Wednesday, March 30, 2011

heretic...

... a hateful sounding word, isn't it?

it's being thrown around a lot these days.

here's what the dictionary has to say about it:

1. a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.

2. Roman Catholic Church - a baptized Roman Catholic who willfully and persistently rejects any article of faith.

3. anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle.

etymologically speaking, it means to be able to choose.

Galileo was condemned as a heretic for supporting Copernicus’s thesis that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice-versa.

do you believe the earth revolves around the sun? if so, you would have been in the same boat in which Galileo found himself.

Paul was described to the Roman governor Felix as the leader of the heresy (aireseos) of the Nazarenes (Acts 24:5). what about you?

all of Protestantism was declared heretical by the Roman Church. possibly still is, behind closed doors.

believing and practicing the priesthood of all believers was declared heretical. anyone who 'preached' or 'taught' who was not a part of the hierarchy was a heretic.

John Wycliffe - because his translation didn’t suit the hierarchy; William Tyndale - tried for heresy, strangled and burnt at the stake in 1536; Jan Hus, Joan of Arc, Thomas Cranmer and many folk under the rule of Bloody Mary.

Billy Graham, Beth Moore, Moody Bible Institute, Max Lucado, Michael W Smith, Baylor University, Chuck Swindoll, NavPress, Intervarsity, Christianity Today, Mother Teresa, Bono, Quakers, Charles Stanley, Chuck Colson, C S Lewis, Franklin Graham, J I Packer, James Dobson, Joel Osteen, John Piper, Martin Luther King, Jr.

just a few who have had the appellation thrown their way.

oh, and anyone who uses any other Bible but the KJV.

there are lots of other words being thrown around - universalism, trinitarianism, ultimate reconciliation, hell, heaven, slippery slope - to name a few.

but - what i am hearing more than the words is that which is behind some of the words. it’s not pretty.

it sounds a lot like hate.

i don't know about any of you, but this really grieves my heart. aren't we - those of us who name His name in some form or other - supposed to find love in our hearts for others who also name His name?

why can’t we trust Him? - trust in His character?

if we trust Him with ourselves, can’t we trust Him with others?

do we trust Him with ourselves - to keep us from harm and deception?

can we not do the same for others?

confession - i don’t know everything there is to know about God. surprise! i have no clue ‘how’ He has and will work all things together for His purpose. i do know, to some degree, what the Bible has to say about salvation and reconciliation. i am aware that a strong case can be made for ultimate reconciliation - a strong case can be made against ultimate reconciliation.

why don’t we slow down, take a breath and a step or two back, consider Him and choose the better way.

why don’t we leave the out-working up to Him?

He can be trusted.

4 comments:

Nathan said...

Heretics are guilty (presumably) of teaching heterodox or "other" faith. The Roman Catholic Church (the RC) seems to still be the all star condemner of "others" since they haven't fully rehabilitated the Protestants yet. Vatican II made the RC more tolerant toward Buddhists than toward Protestants, in practice at least. The term heretic as you so rightly point out still hints at the stigma of being punishable by death.

It is not widely known, but John Calvin recommended that a "heretic" be executed, and he was, in old Geneva town, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servetus
For his non-Trinitarian outlook on the nature of God, something we would not find so very odd these days, and certainly no reason to burn the man at the stake.

I see the labeling of various folks as heretics as a turf war. Anyone who may be able to draw my adherents away must be a "heretic". because I am right and, well, you know what a loony that guy is.

Jesus did not come to us to allow us to build little fiefdoms with guard towers along the frontiers. He came to make God's forgiving and healing love available for all who will seek Him. Even for those who may wait until they meet Him before they decide. So my advice is to stay away from the ones that teach that heretical faith of raising walls to keep others out, which results in keeping out the people Jesus came to save, for that is certainly not what Jesus taught.

mary said...

Having my tent pitched a bit further outside the camp, I am not aware of the present Cyber community happenings. I hear your heart, tho, Kelly.

We have talked before about how anyone can make a case from the Scriptures. The soul man - the intellect - is very powerful.

My thoughts...
The 'call' of God is into the fellowship of the Father and the Son. There can be no true fellowship except with those that are in that fellowship. The message that we have heard from Him is that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness... sin... hate our brethren... we lie. He who is in fellowship with Them has UNBROKEN fellowship with one another.

Our Lord warns us not to let anyone mislead us. There will be a falling away from the faith by those that give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Those that have been birthed from above have the Spirit of Christ within them and the Anointing abides on Him still to teach us all things.
Who can know the thoughts of man but the spirit of the man that is within him. Who can know the thoughts of God but the Spirit of God that is within Him. And we have been given the Spirit to 'know'...

Jesus is coming with His angels to gather His Elect... when He comes to be glorified in His saints... and to be marveled at among all who have believed what a Glorious Day that will be!
Come, Lord Jesus.

Kelly said...

Nathan - thank you for your visit and your thoughts.

yes, i think He came for all who bump around in the dark - even those of us who bump into the very walls we build.

Kelly said...

Mary - my heart-ache in not measured by how far outside the camp one is - but what is the content therein.