Does that make me a heretic?

If you are having questions about whether Noah’s flood was a worldwide flood does that make you a heretic? If I am having questions about the exact nature of God’s inspiration of Scripture and wondering just what kind of book the Bible is, does that make you a heretic? If I really can not put 100% of my heart behind The Chalcedonian Definition of the nature of Jesus Christ . . . well they said that makes you a heretic . . . but does it make you a heretic? If I am giving serious contemplation to changing my political affiliation does that make me a heretic? 

Out of the things outlined above the most consequential, in the American church today, would be changing your political affiliation. For some Christians changing your political affiliation would definitely get you labeled as a heretic. Truth be told many Christians struggle with or have gone through seasons of struggling with doubts. In fact doubting is not in opposition to faith nor it is a sign of a lack of faith. Doubting is an act of faith. Faith includes recognizing the messy complexities of life. Faith sometimes waits in the dark until the light returns. 

“If we imagine that our words are like arrows, then we can say that those arrows always fall short of the heavenly realm to which we aim them. In short, an emerging discourse acknowledges that speaking of God is never speaking of God but only ever speaking about our understanding of God.” ― Peter Rollins, How (Not) to Speak of God

Peter Rollins rightly points out that our understanding of God is a lifelong journey that truly never ends. Asking questions, having doubts, struggling with understanding things is part of what it means to grow in faith. So what makes you a heretic? 

The word heretical from which we get the word heretic can be found, it would seem, in only one place in the New Testament. It is in the book of Titus chapter three. 

Titus 3:9-11 (NIV)  9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned. 

The word divisive in verse ten can also be translated as heretical and fractious. The Greek word for divisive or heretical means a person that creates divisions. In Scripture a heretic is primarily defined behaviorally not doctrinally. A Christian’s mind might occupy many different positions about God, the Bible or come to new understandings of Bible passages in different seasons of life. You might try out many different theories or options as you attempt to put together theological pieces that are workable, understandable and helpful. Just reconsidering your position on a particular doctrine does not necessarily make you a heretic. Or, I hope that it doesn’t because I have done that.

If being a heretic has more to do with behavior then doctrine then when you become a divisive person then you have become a heretic. When you become obsessed with quarrels and are public about them. When you are causing the church to be in turmoil by “stirring things up.” That is when you have become a heretic. The contrast to heretic can be found in the New Testament  phrase “sound doctrine.” Sound doctrine is a phrase that has been used and often misused by Christians. It is also a phrase that has been used to hurt others as they explore their doubts and questions. 

The term sound doctrine doesn’t mean you must agree with me or agree with the people in power. Sound doctrine means healthy doctrine. It is like the equivalent to healthy food. The Greek New Testament word for sound means to be in good health or to be well. Healthy food is food that is not rotten. It is not contaminated. It is not food that would make an otherwise healthy person sick. It is food that is going to build up a person’s body. Sound doctrine is something that is nourishing. In short sound doctrine is healthy doctrine. It doesn’t make people sick. It builds people up.

What comes out of your mouth as a Christian, especially a Christian leader, needs to pass the sound doctrine test. It needs to be something that you are convinced is really going to make the people who are listening to you healthier in their spiritual lives. If you really don’t think that is true. If you can’t honestly say that what you are saying and doing is healthy then you might not need to say it or do it. If you do then that is when you become a heretic. If you are saying things to hurt, out of anger or to win an argument then what you are offering is not healthy. You have become a heretic by your behavior. 

Marvin Wimberly was an arcade repairman. He had spent over 20 years repairing games for Bob’s Space Racers. In order to ensure that he would stay in business as an independent contractor he began to place a virus into the Whack-a-Mole game. He used what programers called a “logic bomb” virus. It is a program that would render the game inoperable after a set number of games. Sometimes after 5, sometimes after 50 or sometimes after 511 games the unit would become useless. The repairman would be called, who just happened to be Marvin Wimberly, and he would fix the machine then reinstall the virus. He was the person who was called to solve the problem. He was also the person who was creating the problem. 

What makes you a heretic? When your behavior is more like a virus causing sickness instead of nurturing health.