Did the Church invent the Trinity? | Dale Tuggy vs Joshua Sijuwade

Did Jesus and the apostles actually teach the Trinity - or did the Church develop the doctrine centuries later? In this special extended Unbelievable? live debate, Christian Unitarian philosopher Dale Tuggy and philosopher of religion Joshua Sijuwade go head-to-head over one of Christianity’s biggest questions: Is the Trinity really biblical and orthodox? Sijuwade argues that the New Testament places Jesus and the Holy Spirit on the divine side of the Creator–creature divide, and that the historic creeds faithfully clarify what Scripture already teaches. Tuggy argues that the New Testament identifies the Father alone as the one true God, Jesus as God’s uniquely exalted human Messiah, and the Holy Spirit as God’s power or presence rather than a third divine person. They clash over: Is Jesus really God? Is the Holy Spirit a person? Does the Trinity imply three gods? Why did it take centuries for the Church to formulate the doctrine? Did Nicaea clarify biblical faith — or change it? Recorded live at the Guild Church of St Katherine Cree in London, in partnership with the Unitarian Christian Alliance. Hosted by Dr John Nelson. 00:00 Is the Trinity biblical and orthodox? 03:00 Joshua Sijuwade's case for the Trinity 05:40 Is Jesus distinct from the Father? 10:25 Is the Holy Spirit really a person? 13:52 Jesus and the Creator–creature divide 19:33 Does the New Testament call Jesus God? 24:40 Could Jesus simply be God's exalted agent? 26:10 Did the early Church Fathers believe in the Trinity? 33:30 What did Christians believe before Nicaea? 35:00 The creeds and conciliar Trinitarianism 38:32 Dale Tuggy's case against the Trinity 43:31 Is conciliar Trinitarianism really Trinitarian? 46:00 Does the Trinity imply three gods? 48:35 Is the Holy Spirit a third divine person? 54:55 Why worship Jesus if he isn't God? 58:54 Does sharing God's throne make Jesus divine? 1:03:49 Jesus' human limitations: could he really be God? 1:09:00 Is Jesus God — or God's human Messiah? 1:13:35 Sijuwade responds: Does the Trinity mean three gods? 1:18:12 Can Father, Son and Spirit really be one? 1:23:52 Tuggy's rebuttal: Is Jesus really the Word in John 1? 1:33:55 Why did the Trinity take centuries to formulate? 1:38:24 The Holy Spirit: person, presence or power? 1:43:01 Tuggy and Sijuwade clash over monotheism 1:51:19 Can there be three divine persons but only one God? 1:57:09 Audience Q&A 2:00:30 Is the Trinity simply too complicated? 2:02:17 Should Christians worship Jesus? 2:04:49 Does Thomas call Jesus “my God”? 2:07:13 Why must Father, Son and Spirit share one divine nature? 2:10:02 Joshua Sijuwade's closing argument 2:14:55 Dale Tuggy's closing argument Subscribe & Support 👉 Support thought-provoking conversations and help keep the show going at www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donate💡 🎧 Never miss an episode! Subscribe to the Unbelievable? podcast at www.premier.plus/unbelievable 🎙️ 🔗 Get bonus content, updates, fascinating articles, and early access to new episodes - absolutely free! Join now at www.premierunbelievable.com 📢 Follow us Instagram: https://instagram.com/premierunbelievable Facebook: https://facebook.com/premierunbelievable Tik Tok: https://tiktok.com/@premier.unbelievable X: Premier Unbelievable? (@UnbelievableFE)