Review of Kevin J. Navarro, Trinitarian Doxology

Kevin J. Navarro’s Trinitarian Doxology is a theological work intended to address contemporary worship’s anthropocentric tendencies and to promote a trinitarian and christocentric alternative. Rooted in the theology of T. F. and J. B. Torrance, Navarro challenges various worship paradigms that tend to prefer human action over trinitarian mediation. He argues that true Christian worship is ultimately sourced in participation in the Son’s perfect communion with the Father through the Spirit. In this respect, Trinitarian Doxology offers a unique contribution as both an impressive overview of the Torrances’ theology and a call to reclaim a doxological framework rooted in trinitarian theology. 

Navarro’s 2020 book is a publication of his 2018 Ph.D. thesis at Nazarene Theological College (Manchester, UK). His work reflects a deep engagement with the Scottish Reformed tradition, particularly the contributions of the Torrance brothers. His theological perspective is firmly trinitarian, christocentric, and incarnational. Navarro seems convinced that worship is not a human-centered practice, but an act mediated by Christ, the High Priest. Christ, alone offers perfect worship to the Father on behalf of humanity. In this way, Navarro challenges contemporary worship trends that are inclined to emphasize subjective experience rather than the objective work of Christ.

The main thesis of Trinitarian Doxology is that Christian worship is fundamentally participatory. It is not something we generate. Instead, it is something we enter into through the mediation of Christ. Navarro argues that proper trinitarian worship is an extension of Christ’s perfect response to the Father, made accessible to Christians by the Spirit. He is relentless in his critique of anthropocentric tendencies in contemporary worship that prize human performance, emotion, and creativity.

The chapters of the book are structured to build this argument systematically:

• The Biographical Background of T.F. and J.B Torrance (Chapter 1): situating the theology of worship into the historical lifework of the Torrances, emphasizing how their upbringing and academic influences shaped their theological convictions.
• Unitarian or Trinitarian Worship (Chapter 2): critiquing worship practices that neglect trinitarian sensibilities in favor of existential and moralistic approaches.
• The Trinitarian Faith and Worship (Chapter 3): exploring how the Nicene Creed provides the framework for proper trinitarian worship.
• The Mediation of Christ (Chapter 4): reinforcing that Christ alone offers true worship on behalf of humanity, not something that is humanly generated.
• The Place of Jesus Christ in Liturgical Prayer and Worship (Chapter 5): addressing how Christ’s role in the context of corporate worship has increasingly been overlooked or confused.
• Thomas F. Torrance and Preaching (Chapter 6): arguing for the importance and value of preaching as a primary means of participation in the worship of Christ.
• The Sacraments of Incorporation and Renewal (Chapter 7): examining the sacraments as key experiences and opportunities where Christians are uniquely joined into Christ’s worship.

In his book, Navarro achieves an objective of articulating a deeply trinitarian theology of worship. His engagement with the Torrances is impressive and thorough. He convincingly demonstrates the necessity of grounding worship in Christ’s mediatory role instead of human efforts. His greatest contribution is critiquing these self-focused tendencies. This is particularly true when music, worship practices, and preaching prioritize human responses over the work of Christ. The book is also theological, deep, and rich. Navarro has integrated systematic theology, biblical exegesis, and historical theology to construct a coherent and multi-dimensioned argument for trinitarian worship. His utilization of the Nicene Creed as a foundation for worship is particularly impressive in chapter three. This provides a historical and doctrinal anchor to his claims.

While Navarro effectively critiques the limitations of contemporary worship, this is not a book likely to engage worship leaders or practitioners who are looking for valuable insights into how trinitarian theology can be practically integrated into modern worship settings. Originally written as a Ph.D. thesis, the writing style of this book is academic and intellectual. This makes it less accessible to a general and popular audience. One area of potential questioning for Navarro might be the extent to which experience-based worship is, by necessity, anthropocentric. While he rightly critiques worship that becomes self-focused, there may be additional room to explore how worship that engages human emotion and experience is both theologically and properly rooted in trinitarian engagement.

In any case, Trinitarian Doxology is intellectually stimulating and rich. The book successfully answers why it is important that worship be centered on the mediatorial work of Christ. It is a valuable contribution to worship theology and a helpful corrective to the anthropocentric leanings of contemporary worship. The book’s theologically rich framework builds an understanding of worship as participation in Christ’s perfect communion with the Father. If it had been Navarro’s intention, the book may have benefitted from more practical applications. However, this book remains an essential read for keen theologians, intellectual pastors, and astute worship leaders who seek to deepen their theological understanding of trinitarian worship. It is also an important read for those who take the theological foundations of worship seriously.