Improbable Planet


Book Description

The Latest Scientific Discoveries Point to an Intentional Creator Most of us remember the basics from science classes about how Earth came to be the only known planet that sustains complex life. But what most people don't know is that the more thoroughly researchers investigate the history of our planet, the more astonishing the story of our existence becomes. The number and complexity of the astronomical, geological, chemical, and biological features recognized as essential to human existence have expanded explosively within the past decade. An understanding of what is required to make possible a large human population and advanced civilizations has raised profound questions about life, our purpose, and our destiny. Are we really just the result of innumerable coincidences? Or is there a more reasonable explanation? This fascinating book helps nonscientists understand the countless miracles that undergird the exquisitely fine-tuned planet we call home--as if Someone had us in mind all along.




Should Christianity Abandon the Doctrine of the Trinity?


Book Description

This is a highly controversial exposition of a doctrine which has dominated Christianity for two thousand years. The book takes apart, piece by piece, the very foundation that so many religions use to support the belief that there are three persons in one God. It analyses the major scriptural references pointed to in Trinity support texts, and examines them in the light of biblical context and by original-language comparisons. World-renowned authorities on biblical Hebrew and Greek are sought for their views on these key scriptures. This is a compelling book which turns the very foundation of Christianity onto its head.




A Brief History of the Doctrine of the Trinity in the Early Church


Book Description

Franz Dünzl gives an account of the formation of the doctrine of the Trinity in a narrative based on contemporary sources: as he remarks in the preface, he wants to describe the human struggle over the truth of the Christian image of God and as far as possible let the early Christians speak for themselves. His main concern is to describe the dynamic of the disputes over the theology of the Trinity in a vivid way which is easy to follow, pointing out the foundations of the doctrine and the decisive shifts in its development. He tries to see the often bitter discussion not as a barren dispute but as an evolutionary process in which the rivalry is a necessary and positive factor in moving the debate forward. After an introduction to the problem, the book describes the beginning of christology and the first models of the relationship between 'Father' and 'Son': it then describes the controversies leading up to the Council of Nicaea, which are discussed at length, going on to show how Nicaea didn't settle the question and continuing the account up to the Council of Constantinople in 381. It brings out the political influences which governed this second stage of the discussion in an illuminating way. A survey and bibliography round the book off.




On the Trinity


Book Description

The following dissertation concerning the Trinity, as the reader ought to be informed, has been written in order to guard against the sophistries of those who disdain to begin with faith, and are deceived by a crude and perverse love of reason. Now one class of such men endeavor to transfer to things incorporeal and spiritual the ideas they have formed, whether through experience of the bodily senses, or by natural human wit and diligent quickness, or by the aid of art, from things corporeal; so as to seek to measure and conceive of the former by the latter. Aeterna Press




The Triune God


Book Description

A constructive study of Trinitarian theology that aims to clarify our knowledge of the triune God by rightly ordering the theological language we use to praise him. The Triune God reaches its conclusions about how this doctrine should be handled on the basis of the way the Trinity was revealed. As such, theologian Fred Sanders: Invites a doxological invitation to the reader to contemplate the mystery of the Trinity. Establishes the biblical exposition and draws the doctrinal implications from it. Offers dogmatic principles for Trinitarian exegesis. Though Sanders does interact with major voices from the history of doctrine—and his arguments are indebted to and informed by the great tradition of Trinitarianism—he is clear throughout that Trinitarianism is a gift of revelation before it is an achievement of the church. The most patristic way to proceed toward a well-ordered doctrine of the Trinity is, after all, to study Scripture. -ABOUT THE SERIES- New Studies in Dogmatics seeks to retrieve the riches of Christian doctrine for the sake of contemporary theological renewal. Following in the tradition of G. C. Berkouwer's Studies in Dogmatics, this series provides thoughtful, concise, and readable treatments of major theological topics, expressing the biblical, creedal, and confessional shape of Christian doctrine for a contemporary evangelical audience. The editors and contributors share a common conviction that the way forward in constructive systematic theology lies in building upon the foundations laid in the church's historic understanding of the Word of God as professed in its creeds, councils, and confessions, and by its most trusted teachers.




The Rise and Fall of the Complementarian Doctrine of the Trinity


Book Description

Since the late 1970s complementarian theologians have been arguing that the divine three persons in the Trinity are ordered hierarchically, and that this is the ground for the hierarchical ordering of the sexes. Suddenly and unexpectedly in June 2016 a number of complementarian theologians of confessional Reformed convictions came out and said that to so construe the Trinity is "heresy"; it is a denial of what the creeds and confessions of the church rule is the teaching of Scripture. A civil war among complementarians followed and in a very short time those arguing for hierarchical ordering in the Trinity capitulated. This book tells the story.




Is God a Trinity?


Book Description

You might be surprised to find that God is not a trinity. The Trinity is one of mainstream Christianity’s most widely accepted and revered doctrines held by millions of Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox believers. The belief that God is three persons—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—coexisting in one being is how the trinity doctrine is often defined. But the word trinity appears nowhere within the pages of the Bible. You can not cling to long-held religious traditions if they contradict the Scriptures. Your beliefs must rest solidly on the teachings of the Holy Bible. This Bible Study aid, "Is God a Trinity?", goes into great detail explaning the non-biblical origins of the trinity and how this false gospel replaced the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Discover how the Bible communicates a true picture of God and learn about the awesome plan He has promised for you and all mankind. Chapters in this ebook: -- Is the Trinity Biblical? -- The Surprising Origins of the Trinity Doctrine -- Greek Philosophy's Influence on the Trinity Doctrine -- How Ancient Trinitarian Gods Influenced Adoption of the Trinity -- A Spurious Reference to the Trinity Added in 1 John 5:7-8 -- How Is God Revealed in the Bible? -- Jesus Was Sent by the Father -- Jesus Christ: "The Rock" of the Old Testament -- The Apostles Understood Jesus to Be the Creator -- Did Jesus Christ Claim to Be God? -- "In the Beginning Was the Word" -- The Claim of Jesus' Disciples -- "There Is One God, the Father...and One Lord, Jesus Christ" -- God's Plan to "Bring Many Sons to Glory" -- Jesus Christ's Submission to the Father -- How Is God One? -- "The Lord Our God, the Lord Is One" -- Seven Scriptures That Debunk the Trinity as a Single Being -- Elohim: The Plurality of God -- Is the Holy Spirit a Person? -- Does Matthew 28:19 Prove the Trinity? -- Why the Holy Spirit Is Sometimes Incorrectly Referred to as "He" and "Him" -- What About Passages That "Prove" the Trinity? -- The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power -- How to Stir Up God's Spirit -- God's Nature and Character -- God's Purpose for You -- The Likeness of God -- Do Some Verses Deny a Divine Family? -- The God Family Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "Most people assume that everything that bears the label “Christian” must have originated with Jesus Christ and His early followers. But this is definitely not the case." "Many historians and religious scholars, some quoted in this publication, attest to the influence of Greek or Platonic philosophy in the development and acceptance of the Trinity doctrine in the fourth century." God the Father is the One who calls us to baptism and a new way of life (John 6:44, 65), and it is His goodness that leads us to repentance and baptism (Romans 2:4). "As even the New Catholic Encyclopedia, quoted from earlier, acknowledges: “The majority of New Testament texts reveal God’s spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God..."




Two Views on the Doctrine of the Trinity


Book Description

Christians have always believed in the triune God, but they haven't always understood or used the doctrine of the Trinity consistently. In order to form a coherent view of trinitarian theology, it's important for Christians to have a working knowledge of the two legitimate models for explaining this doctrine: Classical – presenting a traditional view of the Trinity, represented by the Baptist theologian Stephen R. Holmes and the Roman Catholic theologian Paul D. Molnar. Relational – presenting the promise and potential hazards of a relational doctrine, represented by the evangelical theologian Thomas H. McCall and the Baptist philosopher Paul S. Fiddes. In this volume of the Counterpoints series, leading contributors establish their models and approaches to the doctrine of the Trinity (or, the relationship between the threeness and oneness of the divine life). Each expert highlights the strengths of his view in order to argue how it best reflects the orthodox perspective. In order to facilitate a genuine debate and to make sure that the key issues are revealed, each contributor addresses the same questions regarding their trinitarian methodology, doctrine, and its implications.




The Deep Things of God (Second Edition)


Book Description

The doctrine of the Trinity is taught and believed by all evangelicals, but rarely is it fully understood or celebrated. In The Deep Things of God, systematic theologian Fred Sanders shows why we ought to embrace the doctrine of the Trinity wholeheartedly as a central concern of evangelical theology. Sanders demonstrates, engagingly and accessibly, that the doctrine of the Trinity is grounded in the gospel itself. In this book, readers will understand that a robust doctrine of the Trinity has massive implications for their lives, restoring depth to prayer, worship, Bible study, missions, tradition, and understanding of Christianity’s fundamental doctrines. This new edition includes a study guide with discussion questions, action points, recommended reading, and more.




The Triune God


Book Description

"A primary condition for fresh thinking on the Trinity is an accurate, objective account of past and present thought" wrote one reviewer when The Triune God first appeared in 1972. "This [is what] Fortman has presented sensitively, accurately, and compactly." The author sets out "to trace the historical development of Trinitarian doctrine from its written beginnings to its contemporary status." Thus he treats the biblical witness, the Council of Nicea, Augustine, the Middle Ages, and the development of this doctrine from the fifteenth century to the present in the Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic traditions.