I do think

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I do think

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Re:

What is "heresy"?
Re:

Untitled (Bill Roth)
Date: 2001, Oct 25
From: Eveline How evehow

... that there are certain non-negotiables in the Christian faith which Christians must be aware of and watch out from. Certainly it is difficult to come up with a list of "non-negotiables" as the Bible does not give any obvious hints... or maybe it does. From the teachings of Paul and Peter we could gather what concerns are uppermost on their minds. It is also not too difficult to gather a number of positive statements by the study of the OT and NT which leaves no room for doubt. (Care must naturally be exercised in coming up with this list.)
HIstory could also guide us, but only to a limited extent, on what important doctrines of the Church are. By this I imply there are certain doctrines which are "less important" than others. For example, I wouldn't put a church's stand on eschatology on equal footing as its views on christology.
It is difficult for the Protestant church as a whole to define what a "heresy" is, simply because there is no central authority, unlike the RCC, which decides whether a doctrine is heresy or not. Like Bill, I will deem a doctrine "heretical" if it "denies Christ," but it bears further definition. These are some of the questions I ask most often when evaluating a doctrine:
1) Does this doctrine conform to the "definition" of the Godhead according to the Bible?
2) Does this doctrine lessen the work of Christ on the cross?
3) How does this doctrine treat the Scriptures we have?
Or in simpler terms, does the doctrine affirm "sola fide", "sola gracia" and "sola scriptura"?
So far I have not used the term "heresy" on any doctrines yet, except on the Oneness movement for its view of the Godhead, and maybe on some RC doctrines such as Mariology. The tendency of the day is to be tolerant of differing "views" in the name of "unity." Tolerance may be an admirable thing to do, but as far as non-negotiables are concerned, there leaves little room for alternative views.