Check out my shorter, more conversational articles, here, including the series “Habits of a Disciple” and “Identifying and Subverting Cultural Narratives.”
Here are a number of full length articles.
–Bible Text and Translation–
Bible Translation Sources and Theory
Isaiah 9.6 Explained: A Theophoric Approach
Is Matthew 28.19 a Forgery?
The Story Behind The Comma Johanneum (1 John 5.7)
Translating the Holy Spirit 1
Translating the Holy Spirit 2
–Theology–
Biblical Somatology
Restorationist Manifesto
Why Did Jesus Die?
Looking for the Historical Jesus between Evangelical and Liberal Scholarship
–Christian Ethics–
A Theology of Nonviolence
The Good Samaritan
–Kingdom of God–
Rejecting the Kingdom 1: Too Crude
Rejecting the Kingdom 2: Too Hedonistic
Rejecting the Kingdom 3: Too Jewish
The Kingdom Gospel as Motivation for Repentance
The Rich Man and Lazarus
–Biblical Unitarianism–
The Father Is Greater Than I: Exploring Biblical Subordination
Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity
Let Us Make Man
A Unitarian View of the Holy Spirit
The Trinity before Nicea
–Church History–
The Key of Truth: A Monument of Armenian Unitarianism
The Deity of Christ from a Greco-Roman Perspective
Comparing the Hebrew of Isaiah 9.6 to most popular English translations results in some serious questions. Why have our translations changed the tense of the verbs from past to future? Why is this child called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father”? In this presentation I work through Isaiah 9.6 line by line to help you understand Read more about 572 Isaiah 9.6 Explained: A Theophoric Approach[…]
Let’s face it the New Testament probably calls Jesus God (or god) a couple of times and so do early Christian authors in the second century. However, no one offers much of an explanation for what they mean by the title. Did early Christians think Jesus was God because he represented Yahweh? Did they think Read more about 521 The Deity of Christ from a Greco-Roman Perspective (Sean Finnegan)[…]
Below is my conference presentation from the 2nd Unitarian Christian Alliance Conference, presented on October 14, 2022 in Springfield, Ohio, USA. You can access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Also, if you’d like to read Frederick Conybeare’s 1898 English translation of The Key of Truth, you can get it here. My presentation Read more about The Key of Truth: A Monument of Armenian Unitarainism (Paper)[…]
Below is the entire surviving text of The Key of Truth by John Vahaguni, translated by Frederick Conybeare in 1898. For more information about this book, including it’s dating and community of origin, see my paper: “The Key of Truth: A Monument to Armenian Unitarianism.” The book called the Key of Truth. It was written Read more about The Key of Truth (Full Text)[…]
This weekend I am presenting a paper on subordination: the idea that the Father is greater than the Son. Although this notion may seem obvious to many of us, it is little discussed in mainstream Christianity. I believe this angle may be the thin edge of the wedge to open up discussion on the Trinity Read more about The Father Is Greater Than I: Exploring Biblical Subordination[…]
In preparation for Restoration Fellowship’s Theological Conference, I began work on a research paper to explain how the process of Bible translation works. While putting this paper together, I kept coming across important topics that I felt uncomfortable excluding. Whenever possible I prioritized brevity over thoroughness and still the “paper” grew beyond the 10 page Read more about Bible Translation Sources and Theory[…]
Did the earliest Christians of the first three hundred years believe in the Trinity? This presentation works through the most quoted texts to show that they should not be used as proof of teaching the Trinity before a.d 325. Scroll down to see my conference paper. For more podcasts and videos challenging the Trinity see: Read more about The Trinity before Nicea[…]
Biblical Somatology How the Bible’s View of the Body Cures Social Ills and Unleashes Human Flourishing Sean Finnegan (Restitutio.org) Presented May 6, 2018 27th Theological Conference Sponsored by Restoration Fellowship Introduction Between the apathy and reductionism of those who think our biological bodies don’t matter, and the vanity and superficiality of the celebrity culture that Read more about Biblical Somatology[…]
Introduction Tucked away at the end of the Gospel of Matthew is the great commission. It reads, “Therefore, go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit” (Mat 28.19). Oftentimes modalists and unitarians question the validity of this verse because of its trinitarian Read more about Is Matthew 28.19 a Forgery?[…]
Presented at the 26th Theological Conference on May 18, 2017 Sponsored by Restoration Fellowship by Sean Finnegan The information age has opened up incredible opportunities to understand Christianity better. With unprecedented and unrestricted access to disparate religious perspectives, sincere bible students have been increasingly questioning the typical doctrinal packages offered by many Christian groups today. Read more about Restorationist Manifesto[…]
In the first part of this investigation into the holy spirit and translation bias, I limited my focus to relative pronouns used to refer to the holy spirit. In what follows I will broaden my inquiry to include several other key texts and important concepts related to the God’s spirit. First I will discuss in Read more about Translating the Holy Spirit 2[…]
I presented this paper at the 2006 One God Seminar, hosted by Ken Westby and the Association for Christian Development[1] Introduction Trying to pin down a biblical definition for the word “spirit” is like trying to give a cat a shower—it can be done, but only with great difficulty, and one is never sure if Read more about A Unitarian View of the Holy Spirit[…]
“For Yahweh of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased.” Isaiah 2.12 Introduction This paper was inspired by the phrase “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3.2; 4.17; Mark 1.15). There are Read more about The Gospel of the Kingdom as Motivation for Repentance[…]
Why Did Jesus Die? Exploring the Multifaceted Biblical Doctrine of the Atonement from a Biblical Unitarian Perspective Presented at Restoration Fellowship’s 25th Theological Conference in Hampton, GA on April 29, 2016 by Sean Finnegan (restitutio.org) Here is the PDF Abstract In part one, I categorize and summarize what the New Testament documents say about the Read more about Why Did Jesus Die? (Paper for 2016 Theological Conference)[…]
Here’s the original paper in pdf form. I presented this talk at the 18th Theological Conference held near Atlanta, GA. In it I present a case for the radical practice of loving our enemies. Whether you believe Christians can and should use violence to defend themselves or others or if you think more along the Read more about Podcast 15: A Theology of Nonviolence (Sean Finnegan)[…]
Sean Finnegan (Restitutio.org) Presented June 2008 One God Seminar, Seattle, Washington Sponsored by the Association for Christian Development Isn’t it interesting how one statement can be shocking and controversial in one setting and totally mundane in another? For example, if someone came into a room of NASCAR enthusiasts and said, “Racing is so boring to Read more about Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity[…]
by Sean Finnegan My Conundrum I entered the mammoth façade of my local Barnes and Noble and found my feet carrying me directly to the Christianity section. Once at my destination, I stood before the familiar shelves, half filled with what I call “real” books and the other half, “inspirational.” I cocked my head to Read more about Looking For the Historical Jesus between Evangelical and Liberal Scholarship[…]
by Sean Finnegan The word “person” has multiple meanings. In normal conversation, it means simply a human being. However, in theological terminology (thanks to the council of Nicaea in AD 325) “person” means a being that has a mind (an independent consciousness). According to this definition, God is a person because He (note the personal Read more about Let Us Make Man[…]
by Sean Finnegan The most Trinitarian verse in the Bible is found in 1 John 5.7 where the text reads “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”[1] Recently in conversation with an acquaintance, I was challenged to accept the doctrine Read more about The Story Behind The Comma Johanneum (1 John 5.7)[…]
by Sean Finnegan Why do so nearly all Christians today believe that the people of God will spend eternity living in heaven with God? Although the bible clearly and in many places teaches just the opposite, one is hard-pressed to find any Christians who believe that God intends to fix the planet rather than evacuate Read more about Rejecting the Kingdom 3: Too Jewish[…]
by Sean Finnegan According to the Hebrew prophets, one day the God of heaven will set up a kingdom on this world, restoring it back to its original glory. Instead of shucking off the body like a husk so the soul can ascend, the biblical teaching about humanity’s destiny is rather fleshy. God designed humans Read more about Rejecting the Kingdom 2: Too Hedonistic[…]
Presented at the 2013 Theological Conference Sponsored by Restoration Fellowship by Sean Finnegan From the earliest days of Jesus’ Jewish apocalypticism to Augustine’s authoritative City of God, early Christians have held a variety of views about the final home of God’s people. Already in middle of the second century, Justin Martyr reports Christians held opposing Read more about Rejecting the Kingdom 1: Too Crude[…]
A Commentary by Sean Finnegan The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is perhaps the most difficult section of Scripture for those of us who hold to the belief called conditional immortality (the understanding that immortality is contingent on the resurrection not on the existence of an immortal soul). Before we take a look Read more about The Rich Man and Lazarus[…]
Download this article Translators have historically held incredible power to influence millions of Bible-readers over the eons. Many impressive developments have occurred in the field of textual criticism and lexicology over the last century. Today we can access dozens of English translations, Greek interlinears, and lexical aids online for free. In no other age have Read more about The Holy Spirit and Translation Bias: A Smoking Gun of Trinity Mischief (1)[…]