The Trinity, Toothpaste, & the Jesus Christ Show

One radio show I truly enjoy and through which I am regularly challenged is "The Jesus Christ Show" on KFI AM 640. Usually we get to hear a few calls as we drive to worship every Sunday morning. The show is broadcast live from 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. If you can get past the premise that the host speaks as if he is Jesus Christ himself - and granted this took me quite awhile to get past - you will find one of the most knowledgeable apologetic minds I've encountered. You can download the weekly podcast through the KFI website. It is an awesome radio show and one which always encourages and edifies me.

A couple of weeks ago a young boy, probably around 9 or 10 years old, called in and asked the host ('Jesus') if he could help explain the trinity to him because he was having a hard time understanding how God could be 3 separate entities. The host gave probably the best response I've heard, especially when trying to explain it to a kid. He pointed out that the word "trinity" is not actually used in the scriptures. He then asked the boy if he had ever seen or had used Aquafresh toothpaste, and of course, the boy had. He pointed out how Aquafresh has three colors swirled into one toothpaste - the white part cleans the teeth and fights tooth decay, the red part specifically fights plaque and tartar, and the blue part helps freshen breath. When you squeeze the toothpaste out, all three are present in the one toothpaste - you can't take out one element. The host stated that the Trinity is similar - you can't actually separate them as they are various elements of the same God each working in different ways, but ultimately a part of the same thing. I thought his metaphor was apt, understandable, and in its own way, profound.