Simply God

by Peter Sanlon

Most contemporary presentations of the Christian God focus on either his 'oneness' or his 'relationality'. These are often assumed to contradict one another, and language about God's love and relationality often settles into a comforting but ultimately shallow and unreliable gesture towards bland niceness. Peter Sanlon offers a fresh, stimulating examination of the triune God who is love. He guides us through the classical theological tradition of Augustine, Anselm and Aquinas - aiming to help us think and speak more faithfully about God.

In Part One, Sanlon introduces the vital concept of 'simplicity', without which it is impossible fully to affirm all the Bible teaches about God.

Part Two examines the relationality of God's love in Scripture. The author considers the importance of God's simplicity for the atonement, and concludes with some reflections on how Christians will be better equipped to engage with contemporary culture if they remain sensitive to both God's simplicity and his relationality.

Genres: Theology

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Calvin Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A competent treatment of the simplicity of God, and a call for a return to a classical theology of who God is. Reading this book is a great use of anyone's time.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really solid and careful and impassioned and energetic at the same time. Sanlon makes a solid biblical case and covers all of the bases on the way.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. The devotional and pastoral emphasis was unexpected but the perfect context for the rich doctrinal teaching.

Seriously, this book has me wanting to read my bible more, study theology more, worship more and pursue holiness more. And it has me wanting those things more than any other book I have read in years.

It is, mainly, a treatment of the neglected classical teaching on the simplicity of God. Sanlon shows how vital the doctrine is and how it is the true foundation of a rich Trinitarianism.

Absolutely loved it.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

By and large this book was excellent. The classical doctrine of God has been lost in many quarters of Evangelicalism. This book is one of the numerous recent efforts to try and revive it. A strength of this work is it's accessibility. I believe I could recommend it to most people in my church and they would be able to digest the material without much trouble. In particular, I thought his treatment of the attributes of God (especially omniscience/omnipotence) was helpful. I also found his treatment of the relationship between simplicity and the persons of the Trinity to be more cogent than some efforts. Finally, I think he did a better job engaging with the Biblical material than other recent books on the topic. I knocked off a star because I thought the last chapter on the Trinity and application to the modern world was totally out of place, particularly since it resembled so closely the theologizing the author criticized in the rest of the book. Read the book, excluding the last chapter, and you'll have some excellent material to chew on.

The author graciously provided me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Simon Wartanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could a doctrine which Peter Sanlon calls the grammar of speaking about God, be so neglected and unknown by so many Christians? How is that possible? It amazes me what I've learned in the past few years about simplicity and how many Christians before us spoke so openly about it and in many modern textbooks on systematic theology if one ever encounters something about simplicity (or impassibility), it is often mentioned to be dismissed. Having learned about simplicity, it has enlarged my vision of God and put me in my place as a mere creature. At the same time, I may know this simple triune God as my God and my Savior. The proper response for me is not undue speculation, but unreserved worship and amazement.

This is a great introductory volume, especially helpful is his utilization of Van Til in light of recent controversies about classical theism and presuppositionalism where the impression has been given that these two are incompatible.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book that explains the doctrine of simplicity and how this doctrine goes hand-in-hand with the doctrine of trinity. Sanlon's passion for God's greatness and love was evident throughout the book, and I particularly enjoyed the prayer at the end of each chapter. My only criticism is on the last chapter where Sanlon tries to show the usefulness of the classical doctrine of trinity that embraces the doctrine of simplicity. I think I agree largely with what Sanlon is arguing for, but I wish he elaborated a bit further on each issue or focussed on fewer number of issues in order to make his arguments more persuasive and easy to understand the connections. Nevertheless, I'd recommend this book for someone who's beginning to (re-)discover the doctrine of simplicity or the classical doctrine of trinity.

[Charlie]

This was tough going if I'm honest. Stretched the old grey cells quite a bit. Having said that, I did enjoy reading it and found it helpful, especially the final chapter. Throughout the book the author is reminding us of the classic view of the Trinity and that God is a simple being [not simple in the sense of being thick, but of being uncomplicated]. It does lift our thoughts towards our great God and grapples with some of the differing thoughts about the Trinity which have been taught through the centuries. I think I will need to come back to it again and grapple with it once more.

[Pat Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Sanlon does a great job, of reminding his readers, who the triune God that we worship truly is. He is an infinite God, an unchanging God, a Simple God, he is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. He is a holy God, and we should be careful not to put him on our level, but to worship Him as the Creator.

To get a great look at who God truly is, read this book. You will not look at God in the same way after reading Sanlon’s book. I would also recommend reading “None Greater” by Matthew Barrett as a companion book. Both these books will elevate your view of the Holy God we worship.

[Blake Western · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book supports the classical view of God. It is deep and thorough. It is rather difficult to read and the average church member will not want to plod through its pages. This book will appeal more to theologians and Bible teachers.

[Jeff Wiesner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful resource. I found it's organization less useful than others books on the same topic. Nevertheless, it's a worthy addition that does more than simply regurgitate other prominent voices in the conversation surrounding the recovery of a classical doctrine of God.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The doctrine of the nature of God is a somewhat neglected theological avenue - at least outside of academic circles. This book by Peter Sanlon and published by IVP attempts to bring the classical doctrine of God to a wider audience. It deserves to succeed in this task as Sanlon has written an accessible and robust defence of the traditional doctrine of God (immutable, indivisible and impassible). In doing so he is in constant conversation with St Augustine as well as Aquinas and various other Western theologians. I stress Western because what is certainly lacking is any engagement with that other great strand of Christian thought - the Eastern church and most notably the Cappadocian Fathers. The book therefore has a rather one-sided feel. Also, apart from a brief argument with Colin Gunton, many of the Twentieth Century theologians who took a different tack on the question of the simplicity (and in particular the impassibility) of God are only briefly tackled. Jurgen Moltmann in particular has only the briefest of references. But this is perhaps being unkind. It would have been a very different and much longer book had there been a sustained engagement with these thinkers, and as such even less likely to find a readership outside of undergraduate theology courses.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this volume several weeks ago, but the book did not show up on Goodreads. This book is an outstanding defence of the simplicity of God. It is both scholarly and devotional, which is a rare mix in a book. I highly recommend reading it.