Does the Bible Teach the Trinity? Reflections on the Dustin Smith vs. James White Debate

I had the pleasure of being in Dallas at a debate conference hosted by The Gospel Truth on Feb 6-7, 2026. One of the featured debates was Dustin Smith, host of the Biblical Unitarian Podcast and author, and James White, a Trinitarian apologist and debater.  I and around 20 other unitarian Christians were there to support Dustin and to be present and interactive with the attendees. The room was packed with over 200 people. The topic: “Does the Bible Teach the Trinity?” (Dustin Smith’s video with embedded, clear slides, or TGT’s video without slides), released Feb. 16.

Historically, unitarian Christians have been on the fringe: the ignored. For those of us who have been unitarian believers for years, the isolation tends to leave us with a “this is just how it will be” attitude. This is not the case any longer. The internet and the culture of skepticism, combined with the cultural departure from Christianity, has left the next generation with a willingness to ask questions and not feel beholden to an historic, post-apostolic credal identity. I saw this on display this weekend. Folks who identified as Trinitarian were asking great questions, sincerely wanting to know “how does a unitarian view X and Y?” And the answers they were getting intrigued them. 

There was a measurable sense of Dustin having won the debate. Note that “your guy” almost always wins the debate. So Trinitarians, by default, and unless in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary, will say that James White won. That’s just how debates play out for the audience. However, this time, there were Trinitarians saying that despite their disagreement with Dustin’s view, he did provide the better case.

There were several in attendance who were not “all in” on the Trinity. There were folks who might be more binatarian, or still working on it. There was one who said they may have changed their mind after the debate. Who knows how many other nearly-unitarians might have been there. This shift is happening quietly, mostly outside our awareness, and I saw a glimpse of that shift during that weekend.

Dustin clearly put the time and effort in, and it showed. An amazing case was presented before hundreds of Trinitarians (and over 16 thousand views on YouTube as of Feb. 17, less than 24 hours after release).

If you get an opportunity to visit with people outside your normal circle, try to take it. If you have a chance to be at a conference or event which is Trinitarian, maybe take that, too. For many Trinitarians, we are “them.” We are not real people; they have never met us. But when they meet us in person, they see real people with real faith and passion. That can’t be unseen. It is easy to dismiss the heretics en masse. It’s hard to ignore the christlike non-trinitarian soul who is having lunch with you.

Whatever your opinion on formal debates, this one thing is true: thousands more are going to be exposed to the simple truth of our human, exalted savior. It’s an exciting time.