I found this book a good compromise between the intellectual and the approachable. Somehow, also, the writers style really stuck in my head! I shall be going back to it. I do think books like this are very important - so many churches for instance don't seem to engage much with theology so thank God for people like the author who do and advance our understanding. However, what's with the title? It seems designed to put people off reading! I would suggest something like 'God through different eyes' or 'Three in one - how triperspectivilism helps us understand God better.

THEOLOGY IN THREE DIMENSIONS --- A Guide to Trisperspectivalism and Its Significance by John Frame (P & R Publishing --- 2017)

THEOLOGY IN THREE DIMENSION by John Frame presents an interesting and unique outlook on how to do theology; and from the processes and viewpoints explained in this fairly short, but meaty book, offers a way to coherently tie together the realities of God’s makeup as a way of learning more about Him, our world, and ourselves. Frame attempts in this book to explain his intriguing theory that that the triunity of the Godhead inevitably leads to a universe that is filled with triads and three perspectives on looking at all things both spiritual and material.
The main idea posited in the book is Frame’s argument that all things theological and biblical can be perceived and evaluated in terms of three perspectives --- the normative, the situational, and the existential perspective. Defining “perspective” as “a position from which a person sees something,” Frame shows that one must use more than only one simple perspective to grasp more of the reality of a thing or a topic --- including and especially our Triune God. Because God has given us glimpses of His unique omniperspective in the Bible, that coupled with our human perspectives in concert should give us a more thorough an extensive method to examine the truths of God, the teachings of the Bible for systematic and biblical theologies, and a greater understanding of the human condition from a multiple perspective methodology.
While the book is written at an accessible level, and Frame is an able writer and effective communicator --- still, the thoughts and implications in this book are profound and thought-provoking, and would warrant several readings over time to fully grasp the significant implications posited by this preeminent theologian and Christian thinker. Highly recommended.

Frame is a curiosity to me, because his approach to theology is a bit different than most (if not all) in the Reformed camp. He is slightly (and fascinatingly) controversial on certain topics, and it's well worth engaging him on his body of work and this new volume.

Over the years I have really benefited from reading theologian John Frame especially in thinking more consciously of my theological method. John Frame’s triperspectivalism and his exploration of the inter-relationship of doctrines, theology and different field of study has also caused me not only to think more clearly but more worshipful of the God who is the source of the unity of various disciplines, doctrines and foci in theology. In this book John Frame gives us a short one volume introduction to his triperspectivalism and his perspectivalism in general. I’m glad he wrote this work.
This book has eight chapters with the first one defining and introducing the readers to how John Frame understands the meaning of “perspectives” and how we all view the world perspectivally. Frame quoted from his colleague Vern Poythress with the best definition of perspective: It is a “(1) view of something (2) by someone (3) from somewhere.” I thought this book was nuanced enough to make it clear that Frame is not a relativists or a subjectivists despite what some of his ill-informed critics might say. Frame’s perspectivalism humbles believers since we know we don’t see all the perspective of any given subject and only God is omniscient and omniperspectival. Chapter two then summarized Frame’s perspectivalism as applied to the discussion of the Trinity with chapter three being perspectivalism applied to the Gospel and chapter four to all of life. Chapters five through seven looks at Frame’s typical triad of the normative, situational and existential perspective respectively. Chapter eight ends the book with a discussion of what to do with perspectives.
I enjoyed each chapter featuring review questions and reflection for each chapter. In addition it was helpful to see a glossary at the end of each chapter. In terms of the contents I felt I didn’t learn anything particular that was very new but it was good to see Frame summarize his perspectivalism and also the inter-relationship of various aspect of theology. For example I enjoyed his point that all the attributes of God can be discussed from one attribute or another attribute since the other attributes shape any given attribute being discussed. God’s love is to be understood in relations to His other attributes such as His eternity, Holiness, etc. Thus God’s love is eternal, is holy, etc. Yet I think Frame also is conscious of the doctrine of divine simplicity in that God is not just an impersonal collection of characteristics but that God is love, etc. Even in the area of theological method Frame notes how facts and laws are inter-related since “there are norms in the facts, the norms are themselves facts; and the norms and facts are elements of our subjective experience” (chapter 4). There’s plenty of these nuggets throughout the book. This also is helpful for one’s apologetics such as the presuppositionalist’s discussion about the possibility of knowledge in a Christian and non-Christian worldview for “knowing requires facts (situational), minds able to know facts (existential) and rules for interpreting facts (normative)” yet somehow the three aspects are beautifully coherent with one another in the Christian worldview.
In terms of constructive criticism I must say I was hoping for more in the chapter on the Gospel. I do think he’s made a good point about not being reductionistic of pitting secular against the sacred or the subjective aspect of salvation against the objective elements, etc but it wasn’t triperspectivalism per se. I also disagreed with Frame’s example in chapter one of how Scripture sometimes can be not so clear from the question of whether or no Jesus cleared the money changers in the Temple early in his ministry (John 2:13-17), towards the end of his ministry (Matthew 21:12-17) or twice in the beginning and end of his ministry. Now I do think some areas of Scripture might not as clear as other section or that it require more hard word in attaining the proper interpretation but I don’t think the example Frame gave was a good one since I think it is clear that Jesus clearing the money changers in the Temple happened twice. In my master’s thesis I argued that the second event is best understood with the first event as part of the tactics of Jesus’ enemies to trap him.
Overall though I recommend this book and found it helpful.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by P&R Publishing and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

I'd been wanting to read some of Frame's work for a while now, and Theology in Three Dimensions sounded like a good way to get started. As an intro, it certainly is.

Frame writes with clarity and accessibility, and the book moves through a logical progression that makes reading his philosophy a treat. The subtitle basically explains the premise and the content: it's a guide to triperspectivalism and its significance. Frame makes a solid case for reading/thinking/doing from a variety of perspectives. Something sharper than holding relativistic views, this approach sees each perspective as an angle on a similar truth, with his image of looking in from each corner of a triangle providing a perfect visual.

The progress from perspectives to trinity to gospel and into the three major types of related perspectives works well. The primary limit to the book is its brevity. The book's intended to be a quick, approachable work on the subject; curious readers will have to get more from Frame's more extensive writings, such as his systematic theology. There's plenty here that warrants further thought, so while it would have been fun to have it here, it's not surprising or unwelcome to need to go elsewhere to explore.

The book and the thinking can become a little reductive at times. Frame's list of topics in his pedagogy section makes a for dry few pages (the only such pages in the book) as well as some forced thinking. It's a small matter, though, in the course of his argument and application, which are – in a short read – a strong introduction to some valuable thinking.