In the early centuries of Christianity, when Christian doctrine was still taking shape and mass communication wasn’t as achievable, a wide range of teachings sprang up around the known world. Teachers in cities the apostles had only heard about were offering different takes on the words, identity, and nature of Jesus, creating a complex mosaic of Christianities— some of them valid, some of them wildly inaccurate. In the New Testament, some of John, Paul, and Peter’s letters hint at this discord, with all three writers encouraging their listeners to hold fast and avoid false teachers. The wide range of teaching is perhaps even more apparent in the next few centuries, as teachers like Arius and Sabellius put forth their understandings of the nature of Christ:
Arius suggested Jesus was a created being, calling his divinity into question.
Sabellius saw Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three modes of God, not separate persons.
Many Gnostic sects embraced a belief called “Docetism,” the idea that Jesus —to remain sinless— never assumed a physical body.
I could keep going, but you get the idea.
Leaders of the early Church saw these philosophies as departures from proper Christian belief; after all, each somehow undermined more mainstream teaching on the nature of Christ, the role of sin, and the relationship of God to the world. These wayward teachers were thus labelled heretics, a term derived from the Greek word for choice and meaning “a school of one’s own choosing.” Since these early days, the term has continued to be used by religious communities in defining what is and is not orthodox.
Martin Luther was declared a heretic.
Galileo was declared a heretic.
Gwen Shamblin was declared a heretic.
The list goes on.
I’ve noticed something though:
with the rise of social media,
with the popularity of rage-based politics,
with the I’m-right-you’re-wrong rhetoric of extremist Christianity,
we use the word constantly,
to the point everyone must be a heretic now.
Beth Moore, Jen Hatmaker, William Paul Young, William Barber, the Gungors, Rob Bell, Carlton Pearson, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, Russell Moore, Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, John Piper— I’m pretty sure I’ve heard all of them called heretics within the past few weeks. Admittedly, I kind of think a few on that list might be deserving of the title, but luckily for me, I don’t have that kind of authority! And really, that’s the issue here: the people who wield the word “heretic” most liberally seem to be the ones with the least authority to do so. It’s a word thrown around in anger and hyperbole to the point that it has lost its impact. So I have a suggestion:
We need to be more thoughtful in its use, reserving heretic for the truly harmful demagogues. If we ascribe the title to anyone with whom we disagree, I fear a boy-who-cried-wolf scenario where a truly harmful teacher comes along, and we’re left without a word to describe him/her. So before you go calling someone a heretic, ask:
Are this person’s teachings incompatible with the life and words of Jesus Christ?
Are this person’s teachings actively harming people?
Has this person’s viewpoint pitted him/her against a broad swath of Christian groups? (i.e. Could Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, and Holiness Pentecostals all agree he/she is wrong?)
Does this person ignore criticism and refuse to engage with those who disagree?
If you answered all the previous questions “yes,” then yeah, maybe the label is justified, but there’s still one more question: Why are you picking fights on the internet with people who will never respond to you anyway?
If this person’s views are bugging you that much, go to a church or bar in your area, sit down and talk to someone. In the social media space, most people’s minds are already made up, so shouting “HERETIC!” there won’t do any good. Instead, engage the people around you, and if there aren’t any people around you to engage, reach out, and let me help you find some.
Grace and Peace,
Tom (your fellow heretic)