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The doctrine of the Trinity is a model for understanding who God is. Over the past couple of weeks we have had quite a bit of conversation about whether or not this model is intelligible or biblical. Unfortunately, often times I have found myself struggling to keep up with the conversation because I get busy and then when I come back, twenty more comments have been made. So, I apologize for not being able to answer each question that has come my way. Still, I believe that I have interacted enough with the trinitarian position and in particular with the way in which it is being argued here to become quite concerned.

Last weekend we held an evangelism conference at Living Hope Community Church in upstate NY. During the conference we focused on what the biblical gospel is and how to speak the gospel of the kingdom and the cross to a world in desperate need. The weekend included teachings, an interactive video workshop, role playing, and an evening out at the park. We wanted to provide an opportunity for those who wanted to try out what they had learned while at the same time not forcing anyone who wasn’t ready to do evangelism. Fortunately a good number of people did speak to people at the park and we had a wonderful time discussing these encounters as well as some related questions regarding evangelism in general Saturday night. The teachings from the conference are now available for free download.

I recently listened to an interesting radio show called Unbelievable in which two Jews, a Rabbi and a Messianic Christian discussed their understanding of Jesus. Since I believe Jesus is the Messiah, yet he is not God, I found myself often rooting for both sides! The one who represented Judaism was Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and the Christian was Michael Brown. Both men are high profile leaders in their respective movements and made great points. The host, Justin Brierley did a fine job of bringing out both sides of the argument. If you would like to know to what Jews are saying about Jesus listen to this show online or download it.

Presented by Brant Bosserman and Sean Finnegan at the One God Conference, Seattle WA June 1st 2008, commentary by Sean Finnegan. Click here to listen the entire 2 hour debate or click on one of the parts below.

The debate was over whether God is a single individual (the Father of Jesus) or if he is a Trinity (three persons in one essence). The debate followed this format:

Introduction by Ken Westby and Tom Bosserman [10 min] listen or download

Sean’s Opening Statement [20 min] listen or download
Brant’s Opening Statement [20 min] listen or download

Sean’s Rebuttal [15 min] listen or download
Brant’s Rebuttal [15 min] listen or download

Sean Cross-Examine Brant [10 min] listen or download
Brant Cross-Examine Sean [10 min] listen or download

Presented by John Obelenus at the One God Conference, Seattle WA June 1st 2008, commentary by Sean Finnegan. Click here to listen.

John seeks to deal with two major issues related to Jesus’ death for our sins: (1) the notion that God identifies with us through the incarnation and atonement (2) a flawed understanding of penal substitution.

Dinesh D’Souza was born in Bombay, India; he came to America at the age of 17; and he eventually graduated from Dartmouth. He was a policy adviser in Ronald Reagan’s White House until 1988. His latest book, What’s So Great About Christianity? is a response to many of the new atheists who are traipsing around saying that the greatest problems of the world are caused by religion (in particular Christianity and Islam). Surprisingly, even Michael Shermer, publisher of the magazine, Skeptic, and an ex-Christian, had this to say of D’Souza’s book, What’s So Great About Christianity?:

I just came across this 7 minute video about whether or not it is arrogant for Christians to say that there is only one way to be saved. This is a common complaint about Christianity–we are intolerant of other spiritual paths. But, suppose, just suppose, that there really is only one way that God has provided. If this is the case, then the other religions are the guilty ones, for they purport to provide a way to salvation and are unwittingly deceiving people into a false sense of salvation. It reminds me of the story of the guy who was shipwrecked and was the only one to survive. After floating around on his plank of wood for a day someone came by in a motorboat and threw him a rope to save him. Would the castaway respond with smugness and ingratitude, “What, you think you are the only person with a rope to save me?” No! He would grab the rope, because whether or not there are others to save him, this person is here and has the means to save him now. God has made a way for people to be saved, and that way is through Jesus, his only begotten son who died for our sins and was raised for our justification. If we turn him down, he will honor our right to choose, but let no one say that God is cruel to only make one way; that only insults the one who loved so much that he gave.

Walter Brueggemann was a Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. A graduate of Elmhurst College, Professor Brueggemann went on to study at the Eden Theological Seminary, receiving his Doctorate of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from St. Louis University. He has devoted his life to a passionate exploration of Old Testament theology. An unequaled passion for his subject has resulted in the publication of more than 58 books and hundreds of articles. My introduction to Dr. Brueggemann was through a course I took on Old Testament Poetry, for which my teacher, Dr. Joe Martin (who studied under Brueggemann), used The Message of the Psalms.

Frequently the word Elohim (the Hebrew word for God) is used to assert that God is plural. Naturally, this occurs because the word Elohim is plural in form. In Hebrew the “-im” ending indicates a plural like the “-s” ending in English. However, language is a tricky thing. Sometimes one will come across a word that ends in an “s” but is not plural (like “news”). The same occurs in Hebrew. Even so, rather than make the case myself (since my understanding of Hebrew is very limited), I have found a number of excellent Bible dictionary entries that make the point very well. Please note that most of these entries were written by people who believe in the Trinity, but even so, they do not use the plural form of the word Elohim to make their case.

Click here to listen to My Story: To God Be The Glory presented by Joel Hemphill, Apr 30th 2008, Atlanta Georgia. Commentary by Sean Finnegan.

Famed gospel singer, Joel Hemphill, the surprise guest of the conference, delivered a riveting message about his story with God from his initial conversion at 10 years old to his recent arrival at the biblical unitarian position from his prior oneness (Jesus only) viewpoint. He speaks with lucidity, energy, and humility and the story he tells is gripping.

He has sent out over 130,000 tracts to various pastors and church leaders around America proclaiming his new found faith in the one God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus. His book, To God Be The Glory documents his research on this subject.