Trinitarian Theology for Batswana
Who is God and What is he?
I recently watched a clip on Instagram about how the Trinity is bogus. Not sure why the algorithm decided that’s what I would want to watch. It was probably an attempt to elicit my outrage, because, like the jabberwocky that feeds on fear, social media feeds on outrage. The moment you stop getting upset, the monster loses its power.
The Trinity is not bogus. It’s in the Bible. It’s how God reveals himself to us. In a society where respecting peoples’ pronouns and chosen identities is increasingly the norm, one would think that respecting God’s self-revelation would demand an equal—or even greater—respect. Nevertheless, complaints from the leftists abound about using exclusively masculine pronouns for God. In my own movement, my fellow (supposedly conservative) ministers have derided me for being concerned about the ways our preaching, praying, and patterns of worship are, at times, tritheistic.
Another complaint about Trinitarian theology is that it doesn’t mean anything for the daily walk of the average Christian. I’m sympathetic to this misunderstanding because I used to feel that way. I grew up in a tradition that thought belief in God as Trinity was only for writing down on a piece of paper. Like articles of incorporation, we kept it on file never to be referenced again.
I was recently a guest on my good friend Jacob Johnson’s podcast “Kingdom Movement.” Jacob does university ministry in Botswana, so the podcast was recorded mainly for his students. Amongst other things, he asked me to address head on the question of how the Trinity affects our daily walk with Jesus. (Spoiler: God-as-Trinity actually makes prayer what it is).
I invite you to give it a listen. Both the Apple and Spotify links are below. And please do let me know what you think.
Thank you for another wonderful learning experience.