On Sunday, October 18, 2015, Elder Wayne Wylie reviewed “Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church” which he taught through the 18th century about a year and a half ago. After a couple of weeks of review, Wayne will resume where he left off dealing with Pietism and Revivalism.
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) sets a prominent theme the student of heresies in church history must keep in mind. The heresies with which the modern church contends are merely variations on heresies which the church throughout history has always had to correct.
The concepts of “heresy,” “error,” “dogma” and “orthodoxy” are defined, compared and contrasted.
Why are there more controversies and heresies associated with Christianity than with any other religion? This stems largely from the fact that most religions are based on morality, whereas Christianity is based on propositional doctrines which are rooted in historical events.
Heresy forces the church to define what we mean by the doctrines we confess. The earliest heresies dealt with who is God? Who is Jesus Christ? What was he like? How much does one really need to know about the nature of the triune God, and the person and work of Jesus Christ?
Listen to “Introduction to Heresy and Orthodoxy” for all of this and more at mcopc.org.