The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

What did Justin Martyr, the second-century Platonic philosopher who converted to a Christian apologist, believe about the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit? Did Justin think that Jesus was the true God or that he was a second, lesser god whom the true God created? Were the Father, Son, and Spirit regarded within Justin's theology as coequal, or were they set in a hierarchy? Did Justin condemn Bibli...

Is Jesus "the beginning of God's creation" or "the ruler of God's creation" in Rev 3:14? This episode sets this passage in its context, follows the author's patterns, and offers reasons why the correct translation of this ambiguous passage is "ruler" (not "beginning").  Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nFEbZg           Please consid...

Proverbs 30:4 is sometimes pointed to as proof that Jesus, the son of God, was conscious and alive during the Old Testament. This episode explores Prov. 30:4, sets it in its context, and discerns the identity of the son. We also closely interact with the argument that this refers to a preexistent son of God, showing by many proofs and reasons that this interpretation is highly unlikely. Visit Amaz...

Since 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in 325 AD, many have begun to reflect on its significance and lasting legacy. Unfortunately, several assertions commonly tossed around about what really took place at Nicaea are simply untrue. This episode examines facts and fiction surrounding the noteworthy church council of the year 325 to help listeners become m...

Partitive Exegesis is the interpretive strategy of reading into the texts of Scripture the doctrine of Christ's Two Natures, attributing to some things Jesus did as pertaining to his human nature and other things to Jesus' divine nature. This week's episode shows how key figures in the fourth and fifth centuries employed partitive exegesis in their understanding of Christology. We also examine the...

1 John 5:20 is one of the handful of grammatically ambiguous passages in the New Testament that either calls Jesus "God" (theos) or distinguishes Jesus from God. This week's episode examines the passage as neutrally and fairly as possible to determine whether Jesus is called "the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20 will be set in the broader context of the entire book and the context of Johann...

While Jews and Unitarian Christians have traditionally argued from Deut 6:4 that God is only one person, several Trinitarian apologists and internet theologians have insisted that "echad" (the Hebrew word for "one") refers to a compound unity of multiple persons. This episode examines the cardinal Hebrew number one ("echad") to determine if it is a word possessing the meaning of compound unity. Af...

Far too often, the biblical unitarian view of Jesus Christ is mocked as a "mere man." This episode seeks to correct this straw-man portrayal by looking at how the Old Testament authors described the coming messianic king. We examine six Old Testament passages that describe many ways in which Yahweh promises to empower, authorize, and establish the anticipated son of David as his human agent. Visit...

This week's episode explores the various throne room visions in order to locate Jesus Christ. While the early Christians were united in their belief that the risen and exalted Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, the Old Testament throne room visions offer a different picture. We examine the continuity and discontinuity between the Old Testament portrayals and the New Testament portrayals as w...

This week's episode examines the Megiddo Mosaic that reportedly bears an inscription calling Jesus "God Jesus Christ." This mosaic, crafted around the year 230 AD, has been recently hyped for promotional purposes, but a lot of fiction is being reported about its meaning and significance. This episode separates the wheat from the chaff, sets the mosaic in its context, and discerns the meaning of al...

Does the Gospel of Matthew use typology to portray Jesus Christ as the new Jeremiah? When Jesus asked about what people were saying concerning the Son of Man, some responded that Jesus was like Jeremiah. This episode explores the extent to which Matthew deliberately illustrates Jesus in terms of the preaching, symbolic actions, and attitude towards the temple that the prophet Jeremiah exhibited. ...

This episode demonstrates that the Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ as thoroughly human--as a genuine member of the human race. Despite claims that the Fourth Gospel presents a high divine christology, the data indicates that Jesus is called a human being, he calls himself a human being, he has normal human limitations, and he dies the death of a human person. At no point in the Gospel of John...

Is Jesus Christ fully God and fully man? Is the christology present in the creed of Chalcedon thoroughly biblical? This episode examines what it means to be "God" and what it means to be "human" in order to discern whether the doctrine of the two natures of Christ is logically coherent. Spoiler alert: it isn't. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: http...

This episode examines a clear, straightforward argument that demonstrates that the Apostle Paul was a unitarian Christian, believing and teaching his churches that God is only one person, the Father alone. We examine this argument within Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Galatians, noting that Paul is following Jesus himself, who identified God as "Abba, Father." Lastly, we note how Paul's unitary monoth...

This week's episode explores the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy, which takes place when someone selectively gathers a pattern of data while at the same time ignoring all data that points to a different conclusion. This selective use of verses occurs often in arguments in favor of the Trinity and the full divinity of Christ, and we discuss some of the most common appearances of the fallacy. Finally, we...

The Middle Ground Fallacy occurs when someone insists that, despite the evidence provided, the best solution is to meet in the middle of what both sides have presented. This compromise often occurs in discussions of christology, the Trinity, and the development of Christ in church history, but it is entirely fallacious. After examining several examples and familiarizing ourselves with the fallacy'...

This week, we discuss the Ambiguity Fallacy, which is also known as "equivocation." The ambiguity fallacy is committed when someone, knowingly or unknowingly, uses an ambiguous term or phrase in more than one sense within an argument, leading to confusion and incoherence by conflating distinct meanings. We discuss several ways that this fallacy gets committed in christological debates and discussi...

This week's episode discusses the genetic fallacy, which occurs when someone accepts or rejects an argument solely on the basis of the source or origin. We discuss how this fallacy occurs far too often in biblical studies, with interpreters blindly accepting the claims of their favorite theologian or dismissing all claims from those whom we deem untrustworthy. In both of these instances, the actua...

This week's episode explores the False Cause fallacy, which occurs when it is assumed without evidence that one event caused the following event. After looking at several ways people get away with this fallacy in arguments about the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus, we offer six helpful tips to help listeners avoid using it in daily practice.  Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Chris...

This week's episode explores the inner workings of the Appeal to Emotion Fallacy, which occurs when someone manipulates emotions in place of presenting valid reasoning to support their argument. We talk about common ways that this rears its ugly head, both in popular discourse and in debates about the Trinity. Lastly, we offer several tips to help avoid making this fallacious mistake.  Visit Amazo...

The ad hominem fallacy happens when we attack someone's character or label them as a "heretic" rather than engaging their arguments. This week's episode will explore the ad hominem fallacy, discuss how it gets abused in christological debates (past and present), and offer several tips to help us avoid committing this fallacy ourselves. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in...

This is my presentation from the 2024 Unitarian Christian Alliance conference in the UK. I discuss the Jewish principle of agency and its relevance and demonstrate how the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as the authorized agent of the only true God. The video version of this presentation, which includes the Q&A that followed my talk, will be released on the UCA YouTube channel in a few weeks. A...

This week, we are studying the fallacy of personal incredulity, which takes place when someone dismisses a claim simply because they are unable to understand it or find it difficult to believe. We examine several instances of personal incredulity fallacies in our modern culture, many of which are indeed complex, but are often dismissed because people do not take the time to examine the evidence th...

This episode explores the Burden-of-Proof fallacy, which occurs when someone attempts to make an argument by shifting the responsibility of disproving a claim to the dialogue partner, rather than offering evidence and data to support the initial claim. We discuss how this fallacy keeps popping up in discussions about the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Finally, we offer five helpful tips to argue...

The fallacy of the False Dichotomy frequently occurs in debates about Christology and the Trinity. This fallacy is defined as an argument that offers only two extreme choices, while simultaneously ignoring any other reasonable alternatives. This week's episode explores how the false dichotomy fallacy appears in modern culture before examining its common appearances in christological debates. Final...