The Many Faces of Heresy. The One Face of Truth

Dec 04  Hudson Barton. Comments: 2
Heresies always come in multiples, and they are inter-related. By contrast, there is only one Truth just as there is only one true God. Paganism and heresy have the character of many, but God's truth has the character of one. I have noticed recently that here are many and varying forms of Arminianism. In one way or another, they all rely upon elevating the authority of man and diminishing the authority of God. These characteristics they also share with Pelagianism and Arianism which are perhaps the two greatest heresies of the early Church.  
Meanwhile, there has always been but one Reformed view (minor quibbles notwithstanding). Reformed doctrine is related to nothing else except that it's chief objective is exactly like that of all the church fathers in the first 4 centuries... to elevate the authority of God and to diminish the authority of man.

Ecumenicalism is multiple doctrines in co-habitation. Therefore, it should not be surprising to find heresy wherever you find ecumenicalism, simply because it has the character of 'many' as opposed to 'one'.
Vincent Murphy I couldn't agree more, especially on the commonality of raising the authority of man and diminishing that of God. Matthew 7:14 reads "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.". The very idea that ecumenicalism is superior because it means a greater unity of number may well in fact indicate it is that wide gate and broad way, "that leadeth to destruction". February 03, 2010
Vincent Murphy In addition, one might ask: is unity of the Church achieved in uniting with those who claim to be part of the Church, or in the uniting of the Church to the Word of God? Surely the most important form of unity is the latter, the unity of the Church and her doctrine with the Word of God? February 03, 2010

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