Act and Being: Towards a Theology of the Divine Attributes

Colin Gunton's Act and Being: Towards a Theology of the Divine Attributes presents a sustained theological reconstruction of the doctrine of God's attributes within a trinitarian framework. Writing against both classical theism's emphasis on divine simplicity and modern theology's tendency to dissolve God into process, Gunton develops a relational ontology that grounds the divine attributes in God's triune being and action.

The work engages critically with the Western theological tradition, particularly Augustine and Aquinas, arguing that their appropriation of Greek philosophical categories led to an overly static conception of God that struggles to account for divine involvement in creation and history. Gunton contends that the doctrine of divine simplicity, when pushed to its logical conclusion, renders problematic the biblical witness to a God who acts in time while remaining transcendent. Against this backdrop, he proposes that God's attributes must be understood not as abstract properties but as descriptions of the living God's characteristic ways of being and acting.

Central to Gunton's constructive proposal is his insistence that the economic Trinity reveals the immanent Trinity. Drawing extensively on the Cappadocian fathers and Reformed theology, particularly Barth, he argues that God's attributes are neither arbitrary additions to the divine essence nor mere human projections, but rather expressions of God's triune relationality. The attributes of love, freedom, and faithfulness, for instance, characterize not only God's engagement with creation but also the eternal relations between Father, Son, and Spirit.

The monograph's significance lies in its attempt to overcome the perceived dichotomy between God's being and action that has plagued much modern theology. By rooting the divine attributes in trinitarian relations, Gunton offers a way to affirm both divine transcendence and immanence without compromising either. His approach provides resources for responding to critiques of classical theism from process theology and open theism while maintaining divine perfection and sovereignty.

Gunton's methodology combines historical theology, systematic analysis, and philosophical reflection, demonstrating how retrieval of patristic insights can address contemporary theological challenges. The work contributes to ongoing debates about divine ontology by proposing that God's being is inherently relational and dynamic, yet without change or becoming in the creaturely sense. This relational understanding of the divine attributes offers a distinctly Christian alternative to both philosophical theism and its modern critics.