Archive for March 2021
10 Weeks on the Trinity: Breath, Gift, and Love – The Eternal Procession of the Spirit.
Anselm of Canterbury once said, “If the Spirit’s spiration is not true, then the Christian faith is destroyed.” Was Anselm overstating the importance of this doctrine? Matthew Barrett doesn’t think so. According to the Nicene Creed, the Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. This means that the Spirit is not subordinate to…
Read MoreWhy Should We Affirm Christian Platonism? Part II: Systematic Reasons
In Part I, we looked at three historical reasons for affirming Christian Platonism. First, it is part of our Augustinian theological heritage, which is an integral part of historic Christian orthodoxy. Secondly, Christian Platonism is intricately bound up with the Nicene doctrine of God as expressed in the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon…
Read MoreWhy Should We Affirm Christian Platonism?
What is Christian Platonism? Why do I advocate a return to it? Why is it so controversial today? In this article and in the following one I will address these questions. In Part I, I will focus on defining the term “Christian Platonism” and summarizing its development in the history of Christian thought. You may…
Read MoreNew Credo Podcast: Do the Father, Son, and Spirit work inseparably? Simply Trinity (Part 5)
In this episode of the Credo Podcast, Matthew Barrett fields questions from Samuel Bierig about his new book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son and Spirit (Baker). They consider what it means for the Spirit to “proceed” eternally from the Father and Son. They also consider the biblical language used, from “gift” to “love,” to capture…
Read MoreDo the Father, Son, and Spirit work inseparably? Simply Trinity (Part 5)
In this episode of the Credo Podcast, Matthew Barrett fields questions from Samuel Bierig about his new book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son and Spirit (Baker). They consider what it means for the Spirit to “proceed” eternally from the Father and Son, and how appropriate it is, in light of divine appropriations, to identify the…
Read More10 Weeks on the Trinity: Glory to the Triune God – Evaluating EFS
In this week’s lecture, Matthew Barrett tackles a new and novel evangelical view of the Trinity – the eternal functional subordination of the Son (EFS). In this view, EFS has redefined the Trinity in the form of a community or society, one that is the paradigm or prototype for human society. What kind of society? A society…
Read MoreA Working Trinitarian Bibliography from Simply Trinity
I am so glad you are enjoying my book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker). At the end, I provide a short bibliography. However, works on the Trinity are legion. Below is a working bibliography that can help you dive deeper into the doctrine of the Trinity. It is a working bibliography because…
Read MoreForeword to Simply Trinity by Scott Swain
Matthew Barrett’s latest book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit, released yesterday. I’m delighted to see it in print and consider it a nice complement to my recent introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity. I had the privilege of writing the foreword to Matthew’s book, which I’ve posted below. Matthew Barrett wants…
Read MoreNew Credo Podcast: Is the Son Eternally Subordinate to the Father? Simply Trinity (Parts 3 & 4)
In part 1 of this two part episode of the Credo Podcast, Matthew Barrett fields questions from Ronni Kurtz and Samuel Parkison about his new book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son and Spirit (Baker). They tackle the question: “Is the Son eternally subordinate to the Father?” Many of our listeners will be familiar with the…
Read MoreIs the Son Eternally Subordinate to the Father? Simply Trinity (Part 3)
In this episode of the Credo Podcast, Matthew Barrett fields questions from Ronni Kurtz and Samuel Parkison about his new book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son and Spirit (Baker). They tackle the question: “Is the Son eternally subordinate to the Father?” Many of our listeners will be familiar with the debate over the novel position…
Read MoreIs the Son Eternally Subordinate to the Father? Simply Trinity (Part 4)
In this episode of the Credo Podcast, Matthew Barrett fields questions from Ronni Kurtz and Samuel Parkison about his new book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son and Spirit (Baker). They continue their discussion of the novel position known as Eternal Functional Subordinationism (EFS), this time evaluating its narrow biblicist method. They also warn against EFS…
Read MoreLloyd-Jones, Cultural Problems, and the Power of the Gospel
The explosion of the German V1 rocket shook the spine of the historic Westminster Chapel, jolting the congregation to its feet. Seconds earlier, the rumble of the rocket’s engine had forced the pastor, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, to pause his prayer. But as the plaster dust from the ceiling settled on top of his pulpit and…
Read More