The Rise and Fall of the Complementarian Doctrine of the Trinity
Since the late 1970s complementarian theologians have been arguing that the divine three persons in the Trinity are ordered hierarchically, and that this is the ground for the hierarchical ordering of the sexes. Suddenly and unexpectedly in June 2016 a number of complementarian theologians of confessional Reformed convictions came out and said that to so construe the Trinity is "heresy"; it is a denial of what the creeds and confessions of the church rule is the teaching of Scripture. A civil war among complementarians followed and in a very short time those arguing for hierarchical ordering in the Trinity capitulated. This book tells the story.
“Kevin Giles’ work in this book is a very important addition to
the recent Trinity debate. While we may disagree on the issue of
ordaining women, we are in agreement on the importance of the
creeds and confessions in informing our understanding of the
Trinity. This book will be extremely helpful for those who want to
understand why the complementarian Trinity debate happened, how the
orthodox doctrine of the Trinity was formed, and why what we
believe about the Trinity is essential. I highly recommend
it.”
—Rachel Miller, News Editor, the Aquila Report, author of
A Daughter of the Reformation
“I wish complementarians would read this book! While I
can happily disagree whether eternal subordination of the Son
was the complementarian position on the Trinity,
Kevin demonstrates how pervasive it was and how it was promoted,
without opposition, by some of the leading voices in
complementarianism. This is a book that demands the church to
uphold first order doctrines and warns it never to be led again by
a social agenda.”
—Aimee Byrd, author of Housewife
Theologian, Theological Fitness, and No
Little Women
“Kevin Giles tells the compelling story of the rise and
fall of the complementarian doctrine of the Trinity, which espoused
a hierarchical view of the Father/Son relationship to argue that
women are subordinate to men as the Son was supposedly subordinate
to the Father in eternity. He explains why the Nicene
homoousion must be defended against all forms of Arian
subordination, and persuasively argues that if complementarians and
egalitarians can and do now agree about this, then the ground will
be cleared for suitable discussion of the ministry of women in the
Church. Those interested in these matters will want to read this
book.”
—Paul D. Molnar, Professor of Systematic Theology, St. John’s
University, Queens
“Kevin Giles’ work in this book is a very important addition to
the recent Trinity debate. While we may disagree on the issue of
ordaining women, we are in agreement on the importance of the
creeds and confessions in informing our understanding of the
Trinity. This book will be extremely helpful for those who want to
understand why the complementarian Trinity debate happened, how the
orthodox doctrine of the Trinity was formed, and why what we
believe about the Trinity is essential. I highly recommend
it.”
—Rachel Miller, News Editor, the Aquila Report, author of
A Daughter of the Reformation
“I wish complementarians would read this book! While I
can happily disagree whether eternal subordination of the Son
was the complementarian position on the Trinity,
Kevin demonstrates how pervasive it was and how it was promoted,
without opposition, by some of the leading voices in
complementarianism. This is a book that demands the church to
uphold first order doctrines and warns it never to be led again by
a social agenda.”
—Aimee Byrd, author of Housewife
Theologian, Theological Fitness, and No
Little Women
“Kevin Giles tells the compelling story of the rise and
fall of the complementarian doctrine of the Trinity, which espoused
a hierarchical view of the Father/Son relationship to argue that
women are subordinate to men as the Son was supposedly subordinate
to the Father in eternity. He explains why the Nicene
homoousion must be defended against all forms of Arian
subordination, and persuasively argues that if complementarians and
egalitarians can and do now agree about this, then the ground will
be cleared for suitable discussion of the ministry of women in the
Church. Those interested in these matters will want to read this
book.”
—Paul D. Molnar, Professor of Systematic Theology, St. John’s
University, Queens
- Title: The Rise and Fall of the Complementarian Doctrine of the Trinity
- Author: Kevin Giles
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2017
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781498244428, 9781498244435, 9781532618666, 1498244424, 1498244432, 1532618662
- Resource ID: LLS:9781498244428
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-07-05T21:39:21Z
Dr. Kevin Giles is an ordained Anglican minister and worked in parish ministry for almost forty years before he retired from St. Michaels Church in North Carlton in 2006. He studied at Moore College in Sydney, Durham University in England, and Tübingen University in Germany. As a widely published author, his books include, Created Woman (Acorn, 1985); Patterns of Ministry Among the First Christians (Collins-Dove, 1989); What on Earth Is the Church? (IVP, USA, SPCK, England, 1995); Count Me In: A Confirmation Workbook (Acorn, 1992); Making Good Churches Better (Acorn 2001); The Trinity & Subordinationism (InterVarsity, 2002); Jesus and the Father: Modern Evangelicals Reinvent the Doctrine of the Trinity (Zondervan, 2006); Better Together: Equality in Christ (Acorn 2010); and The Eternal Generation of the Son: Maintaining Orthodoxy in Trinitarian Theology (InterVarsity, 2012). In addition to these, he has published more than fifty scholarly articles. He is a contributor to the IVP Dictionaries of Jesus and the Gospels and The Later New Testament & Its Developments, and the Zondervan Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. His research interests include the church, conflict in the church, ministry in the Bible and the modern world, the ministry of women in the apostolic age and today, and the Trinity.
He has lectured part time at a number of theological seminaries and Bible colleges in Australia and as a visiting lecturer to various places overseas. He is married to Lynley, a marriage educator and counselor. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren.
