Calvary chapel was full of students and faculty from both graduate and undergraduate programs Monday night for the launching of Fred Sander’s book “Deep Things of God: The Trinity Changes Everything.” The Apologetics department, which hosted the event, will also be hosting the book release of Tim Muehlhoff’s “Authentic Communication” on Sept. 30.
Fred Sanders, an associate professor at the Torrey Honors Institute, said at the event that his prayer is for the doctrine of the Trinity to be a means of grace by which people experience deeper communion with the living God.
“I will work on this all my life,” said Sanders, who did his doctorate dissertation on the Trinity.
A book on the Trinity for the “ordinary Christian”
The process of writing this book began about four years ago. Crossway was chosen as the publisher after many other offers were made to Sanders.
“They are highly trusted and actively serving the church,” he said.
Sanders’ book was written to be readable for an audience of ordinary Christians.
“The main idea here is not to say what’s missing, but to take the things we focus on as evangelicals and connect the dots,” said Sanders.
Sanders’ desire is to remind evangelicals of what they know – the essentials – or what Biola’s founding fathers would call the “fundamentals.” In addition to this book, Sanders also writes daily on the blog, “The Scriptorium.”
A recent blog entry explored how many are confused over the terminology of Jesus being in one’s heart. Studying the Scriptures however, actually proves this statement to be Biblically sound, and “Trinitarian gold all the way along the path.”
Early reactions to the book
For Sanders, it always comes back to the Trinity; and colleagues Erik Thoennes and Rob Price attest to this.
“He is a deep and serious theologian, and he has figured out how to talk to us,” said Thoennes, “It has been a long time since I have been so excited about a book. I am enthused about this book.”
“[Sanders] does not want to make us metaphysicians, but wants us to understand the gospel better,” said Price. “He wants us to understand God better. [The book] is really remarkable.”
This book is already being used as a textbook in Price’s Talbot classes, and has the potential to change and shape many students, as it has already begun to do. Price shared examples of students reading it for personal devotions, and some desire to translate it into their native language.
Sander’s hopes for the book
“This will go places I will never go,” said Sanders on Monday night. However, it will also go where he is currently. The ideas and revelations in this book, with the power of the Almighty, Trinitarian God, will transform students’ thinking right here at Biola.
“Come home to the Trinity,” said Sanders. “Look around right here and see the Trinity. [May it] bring your Bible back to life again.”
“I think your generation is looking for a really big God, a big gospel, and a big life,” said Thoennes. “The subtitle gets after it: the Trinity changes everything. It’s why everything is the way it is.”
“We should expect to find in the gospel more than we imagined,” said Price. “Perhaps the most important thing we find is that we get God. Salvation is not just fixing life, but bigger than any of this is that we get God.”
