“Darren R Middleton” <> wrote:

>I noted Mike Smith picked up on a disturbing aspect of Brett Duhig’s

>theology. I have noted in the past the some of the ACST guys have used

>the term of manifestation when referring to Christ’s deity.

>Theologically, this is linked with modalism (Sabellius ~ third century)

>which is the heresy of denying the trinity by stating that God

>manifested himself in three modes, that is, the trinity are but three

>masks, or three aspects of himself (God). The O.T mode was the Father,

>The N.T mode the Son, and post Pentecost as the Spirit! I am told the

>United Pentecostal Church hold this doctrinal position.

Hi, Darren. I may be wrong, but I suspect that modalism is pretty popular in the churches and theological halls of mainstream Christianity these days. I suppose that I lay myself open to an accusation of this heresy in my stock explanation of the Trinity, which goes something like this.

There is one God, but we experience God in three distinct and complementary ways.

The first person of the Trinity, whom we call Father and the Jews called Yahweh or something similar, is experienced as the ancient (and contemporary) God of the Jewish people, in the writings of the Hebrew Scriptures, in Creation and in the creative and destructive powers of the universe.

The second person of the Trinity, who we call the Son and whom we know by the personal name Jesus, is experienced in the salvation from sin and promise of eternal life which is proclaimed in the New testament and in the life and witness of the Church. We also experience the second person of the Trinity when we recognise the divine ‘spark’ which subsists in each and every human being, and we honour God in the second person of the trinity when we live at peace with our fellow human beings and do what we can to ensure that they have dignity and the essential requisites of life.

The third person of the Trinity, who we call Holy Spirit, is experienced when we come to faith in God, in the gifts of insight, teaching, love, healing, prophecy etc. which exist in every part of the Church, and are manifest in the lives of Christians from time to time according to our needs and God’s will. The Spirit moves in our hearts, and the Spirit guides the Church.

I do not pretend that this is THE definitive understanding of the Trinity, but it works for me, and many people have told me that they find it useful when I have shared it in sermons and study groups.

Nigel B. Mitchell