Emotional Formation: A Trinitarian Interaction

Abstract

This chapter provides an account of Christian formation from the perspective of our participation in Jesus’ filial relationship with the Father through the Spirit. Drawing upon the theological psychology of Jonathan Edwards, the first half of the chapter focuses on the Holy Spirit’s identity as the Spirit of Sonship and explores the way in which the deep emotional longings and intimacy of Christological Sonship are mediated by the Spirit. The second half of the chapter directs attention to the filial emotions and considers what it means for one to emotionally interact with God as Father while embodying the Christological filial emotions. The significance of this sort of emotional interaction for Christian formation is then discussed within the context of the psychological literature on attachment theory.