In this book, Stanley Grenz examines the long-standing trajectory of thought that has equated the concept of “being” with the God of the Bible–and thus claimed that the ontological category of being is the guiding concept by which God should be understood. Grenz extends the engagement between Christian theology and the Western philosophical tradition and focuses the discussion on the importance of naming, particularly given that the Christian God is both named and triune. In doing so, he organizes the book into three parts, forming an overarching story of the interplay between the named character of God and the question of being. First he analyzes the history of the philosophical concept of Being, then he shifts the focus to an exegesis of the “I Am” texts, and finally he moves to a renewed conversation between theology and ontological philosophy by means of the divine name.
Stanley J. Grenz was Pioneer McDonald Professor of Theology at Carey Theological College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Professor of Theological Studies at Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, Washington, prior to his death in 2004. He authored a number of books, including What Christians Really Believe & Why; and Sexual Ethics: An Evangelical Perspective.
