Is God a self – a being capable of consciousness, knowledge, and choice, like us, but infinitely greater? Or is God a community, or a something-we-know-not-what? Dr. Holmes’s language in his book The Quest for the Trinity made me think that he would answer: yes, God is a self, and not a community, or a mysterious Something. I took him to be a one-self trinitarian, and… Read More »podcast 43 – Dr. Stephen R. Holmes on God and humankind
In this episode I talk with Dr. Stephen R. Holmes about his 2012 book The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity (UK title: The Holy Trinity). In this book Dr. Holmes argues that the much celebrated recent “revival of trinitarian theology” is no such thing. In his view, recent theology has deviated from the course set by the 4th centuries… Read More »podcast 42 – Dr. Stephen R. Holmes on his The Quest for the Trinity
In this episode, Dr. Davis reads short selections from his 2006 book Christian Philosophical Theology (Oxford University Press). As he said in our interview, this book is probably the best place to look for his mature views. Hopefully Oxford University Press will someday release this in paperback and electronic versions. He addresses John Hick’s and others’ “minimal christology” on which Jesus is merely a wise teacher,… Read More »podcast 41 – Stephen T. Davis’s Christian Philosophical Theology
In this episode I talk with Christian philosopher Dr. Stephen T. Davis on the occasion of the start of his phased retirement from Claremont McKenna College (and the Claremont Graduate University). We discuss his advice for Christians going into philosophy, his views on the most important work done in recent Christian philosophy that most Christians don’t know about, his advice on writing, and his own work… Read More »podcast 40 – Dr. Stephen T. Davis on Christians in Philosophy
In this episode, Dr. Craig A. Evans and I discuss the surprising and bold methodological claims about doing history in chapter 4 of Dr. Ehrman’s How Jesus Became God. Along the way we bring up such topics as Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, the historicity of the New Testament gospels, the views of David Hume (pictured above) on belief in miracles, the probability of… Read More »podcast 39 – Dr. Craig Evans on Dr. Bart Ehrman’s historical methodology
Dr. Evans brings to bear some fascinating historical and archaeological evidence.
This is a special Good Friday edition of the trinities podcast: a short pre-concert lecture I was privileged to give before a masterful performance of the 1724 version of Bach’s St. John Passion at SUNY Fredonia, directed by my friend Dr. Gerald Gray. I discuss what the New Testament says about the suffering and death of Jesus, and briefly canvass different approaches to atonement theory in… Read More »podcast 37 – Why did Jesus have to suffer?
Is the author of John confused about Jesus and God? Does he think that two different beings – the Father, and the man Jesus – are numerically the same as the one true God? Some people think so; putting it gently, they talk of the “tensions” (=apparent contradictions) in the book. But is this author that confused? Again, some think that John makes Jesus qualitatively… Read More »podcast 36 – Interview with Dr. Bart Ehrman about his How Jesus Became God – Part 2
In this episode, a conversation with Dr. Bart Ehrman about his How Jesus Became God, and the evangelical response book How God Became Jesus. Dr. Ehrman has given other interviews in which he gives an overview of his project in the book. So skipping that, we jump right into some of his more controversial conclusions, and how he arrived at them. We also discuss the… Read More »podcast 35 – Interview with Dr. Bart Ehrman about his How Jesus Became God – Part 1
In this episode, the final half of my debate with Roman Catholic apologist Mr. William Albrecht. The question: was Tertullian a trinitarian? (Part 1 is here.) First, we take turns cross-examining one another, and then the closing arguments. I’ve shortened the audio here, but have not cut any meaningful content at all. Who makes the better case? As Fox News says, we report, you decide.… Read More »podcast 34 – Albrecht vs. Tuggy debate – Was Tertullian a trinitarian? Part 2
On March 29, I debated Catholic apologist William Albrecht on whether or not Tertullian was a trinitarian. In this episode, our opening statements, and rebuttals, slightly edited (“cleaned up”) from the original audio (“in studio” for me, unfortunately, just over the internet for his side – but I did my best to make the whole thing listenable.) You can also listen to this episode on… Read More »podcast 33 – Albrecht vs. Tuggy debate – Was Tertullian a trinitarian? Part 1
Last night I finally saw the 2014 movie Son of God. I’m not as down on the movie as this guy! Other reviewers point out some inaccuracies of detail. Others say it’s just too compressed. Me, though I liked the movie, I most noticed what New Testament material they left out, as well as their familiar, confused picture of Jesus and God. In this episode,… Read More »podcast 32 – review of the movie Son of God (2014)
Was the Council of Nicea (325) a defense and re-affirmation of core catholic theology? And did the Council of Constantinople (381) merely re-affirm Nicea, and slightly clean up its language and the details of its theology? In this episode, analytic theologian Dr. William Hasker gives his perspective on these fourth century events, reading from his Metaphysics and the Tripersonal God (discussed here and here). He contrasts a… Read More »podcast 31 – Dr. William Hasker on the “Arian” Controversy
Was Arius the ultimate Judas? Was he an arrogant innovator, a devotee of Greek philosophy, a Judaizer, a hater of mysteries, a phony, a snake in the grass? In this episode, we look at Arius and his theology, in (as much as is now possible) in his own words. You can also listen to this episode on youtube. You can also listen to this episode… Read More »podcast 29 – Arius
The conversation continues, as we get into to the specifics of Dr. Hasker’s “social” Trinity theory. Dr. Hasker answers many questions, including: How is it that these three divine selves are one God, and not three? What is “perichoresis”? What does it mean to say that their actions respecting the cosmos are “undivided”? What role does the contemporary metaphysical concept of “constitution” play in the… Read More »podcast 28 – Interview with Dr. William Hasker about his Metaphysics and the Tripersonal God – Part 2
In the last thirty years or so, many Christian philosophers have become “social” trinitarians. Not only do they “use the social analogy” for the Trinity – that is, compare the Trinity to three humans – but they also, generally, affirm that the Trinity really does contain or consist of three selves- three beings capable of thought, action, and personal relationships. Dr. Hasker did this before… Read More »podcast 27 – Interview with Dr. William Hasker about his Metaphysics and the Tripersonal God – Part 1
In this episode Sean and I continue our discussion of “the Holy Spirit” in the New Testament, covering such topics as how “the Spirit” relates to worship and prayer in the New Testament, the eternal trinitarian “dance” discussed in recent trinitarian literature, the threefold baptismal formula, and “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” Some relevant links: Holmes’s edition of the Apostolic Fathers Ehrman’s Lost Scriptures (with… Read More »podcast 26 – Pastor Sean Finnegan on “the Holy Spirit” – Part 2
In this episode Pastor Sean Finnegan and I discuss biblical spirit-talk: “the Holy Spirit,” “the Spirit of the LORD,” “God’s spirit,” “the Spirit of Christ,” etc. Sean helpfully distinguishes four types of spirit-talk in the Bible, giving many examples from both testaments. We also discuss traditional catholic arguments for the Holy Spirit being a third divine person in addition to the Father and the Son,… Read More »podcast 25 – Pastor Sean Finnegan on “the Holy Spirit” – Part 1
Earlier catholic theologians like Tertullian and Origen show us how.
