At the very center of the Christian faith lies the belief in our Triune God. In fact, we contend in this issue of Modern Reformation that the heart of piety or Christian experience is the worship of God who is three in persons and one in essence.
Nonetheless, there is a question that sometimes haunts contemporary Christianity: Does the Trinity really matter? Our authors take up this important question from different perspectives’biblical, theological, and historical. White Horse Inn cohost Kim Riddlebarger walks us through the testimony of Scripture to the Holy Trinity. Editor-in-Chief Michael Horton guides us through the history of the dogma, with all the complicated names and concepts (make sure to reference the glossary in his article). Despite the clarity of the Bible and the consensus of the church, apologist James White organizes the various forms of the doctrine of the Trinity into five basic errors, one of which is "confusediterianism"’in other words, a common problem of confusion and discomfort with a doctrine that is poorly understood today. More doctrinal troubleshooting comes in the form of an extended book review by Horton that enters into the evangelical debate over the eternal generation of the Son from the Father. In this review, and in an interview with Justin Holcombe, we come to recognize how important consensus is within the history of the church, which is precisely what the historic creeds offer as a summary of the church's reading of Scripture.
With this comprehensive treatment of our topic, we are well positioned to take up the question of the practicality of the Trinity with fresh eyes. Two articles seek to answer that directly. Fred Sanders of the Torrey Honors Institute explores the "Trinitarian depth to Christian salvation" that hinges on our union and communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Professor and pastor Carl Trueman examines the implications of this most fundamental doctrine for our life of prayer and rightly insists that speaking to God means addressing him with a clear sense of who he is. Confusion in doctrine leads to confusion in prayer. Also in this issue, Reformed minister Michael Brown encourages your church to be a praying church, while regular contributor Zach Keele concludes his masterful tour through the Bible in "The Greatest Story Ever Told."
The doctrine of the Trinity is no miscellany to the faith, as John Calvin explained, because the Christian life‘and not just theology’is focused on "the contemplation of the Father with the Son and the Spirit. Unity in Trinity, Trinity in Unity, together working for our glorious good and his honor and majesty.
