Relocating To Elfland

“A (small-u) unitarian theology proper necessarily leads to a tragic view of creation, for anything that ‘goes out’ from a unitarian origin is necessarily a diminished supplement, perhaps even a deicide. If a unitarian god could conceivably create (which is theologically doubtful), creation could not be a glorification of god. Unitarianism is inherently Gnostic, and Gnosticism is hyper-tragic, since it treats the creation itself as a fall, a tragic departure from an origin, an exile. For the Gnostic, to be created is to be abandoned, alienated, in a far country, and the only hope is return. Within a triune God, by contrast, there is always already a ‘departure,’ but a departure that does not involve any diminishment from the origin. The Son is equal to the Father in power and glory; the Father can beget a Son who does not diminish or veil His glory. This Son does not efface the Father; instead, the Father, though full of all glory, is ineffably, mysteriously ‘glorified’ by the Son. Such a God can make a world that does not demand a diminishment of His being, since He has eternally produced a Son who does not diminish His being.” (Peter Leithart, Deep Comedy, pp. 86–87)