Kevin Vanhoozer’s 2005 work The Drama of Doctrine is worth a long slow thoughtful read, preferably with a doctrinally competent study group. The following summary of Part 1 reveals some of the its richness:
“The gospel is ‘theo-dramatic’ — a series of divine entrances and exits, especially as these pertain to what God has done in Jesus Christ. The gospel — both the Christ event and the canon that communicates it — thus appears as the climatic moment in the Trinitarian economy of divine self-communicative action (chap. 1). Theology responds and corresponds to God’s prior word and deed; accordingly, theology itself is part of the theo-dramatic action. The mission of theology involves human speech and action, but what ultimately gives these significance is their role in the Trinitarian missions (chap. 2). This insight leads to a first statement of the directive theory of doctrine that lies at the heart of the present work. If theology is about the speech and action of the triune God and the church’s response in word and deed, then doctrine is best viewed as direction for the church’s fitting participation in the drama of redemption (chap. 3)” (31).
