I'm currently writing the foreword to a new book on the doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament. One thing that's always troubled me is how we seem to have forgotten the Father in our theology textbooks. Oh, there's a chapter on Christology. And there's one on Pneumatology. But the doctrine of God's Fatherhood (Patrology we might call it) is rarely treated as a topic on its own and is instead thought of as belonging to the broader category of "Theology Proper." Perhaps this neglect is due to liberal interpretations that emphasize God's Fatherhood of all mankind while ignoring the necessity of salvation through Christ. Perhaps the doctrine has been ignored because it hasn't been as hotly debated as the doctrines of Christ and the Spirit in church history. Whatever the reason, this is truly a sad state of affairs. You know the church is in trouble when terms like "Father" are being replaced with terms like "Creator" or "Source" in liturgy and theological study. God is not our "Father-Mother." The only God who deserves our worship is "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:3).
