{"id":42982,"date":"2021-01-04T17:09:17","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T23:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/?p=42982"},"modified":"2021-01-04T17:09:23","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T23:09:23","slug":"podcast-314-10-fundamental-questions-about-the-trinity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-314-10-fundamental-questions-about-the-trinity\/","title":{"rendered":"podcast 314 &#8211; 10 Fundamental Questions about the Trinity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_2393\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-42982-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/trinities\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/podcast\/trinities314.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/trinities\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/podcast\/trinities314.mp3\">http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/trinities\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/podcast\/trinities314.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/trinities\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/podcast\/trinities314.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/?powerpress_pinw=42982-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/trinities\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/podcast\/trinities314.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"trinities314.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7FuUF9DZM3zhtN41n6RJ6l\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_spotify\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on Spotify\" rel=\"nofollow\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/trinities.org\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/square-payments-accepted.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42984\" width=\"494\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/square-payments-accepted.jpg 640w, https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/square-payments-accepted-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 494px) 100vw, 494px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are now a plethora would-be experts on &#8220;the doctrine of the Trinity&#8221; who offer to tell you the basics of what you need to know about the subject in a short paperback book, or in a lecture or three. Here are <strong>some questions which any <em>actual <\/em>expert should have ready and supportable answers for.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>10 Basic or Fundamental Questions about &#8220;the Trinity&#8221;:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What is &#8220;the doctrine of the Trinity&#8221;? <\/li><li>Why is this doctrine not, as some allege, tritheism?<\/li><li>Why is this doctrine not, as some allege, incoherent?<\/li><li>Is this doctrine consistent with the common conception of God as a mighty, unique, and completely perfect self?<\/li><li>When, if ever, did God reveal this doctrine?\u00a0<\/li><li>If this doctrine <em>is<\/em> &#8220;in&#8221; the Bible, how can one see this?<\/li><li>If this doctrine <em>is not<\/em> in the Bible, why should Bible-oriented Protestants accept it?<\/li><li>How does this doctrine relate to the so-called &#8220;ecumenical&#8221; councils?<\/li><li>Why have some Christians opposed any Trinity doctrine?<\/li><li>Is this doctrine, as the &#8220;Athanasian&#8221; creed asserts, something which one must believe in order to be saved?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also suggest ten more advanced questions. If a source can give convincing answers to any of these harder questions, then it should get some bonus points, especially if it can also answer the ten more basic ones above.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>10 Advanced Questions about &#8220;the Trinity&#8221;: bonus points for answering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Hypothetically, what would be required to show that the doctrine of the Trinity is false?<\/li><li>Does &#8220;the Trinity&#8221; either require or exclude a traditional doctrine of &#8220;divine processions&#8221;?<\/li><li>Is this doctrine &#8220;a mystery&#8221; and if so, what does that mean?<\/li><li>Is &#8220;the doctrine of the Trinity&#8221; consistent with divine simplicity?<\/li><li>What, if any, are the Jewish and\/or Christian precursors to this doctrine of the Trinity? What are the stages by which this line of thinking about God developed?<\/li><li>What are the various competing ways of understanding the traditional Trinity-language, i.e. Trinity theories?<\/li><li>How can we rule out competing Trinity theories?<\/li><li>Why isn&#8217;t the prevalence of such disagreement among people who have a Trinity theory evidence that no such theory has been revealed by God?<\/li><li>If &#8220;the Trinity&#8221; is a salvation-required doctrine why is it not clearly spelled out in any biblical passage?<\/li><li>In what sense, if any, is &#8220;the Trinity&#8221; an <em>essential<\/em> doctrine? Essential <em>to what<\/em> exactly? In other words, we can&#8217;t truly have ____ until we have a doctrine of the Trinity.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of this episode, I&#8217;ll very briefly tell you my answers; I&#8217;ve been researching and publishing on these things for more than two decades. But you can skip that ending part if you want, because my main point here is just <strong>to arm you with important questions<\/strong> as you start to find your way around this topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Links for this episode:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/what-is-the-trinity-by-dale-tuggy-6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42985\" width=\"343\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/what-is-the-trinity-by-dale-tuggy-6.png 485w, https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/what-is-the-trinity-by-dale-tuggy-6-286x450.png 286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 343px) 100vw, 343px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-302-the-stages-of-trinitarian-commitment\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"podcast 302 \u2013 The Stages of Trinitarian Commitment (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">podcast 302 \u2013 The Stages of Trinitarian Commitment<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2 Timothy 2:24-25<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-190-what-is-the-trinity-a-triad-of-book-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"podcast 190 \u2013 What is the Trinity? A triad of book reviews (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">podcast 190 \u2013 <em>What is the Trinity<\/em>? A triad of book reviews<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a aria-label=\"What is the Trinity? (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.what-is-the-trinity.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>What is the Trinity?<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/the-standard-opening-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"The Standard Opening Move [of trinitarian apologists] (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">The Standard Opening Move [of trinitarian apologists]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/trinity\/#TrinInc\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"SEP: Trinity as incoherent (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">SEP: Trinity as incoherent<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-102-dr-brian-leftow-on-perfect-being-theology\/\">podcast 102 \u2013 Dr. Brian Leftow on perfect being theology<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-164-on-counting-gods\/\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>podcast 164 \u2013 On Counting Gods<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-260-how-to-argue-that-the-bible-is-trinitarian\/\">podcast 260 \u2013 How to Argue that the Bible is Trinitarian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Westminster_Confession_of_Faith\" class=\"ek-link\">Westminster Confession of Faith<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-31-william-hasker-on-the-arian-controversy\/\">podcast 31 \u2013 Dr. William Hasker on the \u201cArian\u201d Controversy<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-30-the-council-of-nicea\/\" class=\"ek-link\">podcast <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-30-the-council-of-nicea\/\" class=\"ek-link\">podcast 30 \u2013 The Council of Nicea<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-29-arius\/\" class=\"ek-link\">podcast 29 \u2013 Arius<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/10-steps-towards-getting-less-confused-about-the-trinity-6-get-a-date-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"10 steps towards getting less confused about the Trinity \u2013 #6 get a date \u2013 part 2 (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">10 steps towards getting less confused about the Trinity \u2013 #6 get a date \u2013 part 2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-248-how-trinity-theories-conflict-with-the-bible\/\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>podcast 248 \u2013 How Trinity theories conflict with the Bible<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/how-trinity-theories-conflict-with-the-new-testament\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"How Trinity theories conflict with the New Testament (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">How Trinity theories conflict with the New Testament<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-2-the-athanasian-creed\/\">podcast 2 \u2013 the \u201cAthanasian Creed\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/podcast-286-is-the-trinity-essential-three-views\/\">podcast 286 \u2013 Is the Trinity Essential? \u2013 Three Views<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<a aria-label=\"Trinity (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/plato.stanford.edu\/entries\/trinity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">Trinity<\/a>,&#8221; <em>Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/evolution-of-the-trinity-with-bill-schlegel\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Evolution of the Trinity \u2013 with Bill Schlegel on The One God Report (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong>Evolution of the Trinity \u2013 with Bill Schlegel on The One God Report<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/when-and-how-in-the-history-of-theology-did-the-triune-god-replace-the-father-as-the-only-true-god\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"&quot;When and How in the History of Theology Did the Triune God Replace the Father as the Only True God?&quot; (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">&#8220;When and How in the History of Theology Did the Triune God Replace the Father as the Only True God?&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week&#8217;s thinking music is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/music\/Little_Glass_Men\/Simplify\/The_Dweller_on_Coyote_Hill\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"The Dweller on Coyote Hill (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">The Dweller on Coyote Hill<\/a>&#8221; by <a href=\"https:\/\/freemusicarchive.org\/music\/Little_Glass_Men\">Little Glass Men<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ten basic questions that need to be answered, and ten more advanced questions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37,16,6,14,9,57,77,76,94,13,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apologetics","category-books","category-complaints","category-history","category-philosophy","category-podcast","category-protestant","category-roman-catholicism","category-socinian","category-theologians","category-theories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42982"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43007,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42982\/revisions\/43007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinities.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}