Product Overview
What if the deepest theological truths about God are found not in rigid binaries but in the breathtaking diversity of creation itself?
In Trans Trinity, Wendy Farley offers a constructive theological reimagining of the Trinity through the metaphor of trans—as both a grammatical prefix and a gender identity. A work in sapiential theology, the book explores how theological reflection can shape not only what we think about God but also how we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us.
Responding to contemporary ecological, social, and spiritual crises, Farley argues that dominant theological frameworks have too often reinforced patterns of hierarchy, exclusion, and binary thinking. In contrast, Trans Trinity presents a vision of divine life grounded in relationship, creativity, and interdependence. Farley describes a diverse and nonbinary Trinity whose love extends throughout creation and whose presence can be discerned in the complexity and variety of the cosmos.
Drawing on insights from philosophy, contemplative spirituality, science, literature, and queer experience, the book develops an account of God’s relationship with the cosmos, living beings, and humanity. Among the many conversation partners that Farley brings into the book are early and medieval Christian thinkers such as Gregory of Nyssa, Pseudo-Dionysius, Julian of Norwich, Marguerite Porete, Augustine, Anselm, and Thomas Aquinas; later theologians including Friedrich Schleiermacher and Paul Tillich; and a wide-ranging list of poets, philosophers, scientists, Buddhists, pagans, womanist, queer, and trans voices whose memoirs and stories broaden the conversation beyond traditional academic theology.
Along the way, Farley envisions Trinity as three divine energies—Eros, Tenderness, and Wisdom—offering a compelling framework for understanding and responding to the beauty, suffering, and diversity of creation while revealing God’s delight within it.
The book unfolds in three parts:
- The first examines the theological roots of contemporary crises and proposes the concept of Trans Trinity as an alternative vision.
- The second explores the Trinity’s relationship with creation, emphasizing diversity, care, and love in the midst of suffering.
- The final section considers the virtues that Trans Trinity offers humanity and how they might shape human life and community.
Part theology and part contemplative reflection, Trans Trinity offers a fresh approach to the doctrines of creation and the Trinity while celebrating the resilience, beauty, and significance of trans, nonbinary, and queer lives.