An Indian Trinitarian Theology of Missio Dei

The recent rediscovery of the doctrine of the Trinity has left great impact on the thought and life of the Christian Church. With this reinstatement, the Trinity, which was left out for long as an esoteric mystery, has captured the imagination of theologians and elicited remarkable trinitarian formulations from across theological traditions. This contemporary development has forced the church to review its dogma, spirituality, and Christian practices through the lens of this central doctrine of the Christian faith. One of the important and essential upshots of the doctrine has been the reclamation of a theocentric and trinitarian understanding of mission as the missio Dei. In view of the modern renewal of the Trinity and the global expansion of Christianity, this book explores insights and perspectives from the trinitarian thoughts of St. Augustine and the Indian theologian Brahmabandhab Upadhyay that can inform missio Dei theology relevant for the Indian context.





""P. V. Joseph, in his landmark, An Indian Trinitarian Theology of Missio Dei, brings into conversation two of the most important themes in contemporary missiology; namely, Trinitarian missiology and the missio dei. The fact that his work highlights this theme throughout the history of the church makes this volume an indispensable addition to missiology. I heartily recommend it.""

--Timothy C. Tennent, President, Asbury Theological Seminary



""P. V. Joseph is an emerging and highly gifted Indian theologian whose work promises to make very significant contributions to a truly indigenous and contextualized Indian Christian understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity and the field of missiology. Joseph demonstrates keen analytical skills and a thorough grasp of both Western and Indian theological writings on the Trinity, as well as the ability to relate theology to missiology and the mission of the Triune God into the world. I commend his book to pastors, teachers, seminarians, and all who would like to enlarge their understanding of the Trinity in the context of our globalized, multicultural world today.""

--John Jefferson Davis, Professor of Systematic Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary



""At a time when World Christianity is going through a theological crisis in which Trinity is replaced by a Christo monism and mission is reduced to membership drive, P. V. Joseph invites theologians everywhere to reclaim mission as the ontological vocation of the church rooted in the loving relationship within and proceeding from the Trinity. He ably brings in theological resources from St. Augustine of North Africa and Brahmabandhab Upadhyay of India who have taken both Trinity and missio Dei seriously in their writings. While offering a historical survey of Trinity and missio Dei, Joseph takes care to address the missiological challenges emerging from liberational movements, including the Dalit movement in India. Students of theology and mission will find this book helpful in understanding the rich contours of Trinity and missio Dei.""

--M. Thomas Thangaraj, Professor Emeritus of World Christianity, Emory University





Palolil Varghese Joseph is Professor of Theology and Mission Studies at the New Theological College, Dehradun, India. He pursued his theological studies at the United Theological College, Bangalore (India) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (USA), before completing his doctoral studies from Boston University (USA).