Relational Christianity
A Remarkable Vision of God
Edited by Jeremiah Gruenberg
Foreword by Marty Folsom
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
This work begins with a transformative idea: human existence is fundamentally relational. Relational Christianity explores how the nature of the Trinity must define the Church and the Christian spiritual life. Utilizing Scripture, Christian spiritual tradition, and philosophy, Pinkham and Gruenberg paint the picture of a Trinitarian, Jesus-centered Christianity, led by the Father and explored in interpersonal oneness. In this view, God's intimate, unifying love is the theological river that runs through the landscape of biblical revelation and through God's movement in history.
This work of Trinitarian practical theology suggests that the relation between Father, Son, and Spirit should shape and guide all Christian interactions--with God, with others, and with self. In the paradigm of relational Christianity, the formation of genuine personhood and identity are based upon relational connections--first with the Trinity, and second with God's family. The shape of the new covenant community must reflect the Father's nature. Church culture must prioritize relationship in the same way the Trinity does.
Wesley M. Pinkham has brought life-changing truths to students, congregants, and readers through his relational and transparent teaching style. Wess is a leader and educator with six earned degrees and the DLitt Honoris Causa, and has served as a senior pastor, youth minister, minister of Christian education, and teacher of educational ministry. Wess and his wife Jean live in Silverdale, Washington.
Jeremiah Gruenberg works as a speaker, coach, and consultant on authenticity in the corporate, church, and family settings. He also hosts The God Experiment podcast. Jeremiah holds a BA in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MDiv from Shiloh University, and a DPhil in theology from South African Theological Seminary. His articles have been published in God and Nature, and Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care.
“Reading this manuscript was a needed breath of Spirit-forming education and edification.”
—Lars Kierspel, Shiloh University
“Wow. Relishing every word of this revelation!”
—Stephen Anthony Laudise, pastor, Hawaii
“Very impressive. Fascinating! A revelatory word on the meaning of Christianity.”
—Stephanie Penniman, Shiloh University
“I loved this piece on relational Christianity—it truly is God inspired and anointed.”
—Peter van Breda, The New International University
“If you are an instructor in a seminary and you are dissatisfied with the outcomes of your classroom recipe, this book will help you to produce fresh bread. . . . It was so meaningful and timely for me to read this.”
—John Mckendricks, Multnomah University Reno-Tahoe
“Pinkham and Gruenberg give us a unique gift by showing how God’s way of being is not only practical but absolutely essential for every aspect of life. . . . The triune God, who is eternally relational, makes humanity in God’s image and likeness, so it follows that fullness of humanity is found and experienced only in interpersonal being. Readers will be challenged, awed, stretched, and surprised by a love beyond comprehension—by the hug that changes everything!”
—Ana (“Chiqui”) Wood, co-pastor, Table of Friends Church
“This morning, I sat in the parking lot and made myself read this . . . until I was done. Boy, did the Father scoop me up in his arms and take a load off my shoulders. It is not about performance. It is about being drawn into the communion relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I’m going to use my influence to give this gift to others in church today. Yeah, Father God!”
—Doug Paul Richardson, inactive president, Reinvent Ministries
“Dr. Pinkham demonstrates an intuitive grasp of reality that underlies the lifetime of thought and research supporting the thesis that it is all about relationships—with God and one another. With the depth of a Trinitarian scholar, the passion of a relational preacher, and the heart of a father connecting others to Abba Father, Dr. Pinkham blazes a trail to reimagining what it means to ‘know and be known.’”
—Mark Glenn, Shiloh University
“Dr. Pinkham bores deep below the surface and examines the bedrock of Christianity—namely, the relational way of being of the triune God. Only as we understand who he is —a God of love—can we understand how to relate to him and how to build churches that reflect his true nature. This is essential for all of us, and especially those under the influence of Western culture, to contemplate and to implement in our lives.”
—Fred W. Poston, Southeast Missouri State University
“If we do not receive this revelation, we will continue to misdiagnose what is needed in our culture and in our churches. The gospel message is . . . that personal human identity can be caught up and inextricably bound up in the interpersonal oneness of the triune God. This authentic message will resonate within honest, ‘longing’ hearts.”
—Gregg Galan, pastor, Edmonton, Alberta
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