Today's Scripture Reading (June 4, 2024): 1 Timothy 1 & 2
Heresy could be
defined as any belief or theory firmly at variance with established beliefs or
customs, particularly the accepted beliefs of a church or religious
organization. A heretic is a proponent of such claims or beliefs. Heresy is
distinct from apostasy, the explicit renunciation of one's religion, principles,
or cause, and blasphemy, which is an impious utterance or
action concerning God or sacred things. So, heresy involves believing in wrong things, not unbelief or a complete
rejection of God. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of declaring that
anything is heresy in Christianity, especially if we can support the argument
biblically. Maybe my issue is that I am a heretic; there are certain things
that I believe that are at odds with significant portions of the Christian
Church. There are also certain things with which I am at odds with my Baptist
hierarchy and heritage. My brother-in-law openly calls me a heretic. And I believe
that honest conversation is valuable even in these areas of belief and
theology.
However, I also know I stand in good company with other heretics.
Early reformers like John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were declared to be heretics.
John Wycliffe died in 1384 of a stroke, but what happened next was disturbing.
Part of what the church found disturbing about Wycliffe is something we take
for granted now; Wycliffe believed that the Bible needed to be placed in the
hands of the people. As an extension of that, Wycliffe became heavily involved
in efforts to translate the Latin scriptures, which themselves were a
translation from the original Greek and Hebrew, into English, the language of
the ordinary people to whom he ministered. He also opposed monasticism and the
papacy. However, his emphasis on producing an English Bible resulted in his
followers being labeled as Bible men. After his death, Wycliffe's teachings
were placed on trial. In 1415, Wycliffe was declared to be a heretic, and his
works, including his Bibles, were burned. And then his body was exhumed from
its place of burial, burned, and the ashes were thrown into the River Swift.
Jan Hus was a Czech follower of Wycliffe. He didn't agree with
everything that Wycliffe believed, but he shared enough beliefs that he was
imprisoned. His trial took place about a month after Wycliffe's conviction. Hus volunteered to recant his beliefs if his errors could be
proven to him from the Bible. Wycliffe and Hus's followers asked, "What does the
Bible Say, and how do we understand it." Jan Hus was executed as a heretic
in 1415. He was burned at the stake, and his ashes were tossed into the Rhine
River.
Another group of heretics was condemned and executed by drowning.
These heretics believed in adult Baptism, or maybe more precisely, non-infant
baptism or believer baptism. Their belief and practice violated the church's
teaching on infant baptism. Heretics sometimes provide a service; they get us thinking
and considering views outside the norm. When we adopt a practice that says,
"Show me in the Bible why your beliefs might be true," we at least
have a starting point for reconciliation between the heretic and the church.
Historian Bruce Shelly argues, "Heretics,
in fact, served the church in an unintended way. Their pioneering attempts to
state the truth forced the church to shape 'good theology'—a rounded,
systematic statement of biblical revelation" (Bruce L. Shelly,
Church History in Plain Language, [Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995], 47).
Paul puts up a stop sign for heresies. He wants someone who will
allow certain teachings and reject others based on the available Biblical
evidence. And his chosen ambassador is Timothy.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1
Timothy 3 & 4
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