7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Read & Understand-Refreshing, June 4, 2008
Jason Kerrigan's book is refreshing to say the least. I have been looking for research on non-trinitarian views and often the material I find is hard to understand. Jason writes at a level that anyone feels good reading. I especially appreciate the time he takes to thoroughly explain his views. Every statement he makes is backed up by scripture and organized thinking. I feel as Jason does, that we have all been taught the Trinity theology and have grown up not questioning it even though it might not make sense. I have always struggled with God manifesting himself into two other beings. How can Jesus pray to himself? Who was he talking to when he was dying on the cross? Why would God "sweat blood" at the fear of death on the cross as Jesus when God knows the outcome? Jason explains so clearly that God is our Father and that Christ is his son (separate from Him). God after all is an organized being. Why couldn't Christ be God's son and still perform the miracles he has done with the power and authority he received from God his father? Sounds reasonable to me. Thanks Jason for such a good read. I hope that this isn't the last we hear from you!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Depth and Breadth, September 4, 2008
Jason Kerrigan has done an excellent job examining a number of passages used by trinitarians to "prove" their doctrine. Often I was pleasantly surprised at the depth and breadth of his analysis. To give one example, Kerrigan discusses Revelation 3:14 wherein Jesus describes himself as "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." After explaining the Greek term arche [beginning] and the grammatical structure of this phrase, he quotes five other passages with this same term and structure demonstrating that the beginning is a part of the whole being spoken of. ["beginning of the year," "beginning of the middle watch," beginning of the gospel," "beginning of miracle," and the "beginning of creation." (Deut. 11:12 LXX; Judges 7:19 LXX; Mark 1:1; John 2:11; 2 Peter 3:4) For example, the beginning of the year is part of the year, etc.] Thus, the conclusion that Jesus is a part of God's creation is consistent with the Bible's usage of the term with this grammatical structure; and trinitarians are discredited in their efforts to re-define arche in this passage.
Then Kerrigan shows the breadth of his analysis by demonstrating the reason for this expression in the context where it is used. He writes,
"[Christ] is the `Amen,' which is itself a means of vouching that a thing is true; He is the `faithful and true witness,' which is a declaration of his own reliability as a witness to the truth; He is `the beginning of the creation of God,' which shows his ability to bear witness of all things from the very beginning -- The point that Christ is making in this passage is that he is a reliable witness.... Witnesses are chosen on the basis of the longevity of interaction they have experienced with the one concerning whom they are to bear witness...."
Then after quoting two other passages of scripture to prove his point, yet dealing with persons other than Christ, Kerrigan concludes,
"In light of this principle, it only makes perfect sense that Christ's ability to testify on God's behalf goes hand in hand with the fact that he is God's very first creation. Christ alone has borne witness of the works of God since the beginning of all things; and therefore Christ is the only one, seeing that he is the first creation, who can testify entirely of God's historical acts."
Kerrigan manages to go deep into his discussions, yet only rarely is he difficult to understand. On occasion he even throws in an analogy to illustrate the point he is making. I look forward to the day when he publishes Volume Two.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging and thought-provoking, January 21, 2007
I found Restoring the Biblical Christ to be an engaging, thought-provoking work, especially for those who hold a traditional Trinitarian view of God. If you've never questioned what you've been taught or never examined other views, then you owe it to yourself to read this book so that you can at least say with confidence that you've looked at both sides of the issue. Jason Kerrigan presents his research in very understandable language and supports every argument thoroughly from the Biblical text. When I was proofreading the manuscript for this book, I was repeatedly surprised by the insights revealed in Jason's writing. You may not agree with the author, but I recommend you read this book to add balance to your understanding of the nature of God and Christ.
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