Dr Beau Branson, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Brescia University in the USA. A presentation by him on his 'Monarchical' version of Trinitarianism can be found here.
Dear Dr Branson,
I long ago ceased to believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, chiefly because of what I consider to be its logical incoherence. However, I also believe that the one version of Trinitarianism which seems closest to being susceptible of a rational interpretation is that espoused by Fathers John Behr and Thomas Hopko and, as far as I can tell, by yourself (all adherents of the Orthodox branch of the Christian faith) which holds that while the one God is most definitely the Father, yet the Son and the Spirit are each also God in some secondary or derived sense.
My problem with this understanding of the Trinity, however, is that it seems to me to equivocate as to the sense in which we may refer to the Son and the Spirit as God. Clearly when we call the Son God we cannot mean that he is the same God as the Father, otherwise he would simply BE the Father. But if by calling him God we mean that he is a different God to the Father then surely we are guilty of tritheism. I would be most grateful if you could clarify your position and clear up this conundrum for me. Thanks in advance for your help.
Kind regards,
