Deal-breaker doctrines: the Elephant Room and the Trinity

• Is misdefining the Trinity (modalism) a deal-breaker?

Prompted by the Elephant Room gathering of pastors, a host asks Dan whether misdefining the Trinity — specifically modalism, the view that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one being expressed three ways rather than three distinct persons — is a doctrinal deal-breaker. The hosts agree the Trinity is beyond full human comprehension and that a different understanding of how the three persons relate does not ruin the core message of Christ, but they draw a hard line at denying who Jesus is. They worry that hair-splitting over secondary doctrines can obscure the gospel and exclude people over distinctions that will not keep anyone out of heaven.