Are you looking for an excellent devotional that speaks intelligently on theology and apologetics while remaining accessible to and engaging for the lay reader? Yes, of course you are. Given that fact, I heartily commend Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Beyond Doubt: Faith-Building Devotions on Questions Christians Ask. (Buy it here!) But while the book is very fine, […]
Trinity
Debriefing the Trinity Debate: A Conversation with Dale Tuggy
Recently, one of the foremost defenders of unitarianism today, the analytic philosopher Dale Tuggy, squared off in a public debate with popular speaker, radio host, and author Michael Brown to debate the topic “Is the God of the Bible the Father Alone?” Tuggy defended unitarianism and Brown defended trinitarianism. I very much enjoyed this rigorous […]
Is it proper to refer to the Trinity as “he”?
The doctrine of the Trinity is a conundrum. So it should be no surprise that discourse about the triune God is itself a minefield of potential error and ambiguity. Consider, for example, the matter of divine reference: how does one refer to the triune God? I often encounter people referring to the triune God with […]
What is the Trinity? A Review
Dale Tuggy. What is the Trinity? Thinking About the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. CreateSpace, 2017, 142 pp. In one of his comedy sketches, Jim Gaffigan recalls an occasion when his young son said: “Look daddy! A silver stick!” Gaffigan replied, “Actually son, that’s an antenna!” Puzzled, the boy replied: “What’s an antenna?” After a moment, […]
55. Does the Trinity make sense? A conversation with Michael Rea
A.W. Tozer once said, “Love and faith are at home in the mystery of the Godhead. Let reason kneel in reverence outside.” And why are we obliged to leave reason outside? Well the doctrine of God brings with it many conundrums, but there is probably none greater than that posed by Trinitarian doctrine, that is, […]
32. Fred Sanders on the Trinity
Back in the 1960s theologian Karl Rahner famously lamented the fact that Christians are “almost mere monotheists”. Rahner’s lament reflects the observation that the Trinitarian confession at the heart of Christian faith is often not evident in the life of the Church. Sadly, I fear that Rahner’s concern still rings true today. To be sure, one […]
Are the orthodox better off than the heretical?
In his intellectual biography Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton famously summed up the ironic conclusion of his wayward intellectual journey away from the church: “I did try to found a little heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy.” But things don’t always work out […]
Dancing on the edge of the hermeneutical abyss
I was once in conversation with a Mormon missionary who claimed he had evidence for the Book of Mormon in the Bible. “Oh really?” I said, barely able to conceal my dripping skepticism. “Can you show me?” He opened up a Bible to Ezekiel 37 and began to read: 15 The word of the Lord came […]
The Peril of Praying to the Trinity
This is a repost of an article originally published at The Christian Post in 2009. * * * This Sunday well meaning pastors and congregants across North America will make unintended blunders into heresy by praying things like this: “Heavenly Father, we thank you for dying for us”; “Lord Jesus, we thank you for being […]
Must a Christian believe in the Trinity?
Jeff is puzzled that I have made the claim that Christians ought to be trinitarian. Let’s hear Jeff in his own words: “Randal, sorry to be a pest, but I’m still surprised that you haven’t stepped back from your statement that adherence to trinitarian doctrine is essential for identification as a Christian. Maybe it’s a […]
The Shack under Attack? A Response to Mark Driscoll
Back in April of 2009 I offered a response to Pastor Mark Driscoll’s 8 minute response to William Paul Young’s bestselling novel The Shack which has sold over ten million copies. Driscoll’s screed, which was posted on Youtube and viewed hundreds of thousands of times, accused The Shack of four major heresies including modalism and goddess worship. I rebut both of those […]
Who needs the Trinity? A Review of Fred Sanders, “The Deep Things of God”
Fred Sanders. The Deep Things of God. How the Trinity changes everything. Crossway, 2010. 256 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4355-1316-9. “Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for dying for us.” I winced. The church elder meant well of course. He certainly didn’t mean to endorse patripassianism. He was just aiming to provide an offeratory prayer in a sleepy suburban evangelical congregation. […]
