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Doctrine of the Trinity

The course demonstrates that a correct understanding of the Trinity is crucial to understanding God's relationship to man and man's relationship to God.

Course
Objectives
Reviews

To know God and to make Him known is our highest calling. By studying the historic, classic, and orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity, learners discover how and why the doctrine emerged in the fourth century, as well as the various and progressive ways this doctrine has been understood throughout history. Throughout the course, Dr. Toon demonstrates that a right understanding of the Trinity is essential to a right understanding of God’s relation to man and man’s relation to God.

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Materials

Study Guide
  1. Consider that Yahweh-Elohim (The Lord our God who is one Lord) is ONE God in whom is a unity in plurality.
  2. Recognize the dynamics of the New Testament presentation of the Father, who is God, of the only Son of the Father, who is God, and of the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), and is also God.
  3. Appreciate the reasons why the early church had to state the biblical doctrine of the Trinity in ontological, essentialist terms.
  4. Understand the teaching of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds and to know why “homoousios” is of critical importance for Christian orthodoxy.
  5. Know the difference between the Eastern and Western expositions of the Unity in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, and to recognize the dangers of Tritheism, Binitarianism, Unitarianism and Modalism.
  6. Note that the Protestant Reformers followed the classic dogma of the Holy Trinity, as their Confessions of Faith indicate.
  7. Understand why Liberal Protestantism had little interest in the doctrine of the Trinity in the nineteenth century.
  8. Be aware of the resurgence of interest in the doctrine of the Trinity since Karl Barth made his formulation of the doctrine the center of his Dogmatics.
  9. Know the difference between the immanent Trinity and the economic Trinity as these expressions are used in theology today.
  10. Understand the absolute centrality of the doctrine of the Trinity for Christianity and for its worship, prayer, spirituality, ethics, mission, preaching, teaching, and evangelism.
  11. Learn by heart both the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and the Athanasian Creed, so that one’s mindset is Trinitarian.
  • An excellent course!

    — Russell, Canada
  • An excellent course!

    — Russell, Canada
  • I found this Course to be very understandable as it is a very difficult subject to take in. It made the Trinity real, approachable and needed in life.

    — Aileen, United States (US)
  • This course was much too difficult for the typical Christian today. We need doctrine courses that teach from a "this is what scripture says" basis rather than a history of how doctrines developed. I would only recommend this to someone with advanced studies in theology as a review.

    — Diana, United States (US)
  • Over all I was surprised by the course and I learned a lot. I had a difficult time obtaining the book by Bray. We spent too much wasted time in the reading of other authors books, I would have rather heard his ideas or interpretation of the Trinity.

    — James, United States (US)

Course Content

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Course Details

  • 24 Lessons
  • 35 Activities
  • 1 Assessment
  • 44 Min Average
  • 35 Hrs Minimum
  • Course Award

Course Resources

Audios Transcripts
Lecturer

Peter Toon, D.Phil. (1939-2009)