This research paper by Joshua Duemler, submitted to Dr. D. Blair Smith for ST5150 – Systematic Theology 1: Scripture, Theology Proper, Anthropology at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte, examines the cry of dereliction (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) as a theological convergence point for Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) and orthodox Trinitarianism. Duemler contends that the text can be read without implying division within the Godhead, offering a framework where Christ’s suffering under divine wrath remains compatible with the unbroken unity of Father, Son, and Spirit.
The paper contrasts Jürgen Moltmann’s radical social Trinitarianism—which posits an intra-divine rupture—with Leon Morris’s defense of PSA, showing that while Morris wrongly cites Moltmann, he does not share his heterodox implications. Duemler then turns to Reformed theologians John Calvin and Francis Turretin, demonstrating how both maintain the theological tension between Christ’s penal suffering and divine unity. Calvin frames the dereliction as Christ’s felt abandonment, not an ontological separation, while Turretin provides a systematic distinction preserving the fullness of the Trinity even amid divine judgment.
Duemler concludes that an orthodox articulation of PSA requires theological precision that honors both Scripture and classical Trinitarianism. By recovering the careful distinctions modeled by Calvin and Turretin, he argues, preachers and theologians can proclaim a truly triune gospel—one in which the mystery of Christ’s forsakenness deepens worship rather than divides the Godhead.
Course and semester: ST5150 Systematic Theology 1: Scripture, Theology Proper, Anthropology — Fall 2020
