Bishop Tom and the Anglican Dilemma

On April 12th N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham in the Anglican Communion, gave a lecture to the gathered conferees at the Fulcrum Conference Islington. His lecture was titled "Conflict and Covenant in the Bible." Even if you have not been following the unfolding conflict within the Anglican Communion, this lecture is worth the read!

How Ought the Bible be Used?

This post was initiated by _REV_ in a previous post.
I am quoting his question on this topic for our dicussion.

"Further, I still need clarification in my mind in terms of "how the Bible is used." Is appealing to the Bible the same as appealing to a math book? A phone book? An almanac? A collection of Emerson? What sort of "authority" is the Bible? And if Christian denominations cannot agree, on what basis then CAN we base our evidence to be sifted, discussed, debated???"

A Life That Teaches

In the following video, John Ortberg and Richard Foster discuss the importance of living what we teach. How I live in relationship with others will do more to shape them than my words do, even though my words are also important. This dynamic is true as a pastor, but not just as a pastor. It is true as a father, a husband, and a friend. The critique of Christians being hypocrites is simply the identification that our lives do not match our words. So, as you watch this video, ask yourself - will those around me be shaped by my actions in the way of Jesus?

Click the following link to watch the video.

Heresy: Who's to Say?

In 2 Peter 2:1-3 we read, "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."

I have been thinking recently about the issue of heresy or false teaching in the Church. As a pastor who provides teaching regularly, I am keenly aware of the added accountability that comes with the responsibility of teaching others how to live as followers of Jesus. James' warning (3:1) that "not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" comes to my mind often as I study and prepare for our Sunday gatherings. I do not want to be guilty of teaching falsely how to live as a follower of Jesus, nor do I want to model poorly what that might look like applied in my real life.

But the question that has been rolling around in my mind as of late has to do with the declaration of heresy. I have been both the recipient of and a participant in the declaration of heresy in the past. With a little study of historical theology, one should be able to correctly identify current manifestations of the false teachings that the Church faced in past generations. For example, the doctrine of the Trinity has been a foundational teaching to the Christian faith since the very first Christians. So when a person desires to teach non-Trinitarian or anti-Trinitarian theology, one should be able to identify a problem. And as a pastor, my understanding of my role in the local church is to protect the congregation from this kind of teaching and as appropriate teach the church about such views and why they are outside of the foundational teachings of Scripture and the Church.

But what happens when the teaching is outside of the historically discerned heresies? Who gets to decide what is false teaching and what isn't? I suppose if I were a part of the Orthodox or Catholic churches which have a structure to deal with these teachings, I could look to those in authority for guidance. But being a part of a congregationally oriented Protestant church which has no apparatus for discerning and declaring teaching to be false outside of our Statement of Faith, I am left on my own. I can also turn to other pastors for input, but what I have found is that in many issues there is not a consensus of opinion. What I find to be biblical and helpful, others declare as heresy; and what I view as a poor understanding of the teaching of Scripture, others hold to with a devout fervor.

I am left, then, to do my best to listen to the voice of the Spirit as I read and study Scripture, and as I relate to those in my local church and beyond who want to be teachers. But I continue to have a sense that our independent approach to life and faith is leaving many open to being unfairly labeled as heretics on the one hand, and on the other leaving the Church open to false teaching. Heresy: Who's to Say?