[Evangelion]

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It seems that my self-imposed, two month hiatus from the internet (apart from emails and sports) has come to and end—I am replacing my 'cloistered', 8-10 hours of intense off-line reading/study, with my more customary 4 hours.

My entry back into cyberspace began with a look at the Beggars All blog (see the previous thread here at AF). Yesterday, I peeked in on the Triablogue blog, and immediately noticed a large number of threads (authored by Steve Hays), dedicated to a specific individual named Dale Tuggy. The name sounded familiar, but for awhile, I could not pinpoint where I had come across the name (I later realized that back in January 2011, I had read Dale's essay, "The Trinitarian Dilemma", published in The Trinity - East/West Dialogue, 2003—I had purchased the book in January 2011 for Dr. Alfeyev's essay, "The Trinitarian Teaching of St. Gregory of Nazianzen").

It seems that Steve has developed an obsession, he has devoted no less than 23 threads (between June 10 - July 7), to Dr. Tuggy; here are the threads in chronological order:


http://triablogue.bl...nism-redux.html

http://triablogue.bl...-and-being.html

http://triablogue.bl...has-father.html

http://triablogue.bl...h-nonsense.html

http://triablogue.bl...rd-was-god.html

http://triablogue.bl...-live-king.html

http://triablogue.bl...g-identity.html

http://triablogue.bl...hat-is-god.html

http://triablogue.bl...quaternity.html

http://triablogue.bl...monotheism.html

http://triablogue.bl...-apostates.html

http://triablogue.bl...every-name.html

http://triablogue.bl...-conundrum.html

http://triablogue.bl...exaltation.html

http://triablogue.bl...-shortcuts.html

http://triablogue.bl...eudo-logic.html

http://triablogue.bl...monotheism.html

http://triablogue.bl...tarianisms.html

http://triablogue.bl...7/infernex.html

http://triablogue.bl...dress-code.html

http://triablogue.bl...-shellgame.html

http://triablogue.bl...d-counting.html

http://triablogue.bl...rist-glory.html


Dr. Tuggy has produced the following related threads at his blog:

http://trinities.org...g/archives/2739

http://trinities.org...g/archives/2802

http://trinities.org...g/archives/2837

http://trinities.org...g/archives/2856

http://trinities.org...g/archives/2872


Seems that a lot has transpired on this topic (i.e. the doctrine/nature of the Christian God) during my hiatus...

(Source).

Waltz's critique of this exchange is a good one, as is his follow-up response to a reader. If what I've read about him is correct, he's an ex-JW.

I've never heard of Hays, but by my estimation he performed very poorly and emerged sporting a fine array of bruises without ever having laid a glove on the Tugster. Some of his arguments were as bizarre as they were irrelevant, and only demonstrate how little he understands Unitarian Christology; it is no exaggeration to say he reminded me of Bowman:

Steve Hays said:

Dale Tuggy wrote the entry on the Trinity for the Stanford encylopedia. That's unfortunately inasmuch as Tuggy is an anti-Trinitarian.

Steve Hays said:

Unitarians aren’t Christians. Unitarians are Christ-haters and Christ-deniers. They evince the same hostility to Christ that Satan does.

Steve Hays said:

Actually, I think Dale’s a flunky of the Devil.

Steve Hays said:

Yahweh “is” whatever Scripture says Yahweh “is.” If Scripture says the Father is Yahweh, the Son is Yahweh, and the Spirit is Yahweh,” then I’ll go with that.

Steve Hays said:

Asking me to read one decent unitarian book is like asking me to find a married bachelor.

Tuggy's final word:

Dale Tuggy said:

I think I’m done – he has little to offer but shameful abuse. Why should I invite him to sin further? That would make me culpable, and would shed little light on these matters.

[Fortigurn]

Hays isn't doing himself any favours.

[Mercia2]

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He defends all these claims by quoting (in the original language, then translating) numerous church fathers, especially Athanasius, Novation, Origen, Justin, and Tertullian. In short, he believes in 3 divine persons, but only one, the Father is autotheos
http://trinities.org...g/archives/2739

Whole company of holy angels/spirits = personified 'Holy Spirit' is not 3 people and angels are subordination to God which is biblically documented. Trinitarians need to first work out what the 'Holy Spirit' is.

What is important is the unity in character, spirit, purpose and mind. In that sense we must all be part this oneness and stop worrying about riddles interpreted incorrectly they call Trinity.