993), 91-112; Dunn, J.D.G., Jesus and the Spirit (London: SCM, 1975); Gaybba, B., The Spirit of
Love (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1987); Hawthorne, Gerald F. The Presence and the Power: The
significance of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus (London: Word Publishing, 1991);
Hinze, B., & Dabney, D. Lyle, (eds.) Advents of the Spirit: an introduction to the current study of
pneumatology (Milwaukee, Wis.: Marquette University Press, 2001); Hinze, Bradford E., (ed.), The
Spirit in the Church and the World (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2004); Lord, A., Spirit-Shaped
Mission: A Holistic Charismatic Missiology (London: Paternoster, 2005); Newman, P.W. A Spirit
Christology: Recovering the Biblical Paradigm of Christian Faith (Lanham: University Press of
America, 1987); Pickard, S., & Preece, G. (eds.) Starting with the Spirit (Australia: Australian
Theological Forum, 2001); Pinnock, C. H., Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit (Illinois: IVP,
1996); Rogers, E. F., After the Spirit: A Constructive Pneumatology from Resources outside the
Modern West (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005); Rosato, P., ‘Spirit
Christology: Ambiguity and Promise’, Theological Studies 38 (1977) 423-49; Smail, T., The Giving
Gift: the Holy Spirit in Person (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1988); Smith, S. G., The Concept of the
Spiritual: An Essay in First Philosophy (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988); Stanton, G.,
Longenecker, B., Barton, S., (eds.) The Holy Spirit and Christian Origins: Essays in Honor of James
D.G. Dunn (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2004); Weinandy, T. G., The Father’s Spirit
of Sonship: Reconceiving the Trinity (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995); Welker, M., God the Spirit trans.
John F. Hoffmeyer (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1994); Yong, A., Beyond the Impasse: Towards a
Pneumatological Theology of Religions (Carlisle, Cumbria: Paternoster Press, 2003); and idem, The
Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of a Global Theology (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2005); Yong, A., Irvin, D.T., Macchia, F.D., and Del Colle, R.,
‘Christ and the Spirit: Dogma, Discernment, and Dialogical Theology in a Religiously Plural World’,
Journal of Pentecostal Theology 12/1 (2003), 15-83.
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claimed by those who promote a theology of the third article that this, in some way,
is, or could be, a more fruitful theological basis for reflection on and engagement with
the post-modern world.
Amos Yong, for example, a Pentecostal theologian and proponent of Spirit
Christology writes, ‘Spirit christology is a fully biblical but marginalized theological
perspective that can speak to, and needs to be reappropriated for, our time.’7
Similarly, Philip Rosato writes, Spirit Christology, ‘might well allow Christian
theologians to present Jesus Christ in a way more understandable to contemporary
secular culture and also more appropriate to the current spiritual and pastoral needs in
the Christian community.’8 Myk Habets argues that a trinitarian Spirit Christology
presents ‘a Trinitarian theology that is faithful to Scripture, the Great Tradition, and
one that is existentially viable.’9 It is his conviction that this in particular ‘holds out
promise for the contemporary church in the world.’10 This is the central issue that I
explore: the claim that a pneumatic Christology is more suited to addressing the
exigencies of contemporary culture and modern or postmodern lives, and this with
specific reference to the particularities of a Western European context. Can this claim
be substantiated with respect to the church in mission? What is the ‘promise’ or
‘yield’ or ‘productivity’ of Spirit Christology for ‘our time’ in relation to missiology?
In 2001, Advents of the Spirit, a collection of essays considering the current state of
research into pneumatology, was published. Although it is clear from this volume that
interest in pneumatology is touching most aspects of theological research, Dabney
notes in his preface that much more work needs to be done on the ramifications of a
robust pneumatology ‘for evangelization, catechesis, and practices of faith.’11 It is the
relevance and productivity of Spirit Christology to some of those very areas that this
thesis addresses.
I follow Dabney’s lead, therefore, in utilizing the theology of the third article
in relation to the person of Christ to answer the questions, what does it mean to be
Christian in the European world post-Christendom, and what does authentic witness

7 Yong, A., The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology
(Grand Rapids: Baker Adademic, 2005), p.86.
8 Rosato, P., ‘Spirit Christology: Ambiguity and Promise’, Theological Studies 38 (1977) 423-49,
p.423.
9 Habets, M., The Anointed Son, p.7.
10 Habets, M., The Anointed Son, p.9.
11 Hinze B., and Dabney, D.L, ‘Introduction’ in Hinze, B. & Lyle Dabney, D., (eds.), Advents of the
Spirit 11-34, p.33.
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to Christ in such a world look like? Building on the work of selected systematic
theologians and using Spirit Christology as a dogmatic foundation, I trace the
implications for missiology, highlight some of the advantages of Spirit Christology as
a theological basis for mission, and argue that Spirit Christology has much to offer
that is of value to a contemporary model of mission.

Developments in Pneumatology and Spirit Christology

There are various reasons for the aforementioned burgeoning of interest in
pneumatology. An obvious and important historical and ecclesiological development
has been the growth of the Pentecostal church and the rise of the charismatic
movement across the denominations. Thus, the ‘experience’ of the Holy Spirit in the
lives of Christians is acting as a catalyst and foundation for theological reflection.
Others propose that emphasizing the work of the Spirit in relation to Christ and the
world is a much needed response to what they see as the Western tendency towards
Christomonism and/or the subordinationist tendencies in the traditional Western
model of the Trinity. Furthermore, the advocates of Spirit Christology argue that
Logos Christology alone does not do justice to the breadth of the biblical testimony
concerning the person and nature of Jesus Christ. They believe that Spirit Christology
not only fulfils a more faithful witness to the biblical account of the soteriological
significance of Jesus Christ, but that it also more fully completes our understanding of
the trinitarian revelation of God. In addition to this, those interested in furthering the
ecumenical dialogue see Spirit Christology as offering some hope for a meeting point
on certain dogmatic issues. All of these are issues that will be considered in due
course as we go on to discuss the work of specific theologians. Other reasons include
the Western churches’ ‘encounter with the theology of the Orthodox churches,
growing awareness of the theological significance of diverse spiritual traditions, and
theological reflection on movements of the Spirit for liberation.’12
It is not my intention here to summarise all the developments in pneumatology
in the last thirty years.13 We do need to begin, however, with some attempt at

12 Kim, K., The Holy Spirit in the World: A Global Conversation (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books,
2007), p.1.
13 For a comprehensive study of the ‘many competing proposals for a Third Article Theology’ in recent
years see Habets, M., The Anointed Son: A Trinitarian Spirit Christology (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick
Publications, 2010). In the course of arguing for a trinitarian Spirit Christology, Habets surveys
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