To understand Branson’s contribution, one must first grasp the classic logical dilemma facing orthodox Christian Trinitarianism. The doctrine traditionally holds that: The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father. There is exactly one God. If "is" denotes classical identity (
), these statements violate the transitivity of identity. If must equal
The external actions of the Trinity are not just similar, but numerically identical.
Branson's breakthrough is primarily a linguistic and hermeneutical shift rather than a heavy metaphysical invention. He argues that Western theologians have mistakenly adopted an "Egalitarian" view. This view assumes that the word "God" uniformly refers to the divine nature or to the Trinity as a whole.