It wasn’t the first time I got in trouble with authority, and it wouldn’t be the last. I sat before the Board of Ordained Ministry (all 23 years of me) of my United Methodist Conference and was asked how I would teach the Trinity to a young child. My reply (darn ADHD!) was, “I wouldn’t!” I elaborated. I told them that the Trinity was a complicated idea that confused most adults, so I wouldn’t want to confuse a young, innocent mind with something they weren’t ready for. They didn’t buy it, and I was rejected by the committee that first year. Years later, though, I am still convinced that the Trinity is a concept that takes more than just innocent faith and awe to understand. It is conceptually challenging and needs more explanation than most children can muster.
In fact, the Trinity is a difficult concept for lots of Christians. The closest example I have come up with is that water can be vapor, ice, or liquid; it is the same thing but in different forms. Of course, the Trinity is evident as all three at the same time and the same place during the baptism of Jesus, and H2O is one thing or another. Otherwise, the Christian Scriptures occasionally give us God in 2 out of 3 forms in the same place (which ain’t bad, according to Meatloaf). As I learned about Hinduism, I began to see that the Christian Trinity might be a good way to have a conversation about the nature of God from their point of view. We have three persons – they have the many faces of God. I think that opens the door to better understanding. With Jews and Muslims, not so much. In this case, 1 out of 3 ain’t bad.
I have, over time, come to appreciate the Trinity while, at the same time, seeing it as limiting. And misogynistic. The Hebrew word for Spirit – ruach – is feminine, and the Greek word – pneuma – is neutral. And yet, the Gospel of John purposely speaks of the Holy Spirit as male. For many (but not all) ancient people, God is male. God is violent. God is angry. Wisdom in the Hebrew tradition is also female. I just think that’s interesting. The other, and more important, limitation is that God should never be defined by our understanding, so demanding that God is only three is, to be blunt, arrogant. Some religions see God in everything and everywhere; we Christians often limit God in unhealthy ways.
So, I will continue to hold on to the Trinity. I use “Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer” most of the time; that makes traditionalists crazy! God isn’t only those things, just as God isn’t just Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a lesson we easily forget; we aren’t the boss of God. Maybe we should take our lead from the Jewish faith and not say or write G_d’s name at all. Or call God “Daddy” like Jesus did (or Buddy, Pal, Sport, Girlfriend). I doubt God cares all that much what we call God, as long as we call on God and do God’s work. That’s a start. God isn’t a pet we name; God is beyond our definitions and descriptions.
Prayer – God, by whatever name we call You, be present in our lives and in our world. And teach us to live in peace. Amen.
Today’s art is an image created by Ashley Collins about many faiths.