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As a life-long Church of Christ member and a long-time pastor, Jeff Deuble had a Bible-centered faith, endorsing such slogans as “No creed but Christ,” “Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are silent, we’re silent,” “Bible things by Bible names,” “We’re Christians only, not the only Christians,” and “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things, love.”
But what is essential to Christian teaching according the Bible? One day Jeff Deuble’s older brother told him that he thought Jesus is the Son of God, but not God the Son. Why? Because in his view, this is what the Bible teaches, as against later traditions.
A lifelong Christian, Pastor Deuble was shocked and horrified. Haven’t basically all Christians always believed that Jesus is God the Son, one of three “divine Persons” in the triune God? This started off a scriptural investigation of some 12 years, and the theological change which Pastor Deuble explains in this readable, charitable, and engaging new book. He has come to see “the Trinity” and “the deity of Christ” as not essential according to Scripture.
Is he right?
The three other interviews below are complimentary to this one; be sure to check them out if you’d like to hear more from Pastor Deuble before delving into the book.
Links for this episode:
Christ Before Creeds – Dale Tuggy, Sean Finnegan, Anna Brown & Jeff Deuble
Restitutio 366 Who Was Christ before the Creeds? (Jeff Deuble)
Restitutio 408 Christ before Creeds Book (Jeff Deuble)
Restitutio Interview 49 They Never Told Me This in Church (Greg Deuble)
podcast 332 – Emlyn’s Humble Inquiry
podcast 22 – a cure for odium theologicum
podcast 334 – “Who do you say I am?”
10 steps towards getting less confused about the Trinity – #8 – trinity vs. Trinity
The Tuggy-Brown debate: Dale’s opening statement
podcast 302 – The Stages of Trinitarian Commitment
podcast 108 – Dr. Robert M. Bowman Jr. on triadic New Testament passages – part 2
podcast 107 – Dr. Robert M. Bowman Jr. on triadic New Testament passages – part 1
What is essential to the gospel, according to Luke?
podcast 224 – Biblical Words for God and for his Son Part 1 – God and “God” in the Bible
podcast 191 – Ware’s Outline of the Testimony of Scripture Against the Trinity
podcast 189 – The unfinished business of the Reformation
podcast 285 – Does the Bible Teach that God is a Trinity? Cole-Tuggy Dialogue – Part 4
podcast 284 – Does the Bible Teach that God is a Trinity? Cole-Tuggy Dialogue – Part 3
podcast 283 – Does the Bible Teach that God is a Trinity? Cole-Tuggy Dialogue – Part 2
podcast 282 – Does the Bible Teach that God is a Trinity? Cole-Tuggy Dialogue – Part 1
podcast 286 – Is the Trinity Essential? – Three Views
This week’s thinking music is “reCreation” by airtone.
If it’s okay for people to believe God is a trinity, so long as they believe Jesus is Messiah, why did the author write this book about a topic which he says at the end is non essential. Why did he spend 12 years thinking about whether the trinity is true or not, if it’s not essential. Why did he risk friendships and his Pastoral role for something non essential. It doesn’t make sense to me.
Glen, it’s a bizarre and extreme view that one should only care about salvation-essential beliefs. I believe that a person can be saved even while believing in Calvinistic double-predestination. But if I were a pastor and was expected to teach that – yeah, I’d resign before teaching a theology which presents an evil God. An extreme case, yes – but it shows how extreme your position is, that a teaching is not worth contesting, not worth losing friends and job etc. over, unless it is a salvation issue (required for salvation or an automatic disqualifier). The net result of all the catholic Trinity traditions is that people confuse together Jesus and God – at least, some of the time they do! This keeps each from getting the glory due him. God is thanked, absurdly, for dying on the cross for us. And the man Jesus is thanked, also absurdly, for being the creator of the heavens and the earth. I think that the honor or the glory which is due to the only God is a serious and weighty matter, as is that due to his unique human Son. Thank God for people like Pastor Deuble who courageously stand up for these elements of the “faith once delivered.”
I hold an extreme position. You’re not the first to label me an extremist, trinitarians do that all the time.
Glen – I’m not name-calling. I’m just saying that beliefs matter for a lot of different reasons – salvation being one of those reasons.
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