Freeman Barton

This book is an interesting read. It's too bad that I am not the confirmed, devoted, Trinitarian, that the editors and Professor Nichols, himself, are!

My lifetime journey to re-discover biblical truth, over and over again, has been mostly frutrating when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity. I read books like this willingly and eagerly, hoping to find something new that I have missed before. I give proponents of the Trinity every opportunity to prove me inescapably wrong (my error, to them, is that I do not accept the full Nicene formulation).

The list of editors includes a number of people whom I admire. They are among my most trusted spiritual mentors. Rev. David McCarthy, for instance, baptized me, as well as my Dad, brother, and sister. I love my trinitarian brethren, and continue to learn from their example.

But the text is riddled with statements like "It is correct to say that Jesus is God; it is not correct to say that God is Jesus." (p. 26). Trinitarians refuse to discuss this point further. How is it that we can say "God is the Father" or "God is OUR Father," but not to say "God is the Son," or "God is our Son." We simply apply universally accepted rules of logic to the matter, and ask why we cannot discuss it, at least for purposes of edification?

"Mystery!" they say - "all is mystery!" The Trinity is a mystery that we must accept, even if we do not understand it! But most non-Trinitarians that I know, have claimed simply that we just want to use biblical language to describe biblical concepts. But even this statement, they tend to see as gravely wrong.

The book states several times, that the problem with non-Trinitarians is that they prove, in their arguments, that they really do not understand the Trinity accurately. They argue against points that the Trinitarians theselves do not hold.

But, why do they never realized that they argue against points, that we do not hold?

We are at a loggerhead, and what is needed is humility. Learn from me, and I will learn from you.

The entire text, like so many of its kind, is overflowing with excellent prose and insightful observations. But it is lacking in humility. They could improve their standing with us, and we with them (no doubt), if we could each but admit that we may be wrong on some finer point!

And at this point in my life, searching as I have for knew knowledge, the absence of humility in theological writings, has gone from a distraction, to an outright stumbling-block.

So, dear reader, I would definitely urge that you read this well-written volume. But do so with the spirit of the Bereans: let everything be proven, explicitly, by Scripture.… (altro)