Is Trinitarian-Bashing Right?
by
Jason Dulle
JasonDulle@yahoo.com
Question:
I am a new convert. I was previously a Trinitarian believer. I have been discomforted by various preachers who seem to bitterly attack Trinitarian believers, saying that they are idolatrers and damned to hell. It seems to me that this is not the approach to take. Do you agree.
Answer:
I could not agree more. I do not agree with bitter anit-Trinitarian attitudes. I do believe that Trinitarianism is false doctrine, but shouting against it does not accomplish anything. It is most unfortunate that some of our preachers resort to this approach. I find such behavior inappropriate for several reasons. First, most Trinitarians are only Trinitarian by name. When asked to explain their concept of God, you will find that they are usually either Oneness or Tritheists. I estimate that only 1% of Trinitarians actually have any understanding of the Trinity, and confess it as such. This observation was confirmed by my experience with Trinitarians in seminary. When discussing the Godhead, many of the students' comments revealed a Oneness understanding of God, or revealed their belief in three separate Gods. Even the Trinitarian professor confessed that 99% of confessing Trinitarians do not understand the Trinity, but fall towards Oneness or Tritheism.
The second reason Trinitarian-bashing is unproductive is because too many preachers have no idea what Trinitarianism actally is. They confuse Trinitarianism with Tritheism, thinking that all Trinitarians believe in three separate Gods. In fact, most of our polemics directed against Trinitarianism do not disprove Trinitarianism at all, but rather disprove Tritheism. Trinitarians do not claim to believe in three separate Gods, but in one God (substance) consisting of three distinct, but unified persons.
My final reason for disagreeing with Trinitarian-bashing is that there are many good people who would call themselves Trinitarians simply because they do not know any other way to think about God. They have always heard the word "Trinity" and believe that it is part of the Christian gospel. They have never heard the Oneness message. It is not that they are opposing the truth, but that they are ignorant of the truth. They need to be taught, not scorned. I take issue with this because such behavior makes us look like brute beasts who hate others because of a lack of doctrinal understanding. I pray for those who do it will realize their faults and approach the issue from a doctrinal perspective, rather than a personal perspective.
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