I have defended the doctrine of the Trinity many times both online and in face to face. My experiences, not any research that I could find seem to indicate moving away from the doctrine of the Trinity. Most of the writers that I engage with online do not believe in the Doctrine of the Trinity. One of my professors years ago told our class that most of the heresies, that we will encounter will deny some or all parts of the Trinity. I have found that to be very true.
As I was searching for the post that supported my hypothesis, concerning a decrease in the belief of the Trinity but that is not what I found. I found that most articles in Christian research journals were in support of Trinitarian views. This support for the Trinitarian view seems to go back to Karl Barth.
Karl Barth in the mid-twentieth century defended the doctrine of the Trinity from the liberals of the time. Although his view was more of a return to modalism. His defense did revitalize belief in the Trinity.
Barth did not like the reformed view of God having three hypostases(persons) in one ousia (being). (Oliver and Oliver 2023, 1 of 9) Instead, he said that God had three “seinsweise” which is defined as “mode or way of being.” (Oliver and Oliver 2023, 3 of 9) Erickson defines modalism as the view that there is one Godhead, which is variously designated as Father, Son, or Spirit. There is no real distinction between “seinsweise,” to use Barth’s term. They are simply names that can be used at different times when God is working in those various ways. (Erickson 2013, 304) This is how Barth viewed the Trinity, “God is One in three ways of being.” (Oliver and Oliver 2023, 3 of 9)
Oneness Pentecostalism is modalist in their doctrine of the Trinity. The following is from the United Pentecostal Church International.
There is one God, who has revealed Himself as Father; through His Son, in redemption; and as the Holy Spirit, by emanation. Jesus Christ is God manifested in flesh. He is both God and man. (See Deuteronomy 6:4; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 3:16.) (UPCI 2023)
The next view is one that I had personal contact with that has become very popular in the area in which I live because we live close to the epicenter of this movement in Michigan. The Scared Names movement has several different names. The belief statement I used here is one from Yahwehs Restoration Ministry. There are several beliefs that are not orthodox but here we are focused on the Trinity. The following statement is their belief statement about the Holy Spirit from their website.
We affirm that the Holy Spirit is an invisible force proceeding from the Heavenly Father. It is in essence the mind and power of Yahweh, which is also bestowed upon the Son, Luke 24:49; John 15:26. The Holy Spirit is placed within those who are baptized into the saving Name of Yahshua the Messiah through the laying on hands of the presbytery, Acts 2:38; 5:32; 8:17; 19:6; 1Timothy 4:14; 2Timothy 1:6. Through this power a person receives Yahweh’s strength to overcome sin and live a repentant life. The Holy Spirit is the acting agent by which Yahweh and His Son accomplish their will. (YAHWEHSRESTORATIONMINISTRY 1999-2021)
This is another form of modalism. In this form of modalism the existence of the Holy Spirit is denied and the Father and the Son are two ways that God expressed himself. This is why both the Father and the Son have to be called Yahweh. They consider this a serious issue if God in all His forms is not called Yahweh. They even have their own Bible where God’s name is always Yahweh.
The Trinity is a mystery according to the confession of the Church. The Trinity is a mystery in both the Biblical sense and the Trinity is impossible to comprehend. (Berkhof 1958, 89) (Erickson 2013, 310)
When I am defending the Trinity, I usually make the following comments. Why would we expect a being, who does not need time to exist, who does not even need space to exist, to have an essence like ours? We cannot comprehend anything that does not need time and space to exist. So why are we surprised or doubt the essence of God when his essence is incomprehensible to us?
References
Berkhof, Luis. Systematic Theology. Reprinted 2005. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1958.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, Mi: Baker Academic, 2013.
Oliver, Willem, and Erna Oliver . "God as One, with reference to Barht and the Perichoresis Doctrine." Verbum et Ecclesia 44, no. 1 (February 2023): 9.
UPCI. 2023. https://upci.org/our-beliefs/ (accessed Septermber 19, 2023).
YAHWEHSRESTORATIONMINISTRY . 1999-2021. https://yrm.org/statement-of-beliefs/ (accessed September 19, 2023).
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