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Eternal submission of the Son – bibliography

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The literature (especially online literature dating from 2016 onwards) is huge.

Here, however, is a selection.

Books

Bird, Michael F. and Harrower, Scott (eds).  Trinity Without Hierarchy.  Kregel, 2020.

Byrd, Aimee.  Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.  Zondervan, 2020. (Not primarily about ESS, but of some relevance, given Byrd’s involvement in the debate)

Butner, D. Glenn, Jnr: The Son Who Learned Obedience: A Theological Case Against the Eternal Submission of the Son.  Pickwick, 2018.…

Trinitarian distinctions

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Morton Smith:

There is an order in the mode of subsistence of the Three Persons, which cannot be reversed, and properties that cannot be interchanged, an order of relationship. This is not to be construed as subordination, however. These distinctions between the Persons are not distinctions of essence, but of person. They are “the same in substance, equal in power and glory.” The essence of God involves infinite, eternal, and unchangeable being and perfection. The fact that we recognize each of these persons as deity implies that there can be no subordination of essence.…

1 Corinthians 15:28 – ‘The Son himself will be subjected to [God]’

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1 Corinthians 15:28 ‘When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.’

Donald MacLeod refers to the ‘formidable difficulty’ contained in these words.

‘They seem,’ he writes, ‘to teach blatant subordinationism: the Son himself will be subject to the Father.  Does this not place him very clearly on the side of creation rather than on the side of the Creator?’…

Kevin Giles: Trinitarian orthodoxy according to the Nicene Creed

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Here are extracts from a paper given by Dr Kevin Giles at the plenary forum on the Trinity at the Evangelical Theological Society annual conference, 15th November, 2016 at San Antonia. The other speakers were Dr Bruce Ware, Dr Millard Erickson and Dr Wayne Grudem; Dr Sam Storms presided.

Giles’ main focus was on the Nicene Creed.  In fact, although he mentioned the Bible (or Scripture) over fifty times, and insisted on its primacy, he made relatively little actual appeal to the biblical text itself.…

Mt 2:13-23 – Out of Egypt (v2) (sermon notes)

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Matthew 2:13-23

“I’ve finally worked out why Christmas is so popular,” announced the sceptic to the preacher, at the end of a carol service.

“It’s because Christmas is all about a baby.  And a baby threatens no one.”

Try telling that to King Herod!

A man wracked with insecurity.  On hearing from the Magi that a new king had been born, he made up his mind to eliminate the threat.

Joseph, however, was warned by an angel. …

Trinity: unity AND diversity

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Trinitarian orthodoxy teaches that the members of the Godhead are equal in nature but distinct in their roles.

In the recent debate about the doctrine of the eternal subordination of the Son, critics are in danger of over-emphasising the first of these, whereas advocates are at risk of placing too much stress on the latter.

This is not, of course, the only area in theology where a tension has to be maintained between two (or more) truths that human reason cannot fully reconcile. …

Subordinationism: what is it?

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Eternal subordination of the Son ought to be (but is not always) distinguished from the heresy of subordinationism.

Subordinationism has been defined as,

‘A doctrine that assigns an inferiority of being, status, or role to the Son or Holy Spirit within the Trinity.’ (R. C. and C. C. Kroeger, “Subordinationism,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 1st and 2nd editions)

This, however, is a little too broad, because (setting aside the word ‘inferiority’) it implies that any kind of subordination is to be regarded as heresy.…

Eternal Submission of the Son: the main issues

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Early on in the debate which erupted in mid-2016, Andrew Wilson attempted to tease out the main issues at stake.

Here are headlines:

  1. Is the Eternal Functional Submission of the Son (EFS) taught in Scripture?
  2. Is the Eternal Functional Submission of the Son novel?
  3. Is the Eternal Functional Submission of the Son heterodox, or even heretical?
  4. Is there a separation of the divine will?
  5. Does the Eternal Functional Submission of the Son imply that Christ only had one will?
…

Grudem: the case for eternal submission of the Son

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Wayne Grudem states that

there are no differences in deity, attributes, or essential nature between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God and has all the attributes of God. The only distinctions between the members of the Trinity are in the ways they relate to each other and to the creation. In those relationships they carry out roles that are appropriate to each person.

(Systematic Theology, 1st ed., p251; 2nd ed.,…

Eternal subordination not a novel doctrine

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Critics of the doctrine of the Eternal Subordination of the Son (such as Kevin Giles and Liam Goligher) are very ready to assert that it is a novel doctrine: it is inconsistent with the historic creeds of the church, and whenever, in the past, it has reared its head it has been summarily rejected.  This has led Goligher and others to accuse those who subscribe to this doctrine of heresy, and of having disqualified themselves from teaching office in the church.…