Must You Believe in the Trinity to Be a Christian?

A high-school textbook, World Religions in Denmark, published in 2007, described Jehovah’s Witnesses as a Christian minority who follow the Bible closely. In fact, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the third-largest Christian denomination in Denmark.

However, a bishop of the Danish National Church severely criticized the author’s decision to include the Witnesses in the textbook. Why? “I have yet to meet a theologian who considers [Jehovah’s Witnesses] to be Christians,” said the bishop. “They deny the Trinity, which is the heart of the Christian religion.”

The author of the book, religion sociologist Annika Hvithamar, pointed out that when people are asked why they consider themselves to be Christians, they hardly ever answer that it is because they believe that God is a Trinity. Moreover, a section in the textbook entitled “Are You a Christian?” states: “The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the more difficult problems of Christian theology.” It adds: “At all times, it has been difficult to explain to unschooled Christians why the Christian God is still one god and not three gods.”

What the Bible teaches about God and Jesus is clear and simple. It is not difficult to understand. Neither the word “Trinity” nor the concept is found in God’s Word. The Bible clearly states that Jesus Christ is God’s firstborn Son. (Colossians 1:15) It also points to Jesus as being the “mediator between God and men.” (1 Timothy 2:5) About the Father, the Bible says: “You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”​—Psalm 83:18.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that faith in Jesus is vital. (John 3:16) For this reason, they take seriously Jesus’ command: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” (Matthew 4:10) Surely, someone who strives to obey Jesus’ commands can be called Christian.