The Triune God Spins: The XYZ of Actuality and Potentiality

"Do not try to introduce the doctrine of Trinity to unbeliever or new believer!" That is what some might suggest. A wise tips they claim. Very understandable. Doctrine of Trinity is extremely perplexing and complex. We or others can raise more question about the doctrine as soon as we give a several statement about the doctrine. History show how a great schism of Eastern and Western Christianity was happening, as the result of this lofty doctrine (emphasis too much on oneness or emphasis too much on threeness). Thus, the doctrine of Trinity need to be examined always and to be articulated more precisely as to minimized the potential schism in the future. Move away from the schisms for awhile, many years ago Albert Einstein and Niel Bohr provide the basis foundation for quantum phenomena. Here comes the big questions for us: are we are in a better state to understand the doctrine of Trinity with the help of  modern science? will we stay just as we are as C.S Lewis once wrote, we are like one dimensional line try to grasp three-dimensional God at best. Or can we rise to two dimensional as the result of science? Here we could say that the trajectory is quite positive, especially of the Reformed. There is no distinction between faith and reason. All truth is God truth. Take for instance John Calvin. He believes that Bible does not contradicts science however, the primacy is given to the literal word of God that is to say, Theology. That is why, John Calvin in his discussion of the creation choose to explains nature Theologically than scientifically or astronomically.

Most Reformed will walk in similar line of Calvin. As we see the positive light of science sharing some new insights on Trinity, Quantum world share an important insight. Reality is not only depend on the observer but also depend on manifested reality (Hans Peter Duerr) and this is precisely what we understood of the very transcended being of the Triune God.  God is transcendent being and the God of Trinity cannot be grasp by the observer alone, there are tight relation and interaction between God and those who observe Him. Both are needed to unfold and translate the mystery. A latin dictum uttered by Argyris Nicolaids famously describes , "Sociatus sum, ergo sum (I relate therefore I am)." We can also add, I can relate with God therefore I can understand God. The other modern Quantum insight that we can discuss is what we can called as Modal Interpretation of Trinity. Modal interpretation is differ from Modalistic Interpretation or the more familiar term is Sabellianism. Modalistic and Sabellianism does not try to interpret Trinity as three persons. Trinity is one with three different roles to be played. The role of Father. The role of the Son. The Role of the Holy Spirit. The debate was settle long time ago in the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. Sibelianism was condemned as heresy. Clear with what Modalistic taught let us move further to the other. Modal interpretation of Trinity as Tim Anderson explain is more or less like this in explanation: Trinity is understood to be like an electron. Electron carries all the spins x, y, z as possibilities yet in reality, it is actually just one of them. In other words, three persons exits however, whenever one person taking a role to play the two start to be out from the scene depend on who is take the lead. In other words, two persons are always and will be in the realm of potentiality and one of them is active in the realm of actuality. Can we say this new way of understanding Trinity from the quantum world can be a true understanding of picturing Trinity? Is this a new language we can draw from contemporary physics in elaborating the doctrine of Trinity further? 

To start with the warning is a wise approach. It is possible that by using modern science as lens to interpret the doctrine of Trinity, we can put the chariot before the horse, and forcing to fit the imaginary which can contradicts the testimony of the Sacred Scripture. We can say that while it is rare that the role of God of Trinity are shown together in one occasions, as we know the favorite to quote is the story of Jesus Baptism in Matthew 3:16. We must not too quick to give a firm conclusion about the truthfulness of Modal intepretation. Although only several texts that show the simultaneous works of God the Trinity, it does not show that while the other are working, the others became passive, in Modal understanding. For Jesus Himself says, my father is "working to this very day" in John 5:17. Furthermore, Modal interpretation will give a false idea about God which could make a believer accept the idea of Henotheism of Max Muller more easily. The concept of Henotheism goes something like this, there are several Gods (X, Y, Z) we acknowledge them all but our full adoration and worship is directed solely for A. Our adoration for A make the X, Y, Z out of the scene from our life. They exits however, they are not relevant at the moment in life. Or Modal intepretation can make people believe the idea of the ancient pantheon, gods who were fighting with each other so that so only one can be in the top of the hierarchy of god (The supreme God). To this, modal intepretation is dangerous and potentially misleading. Up to this point, we cannot denny. Modern science could give as many insights to our faith nonetheless, we need to be careful and should never force the doctrine to fit per se to new founding of science, apart from the strong confirmation of the Sacred Scripture regarding our intepratative move.

People like John Polkinghorne have a different way to see the relation between science and Trinitarian doctrine. He does not hesitant to interpret Trinity in the light of science but rather his apporach is the other way round. If Hawking was curious about the "theory of everything" that can fit the whole universe in one single equation, Polkinghorne set the Trinity as the theory of everything to understand the world. To understand the world, we need Trinitarian perspectives and probably, as arduous it might sound, the doctrine of Trinity is the greatest candidate to be the theory of everything, the universe in the Trinitarian Perspective. The universe itself only seems to be intelligence if there is God of the Trinity as the lens, as John argued. Universe is unified in Triune God. Another dimension of it, not only the doctrine of Trinity will help us understand the universe, the concept will help us to marvel the cosmos and know our place within it, through God's given freedom as John says, "Trinitarian Theology does not need to see history of the world as the performance of a fixed score...but may properly understand it as unfolding of a grand improvisation in which the Creator and Creatures both participate." Well, some Calvinist may not agree with What John's statement about human and God improvisation. But both could agree that we are all participating in the World and the Missions created by the Triune God, and this is one of the true meaning of the world. The answer of "why are we here" that we can extract and hold unto.