Trinity, The

How Not to Be a Heretic

By Stephen Bullivant

2015

First Published

4.40

Average Rating

140

Number of Pages

4H16M

Audio Length

"Trinity" is Christianity's most basic description of who God actually is―and who he needs to be in order to save us. It is at the very heart of what Christians believe, and very little else in Christianity makes sense without it. Despite this, a great many Christians, including significant numbers of teachers, catechists, and preachers, do not feel confident in talking about it. It is not that they don't believe in the Trinity, because they certainly do. But they are not altogether sure that what they think they believe about it is what they are "supposed" to, and they fear both revealing their ignorance, and leading others astray. The central idea of this book is that, contrary to popular assumption, the Trinity is a very simple doctrine. It consists of just three short, deeply scriptural i) There is only one God; ii) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God; and iii) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not the same. The How Not to Be a Heretic explains how the earliest Christians came to be convinced by each statement, why they matter, and how―slowly, over a period of several centuries―it found a way of saying all three at once. Its sole purpose is to help Christians of all kinds better understand the Trinity so that they can then help others―Christians, non-Christians, and maybe even some not-yet Christians―better understand it too. †

Avg Rating

4.40

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Author

Stephen Bullivant

Author · 7 books

Stephen Bullivant is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ethics in the School of Education, Theology and Leadership. He joined St Mary's in September 2009, after completing his DPhil at Oxford University on the Second Vatican Council's engagement with atheism. In June 2010, he was awarded the Catholic Theological Society of America's 'Catherine Mowry LaCugna Award for New Scholars'. He is currently Programme Director for the MA in Theology, for which he teaches the 'Scripture and Systematic Theology', 'Themes in Contemporary Theology', and 'Research and Reflective Practice' modules. On the BA Theology and Religious Studies, Stephen teaches both historical and doctrinal topics (inc. 'Foundations in Christian Theology', 'Trinity', 'Vatican II') and religious studies modules ('Atheism and Nonreligion'). He also teaches 'Christ and Christian Ethics' as part of St Mary's well-established foundation course in Youth Ministry. In addition to his ongoing theological work on - inter alia - the Christian engagement with unbelief, new evangelization, dialogue, and aspects of Catholic Social Teaching, Stephen publishes regularly on the social-scientific study of unbelief and secularity. From 2008 to 2014 he was a co-director of the international Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network. Between 2011 and 2014 he was a committee member of the European Society for Catholic Theology, serving as its delegate to the International Network of Societies for Catholic Theology. A popular speaker and writer, Stephen has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and Vatican Radio, and has written for (among others) New Scientist, The Guardian, America, and Strange Notions. He has also given invited talks and lectures in the United Kingdom, Finland, Italy, Brazil, the Philippines, and the USA.