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IS A HERETIC
NEEDED? |
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by Ron McRay |
While there is the idea expressed by many, which is
also expressed in the Bible, that to be called a heretic is undesirable,
there is a positive aspect of that word. Obviously, to be called a
heretic for the wrong reasons is bad, but what about being a heretic in
a good sense? Do you know that the first Christians were called
heretics?
"But this I confess unto thee, that after the
way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my
fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in
the prophets" [Acts 24:14].
Were they heretics? Was it wrong for them to be such?
The first definition of the Bible word is hereby given.
"HERESY": (Gr. hairesis, a "choice").
Means, in the NT: "a chosen course of thought and action;
hence one's chosen opinion, tenet, and so a sect or party, as the
Sadducees (Acts 5:17); the Pharisees (15:5; 26:5); and the
Christians (24:5,14; 28:22)" [The New Unger's Bible
Dictionary].
Can we, as Bible believers, have a "choice?"
Can we have a "chosen course of thought and action?" Certainly!
Nevertheless, in the modern world, the Bible and the churches often
interact in a perversely.
We live in a society where the churches bring about
many problems for Bible believers. Does not the public expect those
organizations that attempt to teach the Bible to do so in such a manner
that will provide answers to all of their problems? Thus, are not
supposed biblical experts paid to provide answers? How much use do the
people have for a Bible teacher who says, "Sorry, but I don't know?"
Many prefer to follow some so-called Preacher, Minister, Pastor or
Reverend who gives confident answers to questions and makes dogmatic
predictions about what will happen as a result of current events and
those things that are held to occur in our day and time? So it happens
that reputed Bible experts (?) who talk publicly about controversial
questions, tend to speak more clearly than they are able to comprehend.
Do they not make confident predictions about the future and end up
believing their own erroneous predictions? Do not their predictions
become dogmas that they themselves would not dare to question? Is not
the public led to believe that the untouchable religious dogmas that
they espouse are true, and yet usually they are wrong? That is why
heretics who question the assertions are needed.
Modern day preaching is organized unpredictability.
The most doctors of theology arrange their belief system in such ways as
to enhance the novel and the unusual for their readers. When these
doctors of the law offer predictions, they are not speaking as Bible
teachers. The predictions of biblical -fiction writers are notoriously
inaccurate. Their purpose is to imagine what might happen rather than to
describe what has happened. A few of the prevailing dogmas may be right,
but they still need to be challenged. Since I am a heretic, I am
accustomed to being in the minority. If I could persuade everyone to
agree with me, I would not be a heretic.
We are fortunate that we can be heretics without any
danger of being burned at the stake. The world needs a new crop of young
heretics. I am hoping that one or two of the people who read this essay
will fill the role.
Over the years, I have met prominent heretics who
promoted unpopular biblical ideas that usually turned out to be right.
Thank God that they thought for themselves, rather than choosing to
parrot fellow legalistic travelers.
Probably the principle subject of these so called
theologians is an erroneous view of the so-called "second coming"
of Jesus. This is a contentious subject, which enters the realms of
politics and economics as well as biblical truth.
The muddy, messy world of Bible understanding is full
of things that we do not yet understand. It is much easier for a
theologian to sit comfortably in an air-conditioned building with his 21st
century, western eye glasses, than to put on first century AD eastern
eye glasses and measure what the Bible says about things that happened
in the 1st century AD. They seem to speculate on what might
happen in our day and time. Is that not why the so-called experts wind
up in self delusion? Consider that the phrase "second coming" is
not a biblical term, no, not found even once in scripture!
Obviously we should be trying to understand better
what the Bible teaches about the "second coming" of the Christ.
After serious consideration and study, are we to conclude that the
modern day teachings are grossly exaggerated? They take away money and
attention from other problems that are more urgent and more important,
such as poverty, infectious disease, public education, public health,
and the preservation of living creatures on land and in the oceans; not
to mention easy problems such as the timely construction of adequate
dikes around the city of New Orleans.
When I listen to or read biblical debates, I am
impressed by the enormous gaps in our knowledge, the sparseness of our
observations and the superficiality of our theories. Many of the basic
Bible scriptures are not properly understood. Just as diseases must be
diagnosed before they can be cured, the scriptures must be looked at
afresh in order to gain a proper understanding of the text. We need to
observe and measure what the Bible actually teaches, rather than listen
to theories of religious elders of modern day religions.
Since most of us are old, it is up to the young
heretics to find new heresies to guide the way to a more hopeful future.
It is my prayer that the Almighty God will bless each
of us in our studying and thinking for ourselves.
Copyrighted © by Ron McRay, August 21, 2007.
Permission is granted to reproduce this as long as it is reprinted in
its entirety and proper credit given.
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