Matthew 28:16-20
I spent hours yesterday looking for an easy way to explain trinitarian theology to a bunch of middle-schoolers. You know what I mean, taking words like modalism, polytheism, and subordinationalism and trying to make sense of it all by using illustrations to bring it down to a level a 6th or 7th grader might understand.
I looked at a few explanations. "The Trinity is similar to 3-in-1 shampoo, there are three different ingredients that all do one job." Or, "The Trinity is like water, it can be solid, liquid, or gas, three substances, one base." Or, "The trinity is like an egg, it has the yolk, whites, and a shell but it's just one egg."
Seriously?
I even came up with a chart that showed how this kind of orthodoxy is misleading because it denies the unity, equality, and diversity of our God. Then I stopped and asked my wife, "Come look at this chart and let me know if I'm on the right track." Her response: "What is that?!"
I explained it to her and she stopped me after giving it 2 minutes to try and grasp the concept of what I was trying to say. Yes, she literally stopped me. Then she asked, "What are you trying to say?" I thought about it and said, "I want to say that God isn't divided into 3 parts, rather God is present equally in all 3; Creator, Christ, and Spirit."
She smiled and said to me, "Now that I understand."
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