An Ethics of Participation: The Economy of the Trinity and the Shape of the Christian Moral Life

Timothy R. Gaines, An Ethics of Participation: The Economy of the Trinity and the Shape of the Christian Moral Life. Ph.D. Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, 2014.;This dissertation argues that late modern ethics has been rendered inert by an ontology of fragmentation which is not capable of bringing reconciliation to human relationships. In view of the confession of a triune God, however, late modern ethics can go beyond simple tolerance to deep reconciliation. I argue that Christian moral theology functions most fully when it operates in a trinitarian mode and that the shape of the Christian moral life follows participating in God's triune life. Thus, the method of correlating God's triune life to human life is rightly one of participation, rather than reflection or analogy. In particular, the Wesleyan theological tradition is well-suited to provide resources for a trinitarian moral vision. I develop this argument by assessing a historical genealogy of substantive metaphysics, suggesting a trinitarian alternative, arguing for participation as the primary mode of trinitarian correlation, then proposing the sacraments as a location for such participation. I conclude by applying my argument to globalized economics as an ethical case study.