Finding the Trinity in All Things

This synthesis paper surveys the doctrine of the Trinity from Scripture, the Cappadocian Fathers, Augustine, and Aquinas through Karl Rahner's rule that the economic Trinity is the immanent Trinity, responding to the charge, raised by Kant, Rahner, and Moltmann, that the doctrine has become practically irrelevant to Christian life. Following Ignatius of Loyola's move from intellectual assent to affective encounter, the author argues that a properly understood Trinity has concrete implications for ecclesiology, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, the dignity and inclusion of women, and social justice, while cautioning against reducing the doctrine's mystery to ethical or political programs alone.