John Webster: The Shape and Development of His Theology

by Jordan Senner

Jordan Senner captures the systematic shape, logic, and development of his thought from the vantage point of the God-creature relation. Webster’s development is depicted in terms of three phases – Christocentric, Trinitarian, and Theocentric – culminating in a conceptual analysis of three key aspects of his mature his doctrine of divine perfection, theory of mixed relations, and concept of dual causality. Senner illustrates this heuristic framework for interpreting Webster’s theology through an exploration of different aspects of his account of the God-creature Christology (hypostatic relation), ecclesiology (redemptive relation), bibliology (communicative relation), and theological theology (rational relation). This volume not only provides a dynamic introduction to Webster’s theology as a whole, but it also includes fascinating forays into the complexities of Webster’s engagement with Barth and Aquinas, raising interesting questions for constructive theological dialogue that is neither straightforwardly Protestant nor Catholic.

214 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2023

Reviews

[Matthew McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I plowed through this book in one day, partly because I just wanted to absorb it ASAP and also because it pushed me over the edge to 60 books in 2025. Overall, this book was a really helpful guide to understanding what its subtitle says it does: the shape and development of John Webster’s theology.

Senner shows how Webster’s thinking shifted from Christocentric to Trinitarian, and then from Trinitarian to Theocenteric, with the latter transition being one from a focus on God’s economic actions to his immanent life. Senner then traces the development of key doctrinal loci in Webster’s thought in light of this shift: Christology, ecclesiology, bibliology, and theological reason. He drew attention in chapter 4 to deficiencies in Webster’s mature bibliology as it relates to not merely the individual’s pneumatological illumination but that of the church. It sees like there is a fruitful avenue for developing this relationship for a Websterian understanding of the relation between Scripture and tradition.