This is one of the handouts I got at my weekend graduate residency. It’s a spreadsheet summary of the book by Justo Gonzalez. Christian Thought Revisited: Three Types of Theology. Nashville: Abington Press, 1989.
The first one listed won out in most Christian cultures historically: Transactional (TYPE A). We might even take this approach for granted, but there are reasons this flavor of Christianity took hold the most in Western culture. Power is the big reason. The other theologies haven’t been lost completely and are important to recognize. We see a reemergence worldwide of TYPE C (Incarnational), the oldest approach to Christian theology and the one geographically closest to Jerusalem. TYPE B (Transcendent) is most often seen in Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions.
After you read through it, share something.
I feel smarter now! :) It’s interesting, definitely. I wasn’t aware of these, and I wonder if we (Christians, the church, myself) think our view is the only view and we spend a lot of time defending and arguing for the view we have when we need a combination of all three. I’ve really appreciated learning lately that my view of God and Christianity is not the only way, globally or historically, to view it, and opening up to other views doesn’t weaken my faith but enriches it. Thanks for sharing!