Kinship Theology
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Kinship Theology (KT) offers a revolutionary perspective on God’s interaction with creation, emphasizing that every divine action flows from love relationship. Love, as KT defines it, is the giving of self for the benefit of relationship. This understanding shapes how we see God’s essence, humanity’s purpose, and the unfolding of his restorative plan, offering hope and purpose for all creation.
KT invites us to explore God’s truth, goodness, and beauty as they transform not only individual lives but also the relationships that bind us together as his image bearers. By calling us into kinship with him and each other, KT provides a framework for understanding life as it was meant to be—filled with God’s love.
KT’s Seven Foundational Principles:
#1: God’s Essence and Nature: God is one eternal being existing as truth, goodness, and beauty (TGB) expressed in three persons. Acting always in faith, hope, and love—with love as his defining motivation—God seeks everlasting relationship with his image bearers. Every act of God, from creation to redemption, reflects his unwavering commitment to love.
#2: Creation and Humanity’s Purpose: God’s creation includes the heavenly host and image-bearing humans, made to reflect his essence and steward the physical world. Humanity’s purpose is grounded in relationship: to live in love with God and each other, manifesting TGB in every aspect of life.
#3: The Fall—A Relational Breach: Sin entered creation when Adam selfishly chose physical creation over God, believing it could better satisfy his desires for TGB. This act severed the relational bond with God, corrupting human essence and subjecting physical creation to a curse. Despite this breach, God continues to sustain humanity in hope of restoration.
#4: Atonement—Redemption Through Love: God’s plan of atonement restores image bearers to love relationship. Jesus became human, joining his soul to a cursed body, yet his soul remained untouched by sin. By willingly dying, Jesus fulfilled the curse and redeemed human essence. His resurrection restored his body to perfect relationship with God, paving the way for the renewal of all creation at his return.
#5: Salvation—From Estrangement to Kinship: Salvation is not selfishly about escaping Hell but about entering restored relationship with God. Faith—trusting God as the source of TGB—is essential, as love cannot be coerced. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, empowers believers to reflect God’s love, and unites them in the communal expression of TGB. Salvation begins and ends with God, bringing estranged image bearers into eternal kinship with him.
#6: Last Things—The Hope of Restoration: God’s restorative plan culminates in the renewal of creation. At Christ’s return, all creation will be redeemed, the curse lifted, and humanity restored to TGB-filled relationship with God. This is not merely physical renewal but the fulfillment of God’s purpose to reconcile all things to himself, creating a world where his love reigns eternally.
#7: Community—Living Out Love: In Christ’s kingdom, love replaces authority and hierarchy. Restored image bearers live out God’s essence as a matter of the heart, strengthening one another in reciprocal care. By setting aside selfishness for the good of the whole, they reflect God’s love and knit their lives together in fulfillment and joy.
KT offers a vision of God’s love that transforms how we understand his nature, his purpose for creation, and his plan for restoration. It calls us to embrace kinship with God and others, living as reflections of his truth, goodness, and beauty.