The Shamrock, Dan Brown, and Islam

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland is more relevant today than he ever was, and it’s not just because of the parades, the green, and the cultural observances of the day. His mission as an evangelist and apostle to Ireland is best remembered for his use of the shamrock as an illustration of one of the deepest truths of Christianity, that of the Trinity.

The Trinity sets apart Christianity from all other religions on earth. The Trinity completes the self-revelation that God began in the Old Testament. The Trinity is the foundation for the truth that “God is Love” for within the Trinity, there is personhood; there is unity; God was loving the Son and vice versa, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, even before the creation of the world. Thus, the creation is the outpouring of that love within the Godhead.

Dan Brown in his pseudo-historical novel called “The Da Vinci Code” attacks the Trinity when he recycles some ancient heresies that deny the divinity of Christ and that portray him as a fallen human. Dan Brown claims that the divinity of Jesus was established by decree at the Council of Nicaea, which is a historical distortion of what the Council of Nicaea was all about.

Islam vigorously denies the Trinity, treating it as a philosophical and intellectual quandary. If there is no Trinity, then before creation God had no one to love. Since love needs an object outside of itself, then God is dependent on the creation in order to love, if there is no Trinity.

The Trinity is the glorious truth that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!