Joseph Smith and the Trinity

David Paulsen and Brett McDonald, “Joseph Smith and the Trinity: An Analysis and Defense of the Social Model of the Godhead,” Faith and Philosophy Vol. 25, No. 1 (January 2008): 47-74.

Early this year, David Paulsen (Brigham Young University) and Brett McDonald (UCLA School of Law) published “Joseph Smith and the Trinity: An Analysis and Defense of the Social Model of the Godhead” in Faith and Philosophy a quarterly journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers edited by Thomas Flint at the University of Notre Dame, Department of Philosophy.

In 2007, Paulsen and McDonald presented a paper by the same title at the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology.

I highly recommend those working on Mormonism and the Mormon-Evangelical dialogue to obtain and read this article.  With roughly 140 cited footnotes, and peer reviewed by several Christian philosophers, Paulsen and McDonald provide a lasting contribution to our understanding of the discussion surrounding Social Trinitarianism as well as the insights that Joseph Smith’s views bring to bear on the subject.  No longer will discussions between Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals on Joseph Smith and the Trinity, the Nicene Creed and homousious, be fruitful without first engaging in Paulsen and McDonald’s paper.

Maxie Burch on Christian Theology

I’m always on the look out for excellent audio lectures and interviews and I’d like to share one I’ve recently come across.  Dr. Maxie B. Burch, Associate Pastor for Faith Development at North Phoenix Baptist Church is presenting several lecture series on the History of Christianity.  “What is Christian Theology” (total time 1:48:27, listen or download mp3), given January 22, 2008 is the first lecture in his course “Introduction to Historical Theology.”

Dr. Burch has a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Baylor University.  As a historian of Christian theology, he has taught courses at Grand Canyon University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Arizona State University.  In this introductory lecture, Dr. Burch gives a fresh and balanced introduction to the fundamental principles in Christian theology and I believe Evangelicals, Catholics and Latter-day Saints will find much in his lecture which would challenge them as well as affirm their faith.

If you’ve never been exposed to the study of Christian Theology I highly recommend this lecture.  If you have studied Christian theology, you will appreciate Dr. Burch’s balanced and open approach to the subject.

Enjoy the full series “History of Christianity” available via iTunes.

Dr. Burch takes the approach that “Theology is taught by God, teaches of God, and leads to God.”
(Theologia a Deo docetur, Deum docet, et ad Deum ducit – St. Thomas Aquinas).