The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

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...

This week's episode explores the logical fallacy of begging the question. This fallacy occurs when the premise is assumed in the conclusion, without offering any evidence or data to prove the conclusion. We examine common instances of begging the question in the culture and debates about Christology. Finally, we provide several tips to avoid falling prey to this fallacious form of argumentation. V...

This week's episode examines the Anecdotal fallacy, which occurs when someone draws on personal experience or an isolated piece of evidence while neglecting the larger body of data on a subject. We discuss examples of this fallacy being committed, both in common practice and in discussions about God, Christ, and the history of the Trinity. Lastly, we offer several concrete ways to avoid using anec...

This week's episode examines the "No True Scotsman" fallacy, which commonly occurs in debates about christology, the deity of Christ, and the Trinity. We define the fallacy, show examples of it regularly appearing in biblical debates, and demonstrate why it is fallacious. Finally, we offer five tips to help our listeners avoid committing this logical fallacy, thereby improving the consistency of a...

The logical fallacy "Appeal to Authority" occurs when someone points to the opinion of an expert, scholar, or institution without considering the merits of their argument. This week's episode helps readers identify when this fallacy takes place, especially in arguments about God, Christology, and the origins of the Trinity. We also discuss the difference between this fallacy and the consensus arri...

This episode explores the Bandwagon Fallacy, which occurs when someone points to the popularity of a belief, issue, or person to the exclusion of evidence, reason, or logical arguments. We point to some of the most common expressions of the Bandwagon Fallacy, especially those used to argue for the Trinity. We also differentiate between the fallacy and a scholarly consensus, discussing why the two...

In debates and discussions about the Trinity and the identity of God, the fallacy of special pleading (or "moving the goalposts") often occurs. This fallacy takes place when one person changes the conditions or definition of their original argument when a counter-argument has met the original conditions, resulting in the original claim being moved farther away in order to avoid admitting the stren...

This week's episode begins a new series that examines common logical fallacies used in debates about God and Christ. The Straw Man fallacy occurs when one misrepresents, either intentionally or unintentionally, the argument of their opponent in a manner that makes it easier to knock down. This results in the actual argument getting ignored and the discussion stalling. We discuss common straw man f...

Having given sufficient attention to the Jewish Principle of Agency in the previous seven episodes, we can now turn and examine the role of agent that John the Baptist played in the four New Testament gospel accounts. This episode explores the many ways in which John the Baptist functioned as an authoritative agent of the God of Israel, including the fulfillment of scripture, offering forgiveness...

As we bring our study of the Jewish Principle of Agency to a close, we take the opportunity to examine the sixth and final tenet, a commissioned agent can authorize his or her own agents. After looking at the Jewish context and some examples of this tenet, we turn to the Gospel of John to better understand why Jesus, the agent of God, commissioned forth further agents. These agents include the ori...

According to the Jewish Principle of Agency, upon completion of his or her mission, the agent needed to return to the sender. This episode explores how Jesus functions as the agent of God in light of the context of this particular tenet, especially as it relates to the bodily ascension of Jesus. We consider why the Gospel of John has the most references to the ascension of Jesus, while also examin...

As we examine the fourth tenet of the Jewish Principle of Agency, we discover that the relationship between the principal and the agent requires an obedient posture. The one who is sent must obey the will of the sender, honoring the mission at the expense of his own interests. After situating this tenet in its Jewish context, we turn to the Gospel of John to witness several ways in which Jesus wil...

This week's episode explores the tenet in the Jewish Principle of Agency that recognizes the subordinate status of the agent (shaliach) of the sender (principal). We discuss the different agents that the true God uses in Scripture and their qualifications, and we even talk about who the most qualified agents were known to be. Lastly, we examine the Gospel of John's portrayal of Jesus as the human...