What is heresy? To be sure, some whom the church called heretics have turned out to be heroes; think of how the Catholic Church responded to Galileo when he asserted that the Earth revolves around the sun.
Traditionally a heretic is someone who has compromised an essential doctrine, usually by oversimplification, and has thus lost sight of who God truly is or what he has done for us. Their answers were the problem, as was their unwillingness to accept clear and detailed correction. In many cases, the heretics went too far, trying to mold the faith into the shape of unbiblical ideas they found appealing, especially those of pagan Greek philosophy. Or they began to emphasize certain ideas in Scripture to the exclusion of others.
In order to use heresy properly, we must understand that not all theological errors are equal or carry the same ramifications.
Our own tradition, Protestantism, has outlined three kinds of doctrinal error: 1 an error that directly contradicts a fundamental belief heresy proper, like Arianism—keep reading ; 2 an error that indirectly contradicts a fundamental belief e. More simply, many Christian theologians distinguish heresy from heterodoxy. For example, according to Protestants, the Catholic teaching that Mary was born without original sin and remained a virgin for life is heterodox.
However, Oneness Pentecostalism is an example of heresy, because it rejects historic orthodox Trinitarian theology. The line between heterodoxy and heresy can be blurry, so we need wisdom, discernment, and humility before labeling a person a heretic.
Additionally, we must remember that the sum of what Christians should believe is not identical to the essentials we must believe for salvation. We need to leave room for believers to grow in their understanding of the faith.
We believe in justification by faith in Christ, not justification by accuracy of doctrine. No one comes into the family of God ready to pen a book on systematic theology. We are saved by grace, not by intellectual precision. It is informed, resting on a firm understanding of the Good News. Genuine trust requires a reasonable knowledge of what—and more important, who —is being trusted. And growing in knowledge of biblical truth is a vital component of the Christian life. The apostles were not afraid to denounce heresy.
Yet heresy charges were not lobbed casually. Nor were they aimed at mere theological imprecision. Rather, we see them lovingly correcting a theological error. They wanted him to know the truth and the joy that accompanied it, not to condemn him or stir division. The early church combated heresy by reinforcing biblical doctrine with creeds. Arguably, the earliest creeds appear in the Bible.
Thus, heresies forced Christians to think more precisely and definitively about the truth of the gospel. Marcion was the son of the bishop of Sinope, Pontus in modern-day Turkey. Around , he traveled to Rome, where he was welcomed by the church, but by , his views had gotten him into trouble, and he was excommunicated. Among other troubling beliefs, Marcion taught that the God of the Old Testament was legalistic and wrathful, a fundamentally different being from the gracious and loving God of the New.
He rejected the authority of the Old Testament, and also attempted to liberate the church from all law. He believed the only way to do this was to rid Christianity of all traces of Judaism. Marcion ended up creating his own Bible, which included only a shorter and earlier version of the Gospel of Luke and ten epistles of Paul.
Marcion also edited these books. Second-century theologian and bishop Irenaeus spoke forcefully against Marcion. Are they newer gods who had just been revealed? Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. Learn more here. Join now. Join the Conversation Send your thoughts and reactions to Letters to the Editor. Most Recent Franciscan says her vocation put her on path to 'peace, joy, happiness' Nov 11, Failure to protect creation will mean facing 'God's judgment,' Pope Francis says Nov 11, Pope urges European solidarity with migrants amid new crisis Nov 11, More than 4, allegations of clergy abuse reported, annual audit shows Nov 11, If you change the message you are a heretic.
Or that you would NOT pull debris off an area where there might have been survivors if your team consisted of 3 atheists, a Hindu, and 4 Jews a very possible mix in New York? What about Katrina in New Orleans?
You would NOT have gotten in a boat to rescue stranded people unless your whole boat was full of Christians? Would you turn the boat while people were drowning? Salvation is about transformation here and now of individuals and communities. Most likely it would tear his church apart. Rob Bell, who is the author of the best seller, Love Wins , that led to his departure from the evangelical community, faced the same dilemma.
But Bell refused to stop growing. He refused to be trapped. And it did cost him, though he is doing quite well. When Bell left his exclusive view of salvation he also left his church, a megachurch that, like Warren, he had founded. What if more of us believed in and trusted in a more loving, gracious, inclusive God?
What if more of us focused on this life rather than the afterlife and understood salvation in terms of healing, wholeness, reconciliation and liberation from the life diminishing forces that possess us and oppress us, so that we are free to truly love God and love others? What if more Christians and not just Christians, but religious adherents of other religious traditions the world over — Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.
What a difference it could make toward vastly expanding respect and compassion in the world and advancing the common good. What a difference it could make in moving us toward equality and fairness and world peace.
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