Jesus and the Father

This book is about the contemporary debate among evangelicals on the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and the controversial issues surrounding the relationship between the divine Father and Son. It particularly challenges eternal economic subordination of Son to the Father—a view espoused by many evangelicals—and explains what the historic distinctions between economic Trinity and immanent Trinity really imply.

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the cornerstones of Christianity. In Jesus and the Father, Kevin Giles wrestles with questions about the Trinity that are dividing the evangelical community:

What is the error called “subordinationism”?

Is the Son eternally subordinated to the Father in function?

Are the Father and the Son divided or undivided in power and authority?

Is the Father-Son-Spirit relationship ordered hierarchical or horizontal?

How should the Father and the Son be differentiated to avoid the errors of modalism and subordinationism?

What is the relationship between the so-called economic Trinity and the immanent Trinity?

Does the Father-Son relationship in the Trinity prescribe male-female relationships in the home and the church?

"Kevin Giles points out serious problems in the teaching that the Son is eternally subordinated to the Father and argues effectively for the full eternal equality within the Trinity.

This book should be read by all who wrestle with the complex but crucial doctrine of the Trinity."—Millard Erickson, author, Christian Theology

“By showing that subordinationism is a revival of a heresy that was systematically rejected by the non-Arian Church, the author reinstates the classical orthodox doctrine of the Trinity in all its scriptural majesty and grandeur.”—Gilbert Bilezikian, professor emeritus, Wheaton College

“Giles skillfully places before us the stark choice which each generation of theologians must face: will we allow the Bible to speak its message about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to us, or will we use the Bible to advance our own agenda? This important book deserves to be widely read and carefully considered.”—Paul D. Molnar, professor of systematic theology, St. John’s University