Constructing an Incarnational Theology: A Christocentric View of God's Purpose

by Samuel Wells

Why did Jesus come? The traditional argument is that he came to redeem us from sin and destroy death, and thus reverse the fall. Many have long found this unsatisfactory, because it centres human deficit, rather than divine abundance. In this study, Samuel Wells traces his notion of 'being with' right into the Trinity itself, and in dialogue with Maximus the Confessor, Duns Scotus and Karl Barth, among others, articulates a truly Christocentric theology in which God's means and God's ends are identical. In the process, Wells not only greatly expands the compass of 'being with,' showing its scriptural and doctrinal significance, but also offers a constructive account of the incarnation, cross and resurrection of Jesus that out-narrates conventional atonement theories. Wells correspondingly proposes an account of sin, evil, suffering and death that accords with this revised understanding. The result is a compelling and transformational proposal in incarnational theology.

320 pages, Hardcover

Published January 23, 2025

About the author

Samuel Wells (PhD, University of Durham) is vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church at Trafalgar Square in London. He previously served as dean of the chapel and research professor of Christian ethics at Duke University. Wells is the author of several books, including Be Not Afraid, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics, and Transforming Fate into Destiny: The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas. He also coedited, with Stanley Hauerwas, The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics.

Reviews

[Lynne Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this 10-chapter book over 10 weeks as part of an online course/reading group. I'm so glad that's how I approached it as I'm not sure I'd have made it through some of the denser theology without that motivation (you may notice I've been reading a Brueggemann for over a year now). And externally processing each chapter through discussion really helped me to digest the key take aways. It was worth the effort though as I have been challenged to think differently about several key Christian doctrines and ideas - in a way that has enriched my faith and my understanding of God and helped me to find ways of articulating things I already felt/hoped/knew to be true.