The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief

I found this to be very helpful in finding the scriptural roots for this very important doctrine. Every apologist should own this to get grounded so they can handle the many misunderstandings that exist regarding the trinity doctrine.

I am finding that some do not fully appreciate the doctrine of the Trinity. This little volume will help greatly.

The doctrine of the Trinity has been on the minds of Christians nearly from the time shortly after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. Throughout Christian history, many have tried to defend the doctrine against various heresies. Dr. White takes a different approach. Dr. White is a well-known apologist who has written on various apologetic subjects. In The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief, Dr. White seeks to, “introduce, explain, and make understandable a doctrine that, while at the center of our faith, is often ignored and misunderstood.” (31).Dr. White offers a simple definition of the Trinity which he repeats throughout the book: “Within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” White states that this is a very simple definition of the doctrine that all other definitions expand upon.White’s arguments in support of the Trinity rest in three main areas. First, we are to know God has He has revealed himself. White rightly argues that without properly knowing who God is, as He has revealed himself, one worships a false deity. While one does not need to have exhaustive knowledge of God or a perfect understanding of Him, we must, nevertheless, strive to understand God has He shows himself to us. White repeats this argument in every chapter.The second area White focuses on is a defense of the deity of Jesus. White’s engagement with other faiths makes this a logical step (though when the book was published, he was not engaging with Islam as heavily as he is now-unless I am mistaken). White first argues this through numerous passages of Scripture integrating enough Greek to satisfy the intellectual, while keeping the text in the reach of a lay person with little to no Greek training. White examines the “standard” Trinitarian passages (i.e. the prologue of John’s gospel, the “I am” statements, Colossians 1:15-18, and the Carmen Christi of Philippians 2:5-11). He also addresses less common passages such as Hebrews 1:8-12 and John 12:37-41. In these passages, he shows that the New Testament writers address Jesus as Jehovah using passages from the Old Testament.The third area White focuses on is the concept of “person” in discussion of the Trinity over against how it is used in everyday conversation. White expands his definition of the Trinity to discuss nuances of the Trinitarian language of “being” and “person.” This is meant to help the reader defend the right doctrine of the Trinity. White argues that often, Trinitarians are asked to defend a doctrine they do not believe because their opponent does not understand the Trinity. Again, a proper understanding of how God has revealed himself is White’s main point.White briefly discusses the deity and personhood of the Holy Spirit but does not spend as much time discussing this as the deity of Christ or the concept of the person. He also spends some time discussing the formulation of the doctrine throughout Church History which was very enlightening. Those who have not spent much time studying the early Church will benefit from this discussion.White ends his book on a pastoral note. White asks, “why does it matter?” The answer is clear. He argues that it matters because God insists that we worship Him as He is (194). This again, is the main theme that runs throughout the book. White also argues that without the Trinity, there is no Gospel. White writes, “The Gospel is the means by which the Father, in eternal love and mercy, saves men through the redeeming work of the Son, Jesus Christ, and draws them to himself by the power and regenerating work of the Spirit” (195).White begins the work with a line that he hopes jars his reader. He says, “I love the Trinity” (13). His focus in the work is to explain how God has revealed himself in the Bible so that the reader can join him in saying this. I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks to know how God has revealed himself and who wishes to worship Him rightly. I can certainly say with Dr. White, “I love the Trinity!”

Dr. White did his research! If you struggle with understanding the Trinity then read this book. If you want to understand the gospel and see God for the amazing God He is then read this book. Thank you Dr. White for taking the time to help me understand the Trinity in a wise, detailed, and Biblical way.

I do a lot of ministry to Muslims and picked up this book before a lengthy debate with a number of Somali friends about the Trinity. James White’s work in The Forgotten Trinity was an invaluable place to set my mind in the week leading up to that conversation.It is in depth when it needs to be in regard to sound exegesis of the NT Greek. It is not, as White says, a systematic response to every single opposition to the Trinity, but instead a book that walks you through the revelation of the Trinity, the foundational Christian belief of the Trinity, and as a result, WILL grow your love for our One True God!

I started reading this book because I was interested in reading something that explained the Trinity. I go to a website where people debate issues like the existence of God, the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, etc. Well, one fellow who called himself a Christian said that he did not believe in the Trinitarian model of God and that Jesus was simply a created being who was not equal with God. His position really threw me for a loop because I had never met anyone who believed such a thing. It was either they believed Jesus was God or they believed he was a man. Not something in between. So anyway, I found this book because I was looking for a trustworthy guide to help me grapple with the extreme complexity of the Trinity. I am familiar with James White's work and he has a high view of God and scripture. I find his writing style to be beautiful as it is easy to tell he has a high love for our Lord Jesus. One thing I took away from James White is that when he talks of Jesus he almost always says our Lord Jesus Christ. I love it. Okay so the book review. This book does not get bogged own in heavy theology. James White says in the book that he is writing this for people who are already Christians so that we can come to love the Trinity as much as Mr. White does. I feel that he succeeds in this endeavor. The doctrine of the Trinity is incredibly precise. Holding the correct orthodox Christian view of the Trinity is like trying to balance on the precipice of a knife. James White does a good job of explaining the biblical passages that reveal the Trinity. He goes into the different heresies that have sprung up through the ages (i.e. Arianism, Docetism, etc.) and shows why they are not biblical. Mr. White takes the time to delve into the original Greek language to really tease out the meaning of more ambiguous passages. All-in-all, this is a great supplemental book to researching the Trinity. While reading this book, I found listening to William Lane Craig's Defender podcast concerning the Doctrine of the Trinity to be quite helpful as well. After reading this book, I do feel like I have a firmer grasp of the Trinity which is what I was hoping to receive.

In depth look at the trinity

Very helpful

Sehr Gutes Buch. James White hat das Christentum und die Ansicht über die Gottheit sehr gut zusammengefasst.Die Dreieinigkeit wird extrem gut erklärt und ein jedermann kann danach Fragen beantworten die vorher vielleicht kompliziert waren.Ich persönlich werde dieses Buch wieder kaufen und Freunden oder Familienmitglieder schenken.

Downloaded the kindle version. Excellent work on the Trinity. Really renewed my love for our triune God. Praise God, and thanks for this great effort!

Every Christian looking to better understand their faith, provide a reasonable defence of the hope they have within them, or worship God more fully in spirit and truth ought to read this book. Likewise, every non-Christian looking to better understand the Christian doctrine of the Trinity ought to read this book. Thank you Dr. White for your hard work in putting this together. Soli Deo Gloria!