What makes someone a Heretic?
First things first: what is heresy?
Strictly speaking, a heresy is any belief that goes against or denies a religion's established doctrine. Christianity is a very broad religion with many different branches, so while this definition gives us a place to start, it's not enough for our purposes. Fortunately, we can create a more effective definition by looking at our history.
Just like today, the early church was filled with different opinions and ideas. But, this doesn't mean the church leadership was quick to label someone a heretic. Instead, when there was reason to question if something was heretical, they would take the time to hold a lengthy and serious hearing, known as a church council, to evaluate the situation. The results of these councils create a pattern that we can use to clearly define heresy.
Simply put, heresy refers to any belief that deviates so strongly from accepted doctrine that believing in it could place your salvation at risk.
The idea that a doctrine could jeopordize your salvation is a scary thought, but there's also some good news about this topic: most of the major heresies Christianity has encountered were originally recognized and dealt with long before anyone reading this was born. In fact, most of them were resolved before the 8th century - long before the Great Schism and longer still before Protestantism became a thing.
This means that most heresies only continue to exist in the fringe or stranger corners of Christianity. Thus, the odds are against modern Christians believing in anything that's actually heretical.
One thing that's important to remember is that while God had a lot to say about how we should live and how the world works, He also gave us a tremendous amount of leeway regarding everything else. So things like when services should be held, which hymns should be sung on what days, and where the congregation's coffee pot should go are completely up to us to decide. While we might disagree on these things, this doesn't make us heretics.
Just like today, the early church was filled with different opinions and ideas. But, this doesn't mean the church leadership was quick to label someone a heretic. Instead, when there was reason to question if something was heretical, they would take the time to hold a lengthy and serious hearing, known as a church council, to evaluate the situation. The results of these councils create a pattern that we can use to clearly define heresy.
Simply put, heresy refers to any belief that deviates so strongly from accepted doctrine that believing in it could place your salvation at risk.
The idea that a doctrine could jeopordize your salvation is a scary thought, but there's also some good news about this topic: most of the major heresies Christianity has encountered were originally recognized and dealt with long before anyone reading this was born. In fact, most of them were resolved before the 8th century - long before the Great Schism and longer still before Protestantism became a thing.
This means that most heresies only continue to exist in the fringe or stranger corners of Christianity. Thus, the odds are against modern Christians believing in anything that's actually heretical.
One thing that's important to remember is that while God had a lot to say about how we should live and how the world works, He also gave us a tremendous amount of leeway regarding everything else. So things like when services should be held, which hymns should be sung on what days, and where the congregation's coffee pot should go are completely up to us to decide. While we might disagree on these things, this doesn't make us heretics.
What are some examples of heretical beliefs?
Even though most heresies were dealt with long ago, the battle against them has never truly ended, and it probably never will. Old heresies still crop up from time to time, usually under a new name or as part of a new movement, and people who aren't well versed in their faith can still be suckered into following these groups. One way to prevent this is to know what some of the classic heresis were - their names may change, but their core problems don't.
Here's a list of interesting or notable heresies that I think are worth remembering. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does highlight something most heresies have in common: not only are they beliefs that are contradicted by the Bible, they also have a tendency to create a Christianity without the real Christ.
Here's a list of interesting or notable heresies that I think are worth remembering. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does highlight something most heresies have in common: not only are they beliefs that are contradicted by the Bible, they also have a tendency to create a Christianity without the real Christ.
Adoptionism
There have been a few variants of this heresy, but they all agreed on one point: Jesus was born a normal man like you or I, and only became the Son of God when He was miraculously "adopted" by God. This would mean that God the Son only came into being when God the Father transformed a human being into a divine being, which makes little sense considering many of the things Jesus said in Scripture. Some variants of Adoptionism also deny the virgin birth of Christ or claim that Jesus is now a second, "lesser god" alongside the Father.
Arianism
This heresy gets its name from Arius, a scholar who proposed this brand of theology back in the late third century AD. He rejected the Trinity, teaching that Jesus was actually the first of God's creations through whom everything else was made. Modern groups that follow this line of thinking often try to turn Jesus into a "lesser god" under God the Father. Some also take things a step further by explaining away the Holy Spirit as a mere force or energy rather than a Person with its own will.
Modalism
The traditional view of the Christian God is that He is a Trinity consisting of three distinct Persons sharing one Divine Essence. In other words, the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but the Father is not the Son, nor is the Son the Holy Spirit. It's a bit tricky to wrap your head around, as there isn't anything else like this in our material world.
Modalism attempts to explain this divine mystery by claiming that there is, in fact, only one Person. In the modalist's view, the Father, Son, and Spirit are just different "modes" or "costumes" that God uses to interact with the world.
This is probably the trickiest heresy to avoid, as it's extremely difficult to explain God's Triune nature without accidentally arguing for Modalism. As an example, well-meaning Christians sometimes try to describe the Trinity by saying it's like water. Water can be a solid, liquid, or gas, and yet it's still water. The catch is that water can only be in one "mode" at a time, which brings us back to a Modalistic viewpoint.
Modalism attempts to explain this divine mystery by claiming that there is, in fact, only one Person. In the modalist's view, the Father, Son, and Spirit are just different "modes" or "costumes" that God uses to interact with the world.
This is probably the trickiest heresy to avoid, as it's extremely difficult to explain God's Triune nature without accidentally arguing for Modalism. As an example, well-meaning Christians sometimes try to describe the Trinity by saying it's like water. Water can be a solid, liquid, or gas, and yet it's still water. The catch is that water can only be in one "mode" at a time, which brings us back to a Modalistic viewpoint.
Nestorianism
Named after Nestorius, this heresy attempts to resolve Christ's dual nature by claiming Jesus was indeed God and Man - but not as we normally understand it. Instead of these two natures existing together in a perfect union, Nestorius taught that they are in harmony but still distinct from each other, effectively giving us "Jesus the Man" and "Jesus the God".
In one famous case, Nestorius openly attacked one of the titles attributed to the Virgin Mary, stating that it denied Christ's humanity. Nestorius did suggest a replacement for this title, but since it was deemed to be a denial of Christ's divinity, it naturally didn't go over well. Shades of this event can still be seen today, as there are many people who still disagree with calling Mary being called Theotokos or "God bearer".
In one famous case, Nestorius openly attacked one of the titles attributed to the Virgin Mary, stating that it denied Christ's humanity. Nestorius did suggest a replacement for this title, but since it was deemed to be a denial of Christ's divinity, it naturally didn't go over well. Shades of this event can still be seen today, as there are many people who still disagree with calling Mary being called Theotokos or "God bearer".
Prosperity Theology
The only modern heresy on this list, this one reportedly developed in the United States during the 1950s and has remained disturbingly popular. The basic idea, as preached by many shady ministers and preachers, is that God will shower you with earthly success, wealth, fame, and other material goods if you love Him enough. While it's almost never expressly said, this theology strongly implies that anyone who is poor or sick deserves to be, as it's proof that they didn't have enough faith.
Tritheism
The Trinity is a tough thing to visualize or understand; that's why it's called a divine mystery. But, some people have discovered a simple way to handle the inter-relationships between God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit: give up and call them three equal but unique gods who work together. Regardless of how these three gods are said to interact, this heresy replaces our one God with a small pantheon, directly violating the many Biblical passages that say our God is the only deity that exists.
Reincarnationism
This is the belief that people living today are or could be famous people from the Bible, reincarnated as a new person. Since most Christian groups believe that we only live once, the idea of reincarnation is already on shaky ground, but Reincarnationism has a tendency to take things further by claiming that their founder or leader was actually the Virgin Mary or maybe even Jesus Himself in a past life.
Funnily enough, this particular heresy ended up with a starring role in Captain Bible, as the first "boss" of the game is a fake messiah who claims to be Jesus Christ reborn.
Funnily enough, this particular heresy ended up with a starring role in Captain Bible, as the first "boss" of the game is a fake messiah who claims to be Jesus Christ reborn.
Back to the original question: who are heretics?
Now that we have a good idea of what heresy is, we can explain what makes someone a heretic.
At first glance, we might be tempted to say that a heretic is anyone who teaches heretical doctrines, but this might result in people being attacked without due reason. As the entry for Modalism shows, it's possible for even the most well-versed Christian to accidentally support a heresy. Someone making an honest mistake or misunderstanding something shouldn't be enough to them to be branded a heretic - it's just proof that they're human like the rest of us.
A better litmus test is someone's attitude. The Christian God is a God of order and unity. When people obey Him, things fall into their proper place easily and everyone is joined together as part of a larger whole. But, the devil seeks to form divisions between Christians, and his false teachings always result in chaos and schism.
With this in mind, we can identify a heretic as someone who teaches a heretical doctrine and seeks to sow division among God's People. In the past, many heretics responded to correction by forming their own communities and sects, and many of today's heretical groups continue this tradition by isolating themselves from other Christian groups or otherwise encouraging disharmony within the faith.
Just as no part of the human body can survive on its own, the real Christian Faith is not something that is meant to survive in isolation. We're all part of the same Body of Christ; anyone who believes they can stand alone is placing themselves in grave spiritual danger.
At first glance, we might be tempted to say that a heretic is anyone who teaches heretical doctrines, but this might result in people being attacked without due reason. As the entry for Modalism shows, it's possible for even the most well-versed Christian to accidentally support a heresy. Someone making an honest mistake or misunderstanding something shouldn't be enough to them to be branded a heretic - it's just proof that they're human like the rest of us.
A better litmus test is someone's attitude. The Christian God is a God of order and unity. When people obey Him, things fall into their proper place easily and everyone is joined together as part of a larger whole. But, the devil seeks to form divisions between Christians, and his false teachings always result in chaos and schism.
With this in mind, we can identify a heretic as someone who teaches a heretical doctrine and seeks to sow division among God's People. In the past, many heretics responded to correction by forming their own communities and sects, and many of today's heretical groups continue this tradition by isolating themselves from other Christian groups or otherwise encouraging disharmony within the faith.
Just as no part of the human body can survive on its own, the real Christian Faith is not something that is meant to survive in isolation. We're all part of the same Body of Christ; anyone who believes they can stand alone is placing themselves in grave spiritual danger.