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There are a number
of "classic" heresies that have arisen in church history. I
have compiled a brief list below. Once you are familiar with
these, you will notice similarities with cult teachings and
other modern heresies as well. One "hot" topic is Shepherdism, or
conditional justification. I've included an article by O. Palmer
Robertson attacking this rampant heresy. It's probably more than you
wanted to know.
Heresy is
anything which contradicts orthodoxy; and orthodoxy is the
predominant testimony of the Church as to what the Bible teaches is
true. In our day, orthodoxy has been discarded. Heresy is not
avoided by abandoning the historic creeds and confessions.
It is encouraged by it. Evangelicalism abandoned them
after a number of 19th-20th century theolgians taught that
creeds and confessions cannot be consistent with the divine
doctrine of God. Finite man, these theologians said, is
incapable of knowing an infinite God, or his truths. In other words,
they were saying that God did not adequately reveal himself to us in
the bible. They rejected the notion that the bible is a
consistent series of propositional truths which can be
organized into a creed. Instead, they believed that the bible
is a series of disjointed truths that compete with one another,
creating paradoxical contradictions. John Robbins attacks this
heresy popularized by Cornelius Van Til. Indeed, Robbins
doesn't just call it a heresy, but an apostasy - a
damnable lie. Buckle your seat-belt. I included Robbins'
article on John Piper as well
for its clear statement of the Protestant
doctrine of Justification. If you can block out his diatribes and
hyperbole, Robbins does get to the heart of the matter. For a more
balanced view, try Chapell.
The next two articles may be a bit
controversial and even contentious, but you ought to consider the
issues they raise.
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