Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe

by Ben Quash (Editor), Michael Ward

Here, 12 top theologians, all practising Christians, tackle ancient heresies and show why the contemporary Church still needs to know about them. The contributors argue that heresies are never finally defeated but always continue in some form or other as live options for belief.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Church History, Reference, Christianity, Christian

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2007

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is just like the book blurb describes it — ten top theologians' speeches as given in a series reacquainting Christians with ancient heresies and how one might encounter them today. I was surprised to see that a tendency I really hate — to talk about the God of the Old Testament as a hateful deity and Jesus of the New Testament as correcting that OT god with his love and sweetness — is the ancient heresy of Marcionism. Aha! (Two persons, ONE essence — as Jesus said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.")

Some of the chapters are easier to understand than the others since each has a different author but all are good. Each begins with a quick summary of the heresy, followed by key scriptures which refute the errors. Each of the authors also took pains to point out that the heretics and their teachings were often well intentioned in desiring to clarify a misunderstanding about the faith. Often the heretics simply didn't go far enough in thinking things through and then dug their heels in when their theories were questioned and shown to be inadequate.

The generous attitude of the authors does not mean that they condone heresy. It does mean that they look upon it as "provocative stimuli, catalysts for energetic thought." Otherwise how can one counter it? That is how I have felt when encountering it, as I did very shortly after converting and innocently sashaying out to a bookstore to pick up books about Catholicism. I was quite surprised to see that there were a lot of divergent schools of thought about various topics in the Church. I quickly learned to educate myself in the why's and how's of the Church's dogma and doctrine so I could evaluate what I came across. Today we are presented with many such opportunities to dig deeper into our own faith. That "generous attitude" is one which I think is valuable to remember when we find ourselves confronted with heresy today.

The final chapter and the epilogue point out how dangerous heresy is and why orthodoxy is important. Both are excellent reminders of the importance that real truth makes to our relationship with God.

[Everett Lees · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charitable exploration of the various heresies the early church wrestled with and the church wrestles with today.

[Alex Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a nice look at some of the ancient heresies that pop up in the Church every now and then. Some chapters are far better than others.

[Summer Bohannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

New favorite book about heresies

[Scott Amante · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really excellent little book. It's short and easy to read, perfect for the beginning theologian and the old sage. Each essay gives an historical overview of a particular heresy, a brief scriptural argument against it, and a call or exhortation to believe an orthodox truth. It encourages a spirit of charity and non-violence towards those who actually believe heresy, but simultaneously reminds Christians to stand firm in the truth taught in our creeds and confessions. Finally, it reminds us that truth is a person, not an "it," and any pursuit of truth cannot be done apart from the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

[Landon Coleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an odd combination on several levels. For one things, the authors represent a wide spectrum of theological conviction, ranging from Orthodox to Roman Catholic to Anglican - even one Quaker! For another thing, the book contains remarkably clear, helpful summaries of old heresies while also encouraging appreciation for heretics and their ideas. In their attempt to be humble and irenic, the authors often end up praising and defending the heretics rather that simply condemning them as such. Finally, the book claims to be a collection of sermons, but these chapters really read more like talks or lectures.

[Tyler C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used this book for a class I'm teaching on early church heresies. It's not great.

Firstly, the book takes a surprisingly relaxed approach to heresy. Heretics are often portrayed as simply mistaken thinkers, downplaying the potential danger of their ideas. This stance feels disingenuous, particularly when dealing with heresies that fundamentally challenge core Christian beliefs. I get that not all heretics were trying to be heretics (Arian, for example). But the seriousness of the error is still downplayed.

Secondly, the book contains factual errors. The chapter on Marcionism, for example, makes a demonstrably false connection between Martin Luther and Marcion out of nowhere. It's a complete straw-man that has no basis in reality.

Thirdly, the book's contributors represent a wide range of Christian traditions, leading to inconsistencies in tone and approach. Some chapters offer clear critiques, while others seem more interested in defending the "heretics" themselves.

Finally, the book prioritizes historical context over practical application. While summaries of heresies can be informative, the book doesn't adequately equip readers to identify or counter heretical ideas they might encounter today. This isn't necessarily a problem, but when the book literally has in the title "AND HOW TO AVOID THEM" then I expect more.

There are glimpses of value here – concise summaries and some well-written chapters. However, the factual errors, confusing approach, and overall lack of focus leave this book as a misleading and ultimately unhelpful resource for early church heresies.

[Travis Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

While students of church history won’t find much new here, this collection of essays offers a perfect introduction to the essential doctrines of the faith. Each chapter outlines a heretical belief regarding concerning the person of Christ or the Christian life followed by the orthodox response.

The essays themselves are a bit uneven, they vary widely in style and quality. Yet, I appreciate the steadfast commitment of all authors to resist the urge to straw men the great heretics of church history. Each belief is stated in the strongest and most sympathetic terms possible. I found that approach ultimately showed the beauty of the orthodox formulation of doctrine, because it emphasized the way that classical doctrines were crafted to answer honest questions. This book also refused to gloss over the ugliness of history, the shortcomings of orthodox leaders, and the messiness of doctrinal development, which should be commended.

All in all, it’s a helpful little book albeit an uneven and inconsistent one due to the large number of contributors.

[John Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book when I was asked to preach on Trinity Sunday. As I read the book, I realized that every time I attempted to arrive at an understanding of the Trinity, I was stepping into a orthodox "cow patty."

This edited book is a compilation several theologians and clergy's discussion of several ancient heresies with an apology of why each is wrong. The book is divided in two parts, heresies regarding the person of Christ and heresies of the church and Christian living. (I'm especially thankful of the God's grace with Donatism.) If the reader believes that new heretical behavior isn't possible, one of the editors closes the book with contemporary heresies.

This book is an easy to understand and suitable for adult Christian education and useful for all new clergy who find themselves assigned by their elder clergy to preach on Trinity Sunday.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Living life in all its fullness is the surest way to proceed. Knowing where you're heading, knowing why you're going, desiring your destination, carrying a map in your hand, stopping frequently and gratefully for food, and having the company of fellow walkers ahead of you, behind you, and on either hand, not to mention a great cloud of witnesses above you--that is the safest and happiest kind of pilgrimage. Sidestepping the pitfalls of the heretics dwindles almost to insignificance relative to these considerations. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, and that freedom is not only a freedom from error, but much more importantly, a freedom for worship, a freedom for faith and hope and love." -- From the epilogue

[Krystie Herndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though loved ones are right in warning me not to read too deeply into what is NOT worthy of believing, I appreciate the authors of this book in their insistence on the truths of Scripture being way more complex than any of us are capable of fully understanding. One takeaway is that we believers are called to believe, and wrestle with our lack of understanding, while all the time loving and knowing we are loved by the God Who is more than we mere mortals can grasp.

[Amy Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely does a book provide lucid and digestible chapters to help grasp such a complicated topic. Such an interesting and wonderfully enriching book broaching some of the biggest theological questions.

[Will van Delft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct, generous, and accessible; the contributors show not just what is at stake in historical heresies, but how they serve to craft a clearer picture of the truth. Enjoyed the bonus epilogue on the dangers of orthodoxy!

[Ryan and Sara Wendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nice read that examines the heresies of the early church as well as to why they still matter today in the church. I enjoyed this book very much, and I recommend it to theologians and pastors. This book is relevant today!

[Charles Cowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to learn about Christian doctrine. It's a fun, approachable, and informative book that invites readers to question and think.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of weak chapters but overall quite good

[Gino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful synopsis of many different heresies. Easy read for such a challenging subject. Also, excellent Foreward by Hauerwas and exceptional Epilogue from Michael Ward. Well worth your time.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An analysis of heresies. Arianism, Docetism, Donatism and more. Not only where their errors lie, but why they are important to recognize.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful book for breaking down viewpoints within the Christian church.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to, as the subtitle states, why it matters what Christians believe. The authors do not just give dry theology, but rather illustrate how these theological questions play over into practical matters of salvation, community and discipleship.

The first half of the book focuses on the person of Christ, beginning with chapters on heresies that state Christ is not fully God (Arianism), Christ is not fully human (Docetism), Christ is not one person but is split in divine and human (Nestorianism), Christ's divine nature overwhelms his human so he only has a divine nature (Eutychianism). Each of these four heresies came up almost chronologically in the early church and orthodoxy held fast that Christ is fully God and fully man, that he is one person with a divine and a human nature that are not separated but not joined. Orthodoxy is vital here for the simple fact that Christ is the center of our salvation and each of these errors takes away something from that salvation: if Christ is not human he cannot save humans, if he is not God he cannot reconcile us to God.

The fifth chapter was one of my favorites, asking whether Jesus is the Son of God by nature (eternally, always) or by adoption (at some point in his earthy life he became divine). This issue at first glance, like many, seems inconsequential, but the author shows that it directly ties into our relationship with God. The fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God by nature makes it easier for us to understand that we are adopted into God's family through Christ. Jesus is, in his entire life and death and resurrection, God's gift for the world.

The final chapter in the first part seemed to demonstrate the wall we run up against in our theology. I had never heard of the heresy that states Jesus suffered in his divine nature. The author argues that Jesus suffered instead in his whole person but only in his human nature, for the divine nature is impassible and incapable of suffering. Yet it seems this is splitting hairs because just as the author says that those who say the divine nature suffers in Christ is to commit one heresy (to blend the divine and human nature too close) so the response could be that to argue only the human nature suffers is to separate them two natures too far (Nestorianism above). This chapter is interesting for I had never really heard of this heresy before, though it seems popular today. But I don't know if I would call it a heresy simply for the fact that to go too far in arguing against it is to commit a heresy in the other direction. The author says that those who commit this heresy eliminate the mystery of God, but again, in opposing it they also eliminate the mystery. It seems more consistent to say Christ suffered as a whole person, in his human and divine natures, somehow, beyond our comprehension.

The second part focuses on heresies of Christian living. Most of these chapters are great: can Christians get rid of the Old Testament (Marcionism); must Christian pastors be perfect (Donatism); can people be saved by secret knowledge (Gnosticism). Also very interesting is the heresy that in some Christians the human will is replaced by the divine will - I had never heard of this before.

This section also has the worst chapter, the one on whether Christians can be saved by their own efforts (Pelagianism). The problem is the author does not really write about the debates between Pelagius and Augustine, he writes more on Dr. Phil! It was disappointing because this is a very interesting theological discussion, as well as a vital point on the work of grace.

Finally, the book closes with a chapter on the importance of being orthodox, and with warnings about defending orthodoxy in the wrong way.

Overall, this is a great and helpful book for anyone, especially pastors and others who want a tool to approach these heavy theological issues.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally liked Heresies. It has a lot of strengths as an introduction to heresy and why it matters. It goes over the four major christological heresies and why they are a big deal—and, if you care about your life with Christ, they are a big deal—and then delves into some heresies of church and individual life. The chapters are short—you could read one over a long morning coffee—and they are well-put-together. They are also very readable. There is not much theological jargon, only the bare minimum necessary not to confuse the issues, which are in fairness fairly subtle at times. Moreover, the descriptions are very accurate, both from the historical and theological standpoints.

The weaknesses of this book prevent it from being a five-star book, however. First, it is unabashedly intellectual. These are heresies of faith, in the sense both of understanding and trust. They are not heresies concerning right living or right relation to the world, except in the attenuated sense that all faith is tacitly related to right living and right relationships. The authors are apologetic about this, but the weakness remains. Second, the book is based on a series of sermons, and therefore the chapters do not always cohere or flow into each other. The editors have attempted to make them flow better and to include cross-references between the chapters, but even so, the book is best read as an occasional read, chapter-by-chapter, rather than straight-through.

The third weakness is that the book is meant to address anxieties in churches of explicitly orthodox and catholic persuasion. All of the authors except two are Anglican, and the two who are not are Roman Catholic and Quaker. The issues involved, therefore, are of great interest to Anglicans, Orthodox, and Roman Catholics, and perhaps to some extent to Lutherans and members of peace churches, but they are of passing interest at best to most Calvinists, Baptists, and Evangelicals. Basically, if you don't buy into the Creeds in the first place, you won't care about the issues involved, even if you understand them. It's easy enough to argue, as I certainly would, that even so-called non-creedal churches are profoundly shaped by the outcomes of the first four Ecumenical Councils, and that their theology implicitly includes the Creeds and the Chalcedonian Definition whether they admit it or not, but the fact is that they don't admit it. Thus, it is of limited importance.

However, to the Anglican especially, but also to the Orthodox or Roman Catholic believer, or even a non-creedal church member with an interest in Patristic matters, this book is worth reading. I say especially to Anglicans because we are the inheritors of a deep and wide tradition just as much as Orthodox and Roman Catholics, but we are not so beholden to a dogmatic structure as they; this puts on the individual believer the onus of investigating and forming right belief, with the help of their brethren and clergy. I think it's also suitable for a somewhat sophisticated church book-study group.

[Paul Batz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd prefer to give this book a 3.5 out of 5 but the five star system is limited. This is an awesome little book. It became a sort of devotional for me before bed; the chapters are short, concise, and applicable.

The strength of this little book lies in its ability to demonstrate why certain heresies should be avoided and why Nicene and Chalcedonian creeds should be upheld. Does it really matter that there is a one letter difference between homoousios and homoiousios? Yes, it does, and the variety of authors all justify their belief in saying so.

This leads to the next point. Right belief is something that all major Christian traditions aspire to. The list of contributing authors includes Anglicans, Quakers, Catholics, and Orthodox believers. Having this variety of Christians, all speaking in a unified way, is encouraging from an ecumenical standpoint. Our differences are significant but we find common ground in our Nicene and Chalcedonian credal heritage.

Lastly, it is worth nothing the authors' repeated point that often, orthodoxy is sometimes the most radical position in comparison to that which is deemed heretical. It is radical to say that the fullness of God is found in the human Christ; it is radical to say that Christ is God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God; yet this is orthodoxy. I very much appreciate this perspective.

[David Smiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those that want to have a general introduction to the major Christological heresies the first part of this book is gold. Additionally, I would probably use the first part as the textbook for a teaching series within small group church settings. If you can give church members the first part of the book followed by a great teaching sessions for each chapter, then I believe that they would really benefit from it.

This leads me to the second part. This book would have been a 5 star if it was just the first part. However, part two wasn't that good. I felt like there was a lot of pointless information and at times was wondering how the thing being said fit into the bigger picture of the heresy mentioned.

At the end of the day, this book was a great introduction that focuses on the supremacy of believing, confessing, and worshiping the Triune God over the shortcut doctrines which ultimate do not glorify God.

[Andrew Blok · Rating 3 out of 5]

My wife's time in grad school sparked a lot of excellent conversations. Mostly, those conversations went like this:

Me: "What are you learning about?"
Her: "All of these really interesting and challenging things that have major implications for how I move in the world. Let me tell you about them."
[Later]
Me: "I sort of get that."

Now that I have a bit more time, I'm trying to read a few of the books she read. I picked this one up a long time ago and, even though it is quite short, I've just finished my chapter-by-chapter march through the major heresies of (mostly) the early church. Fun!

This book, with a new author for each chapter/heresy, is a pretty accessible and straightforward introduction to part of the world of formal theology. And, while I probably can't give you a succinct definition for each of the heresies off the top of my head. I know where to go for a thoughtful and helpful discussion of them.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly informative. Each chapter in the book is written by a different contributor. While the fresh perspectives (though in general concurrence with each other) is nice, the book doesn't accomplish all that it could if it were written by one author. Each chapter contained its own introduction - not just to the topic, but to the author's stance on the general topic of heresy. Many chapters covered the specific heresy only tangentially, instead focusing on the soapbox du jour of the contributor, using the actual topic as a foil for their somewhat related points. That said, the concept of the book was good - it just needs to be re-done.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little primer with some interesting thoughts on the first couple of years of Christian heresies. It's done in nice, succinct chapters that lay out the heresy, why it's wrong and harmful and "how to avoid it." That is, how to avoid thinking of Christ in Gnostic terms. There's a few places here and there I have problems (I think the author on the chapter for Marcionism over emphasizes Luther as an example) but over all a fine book to introduce the subject of heresy and learn some church history from an orthodox perspective.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful little introduction to some of the key heresies in the first centuries of the Christian church. It is in fact a series of sermons preached at Peterhouse and I suspect a better listen than read. Those wanting to encounter a greater depth of understanding of Arianism, Docetism etc will find plenty of textbooks addressing them. As a way of introducing the reader to some historic (and often contemporary) heterodox points of view, this book does the trick.

I was a little surprised not to see Montanism included in the selection.

[Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short summation of heresies that threatened the early and medieval Church and how they still threaten today. Especially good were the explanations of the monophysite belief, Marcianism, Gnosticism and Arianism.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A collection of essays, of various quality... not as good of a resource as I'd hoped, but useful"

[Casper Denck · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://nicodemist.wordpress.com/2009/...