Daniel Day Williams's theology of the Holy Spirit

This dissertation looks at the ways in which the thought of Daniel Day Williams, reviewed almost thirty years after his death, can function as a tool to guide Reformed theology beyond the human norm of inclusivity in coping with increasing diversity in its congregations. Over the years, Williams utilized empiricism, Whiteheadian metaphysics, and classical and Protestant thought to construct a theology that has accomplished at least two things: (1) a realistic understanding of the traditional “Person” and “properties” of the Holy Spirit, and (2) a way to understand the relationship between the dynamics of otherness and communion as a practical power of peace within the context of Christian faith communities.; The paper draws out themes from Augustine, John Calvin, Whitehead, and Henry Nelson Wieman as the foundation for Williams's notion of God as spirit: human faith and reason, the meaning of the imago dei as the God-human communion and its manifestation as the will to belong; and the trinitarian structure of the power of love as the dynamics of peace. In Reformed theology, the Spirit of God is God's life in relation to creation, which revelation clarifies as that of reconciling love. Ultimately, peace embodies the reality that we belong to God. God's love takes manifold forms in relation to creation, and the world is good in its diversity. From this power of grace, the separating otherness between God and the world is overcome and reformed in patterns of plural togetherness, creating hope. The goodness of God is not that God is a single One, nor is the evil of human creatures that we are many and embody difference. Rather, life in its diverse forms of being in relation to God reveals the multiple means in which God loves God's world.; The dissertation concludes with a brief analysis of the reflection of four women upon differences and the meaning of otherness, and a summary of affinities with Williams's understanding of the power of the spirit as love.