God's Triunity and Self-Determination: A Conversation with Karl Barth, Bruce McCormack and Paul Molnar

Abstract

Abstract: A recent disagreement between Bruce McCormack and Paul Molnar highlights some of the issues involved in discussing the relationship between God's triunity and determination to be God-with-us. Can we say that God's determination to be with us is the basis of God's triunity? Must we identify the Son's being as eternally toward-incarnation? How does God's freedom relate to God's eternal decision to be God-with-humanity? In this article I argue (contra McCormack) that God's triunity logically precedes God's determination to be with us, but (contra Molnar) that this logical precedence entails neither that the pre-incarnate Son is utterly unknown to us nor that God retains some freedom to be God-without-humanity.