When it comes to our immune systems, there is no such thing as erring on the side of safety. If our immune systems are underactive, we will be vulnerable to all types of diseases and illnesses. A weak immune system can easily lead to death. But if our immune system is overactive, this is also a grave danger. Our immune system can overreact to something that in itself is relatively harmless and cause allergic reactions which range from inconvenient to fatal. In some cases, our immune systems can even mistakenly attack healthy parts of our own bodies and cause severe illness or even death. Immune systems must not be too strong or too weak. They must attack pathogens and not attack our body. We need them to work just right, or we will suffer.
Something similar is true when it comes to dealing with doctrinal error among Christians. On the one hand, if we are not sufficiently on guard against false teaching, the wolves quickly devour the sheep (see Acts 20:29). Many people are led astray by false teachers and false prophets (see Matthew 24:11). But it is not only the false teachers themselves who are to blame. Sometimes those who should be guarding the flock (especially elders, or the equivalent in any Christian church or ministry) fail to do their job (see Revelation 2:20). But there is another risk. Some people are overzealous in their efforts to guard God’s people from error. They see heresy where there is merely a wrong interpretation on a secondary issue. Or they see false teaching when in fact the person teaching is not in error at all. When true, faithful Christians are kept out or driven out of ministries and churches because of false accusations of heresy, a lot of damage is done to the body of Christ. Like an overactive immune system, these overactive guards can do just as much damage as the ones who are not sufficiently on guard.
I’ve been in the role of seeing doctrinal errors seeping into a Christian ministry and calling attention to it. It is not at all a pleasant role to be in. I did my best to respond rightly. I understand the need for guarding against false and dangerous teaching. Just a few weeks ago I preached a message about churches and ministries that fail to guard against the false teaching that homosexual practices are acceptable You may watch that sermon here:
In the rest of this post, I am going to focus on the other side of the problem: Christians who too quickly cry “wolf,” and who accuse others of heresy where there is no heresy. These Christians honestly believe that they are protecting the body of Christ. In reality, like an overactive immune system, they are damaging the very body they are supposed to protect.
Accusations of Heresy
The word heresy should be reserved for errors that are at least serious enough that any Christian church or ministry should bar anyone holding heretical views from teaching and leadership positions. To charge someone with heresy is a serious accusation. To see that this is in fact how people generally understand heresy consider these two questions, each posed to any mature Christian who is at a church seeking a new pastor.
1. Are you ok with a new pastor who disagrees with you on some secondary point of doctrine?
Most mature Christians will realize that almost any two Christians will disagree on some detail of doctrine. As long as it is not an essential fundamental of the faith, it is usually acceptable, and we can work together effectively to make disciples.
2. Are you ok with a new pastor who holds to heresy?
No Christian should be ok with that!
Of course, if another Christian, especially a teacher or leader, actually does hold a heretical view, it is right to confront them and if we are in a proper position to do so we should warn other Christians against them.
On the other hand, if we accuse someone of heresy when they are not, in fact, guilty of heresy, we can do great damage to the accused and also to the body of Christ. We may cause unnecessary and damaging division where there should be unity.
There is nothing wrong with gently discussing with someone that you think they are mistaken about a secondary doctrine. If both sides are humble and respectful, such discussions can help everyone understand the Bible more clearly and accurately. However, a charge of heresy raises the stakes. But it doesn't just raise the stakes for the one charged with heresy. It also raises the stakes for the one making the accusation. If an accusation of heresy is false, then the one making the accusation is guilty of slander. The Bible treats slander as a serious sin (see these verses: Matthew 15:19; Romans 1:30; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8; 1 Peter 2:1).
Slander is basically saying something negative about a person that is not true. (In some cases, if the speaker’s motives are wrong or if they are speaking in a way that hurts rather than helps, there can even be slander when an accusation is true, but I’m not discussing that situation here.)
An accusation of heresy might be false for several reasons, including these:
1. The person accused does not actually hold the view he/she is accused of holding. This happened to the Apostle Paul (see Romans 3:8). I have also seen it happen to people I know. One way this happens is when the accuser feels like a certain view logically leads to a terrible heretical conclusion, yet the person they are accusing does NOT believe their view logically leads to the heretical conclusion. Even if the accuser is correct about the logic, if they accuse the other person of actually holding the terrible heresy when they do not hold it, that’s wrong. The accused may be guilty of a logical error, but that is far different from being guilty of heresy. An example is if an Arminian feels that Calvinism logically leads to the conclusion that God is unjust and then accuses Calvinists not merely of being Calvinists, but of believing that God is unjust. Of course, no Calvinist I know believes God is unjust. Or if a Calvinist believes that Arminianism logically leads to God not being sovereign and then they accuse a brother in Christ who is Arminian of believing that God is not sovereign. But no Arminian I know actually believes that. If you engage in theological discussions, you can probably think of many more examples.
2. The person accused does hold the view, but the issue is really a secondary level issue (what some people called "open hand issues") and should not be treated as heresy. Different Christians will differ on whether some issues are primary or secondary. Clear examples of primary issues include things like: Jesus really, physically rose from the dead; the deity of Christ; the basic truth of the Trinity; we are saved by faith in Jesus; God created everything; and the Bible is true, trustworthy, and authoritative. Those are just examples, more could be added to the list. Some people add way too much to their list of essential doctrines. Some examples of secondary issues include things like: your view of the millennium; old earth vs. new earth views; Calvinism vs. Arminianism; and complementarianism vs. egalitarianism. I am not saying these secondary issues are unimportant. They are way more important than who wins some sports game, or what restaurant you want to eat at after church, or what clothes you pick out to wear in the morning. Secondary issues are worth studying and discussing and even respectfully debating. With all these secondary issues (and there are many more!) at least one of the two sides is wrong, but the nature of their error does not make them a heretic. They are still our brother/sister in Christ, and we should treat them like that. To accuse them of heresy is slander and is divisive.
3. The accused person holds the view, but it turns out the accused person’s view is actually correct. To disagree with the accused's correct view might not be a serious error. But to accuse them of heresy for a view that is actually correct is a serious case of slander. In the past, faithful Christians were put to death for charges of heresy for beliefs that most of us would now agree with. Thankfully, today (at least in most of the nations people reading this live in) you can’t get away with burning someone at the stake for a religious opinion you think is wrong, even if you view it as heresy. However, Christians are sometimes wrongly excluded from fellowship, from opportunities to use their gifts in a church or ministry, and sometimes have been fired from their jobs over false accusations of heresy. I know people this has happened to. It hurts those falsely accused, it hurts their family and friends, and it hurts anyone who watches the ugliness and injustice involved.
It’s a serious sin if you slander a brother or sister in Christ. If you cause unnecessary division, that is also a serious sin. In some cases, if a person continues to be divisive after warning them, they themselves might need to be put out of a church or ministry (see Titus 3:10).
The tendency to quickly accuse people of heresy seems especially rampant in social media. Perhaps it is easier to fling such dangerous accusations in a setting where you aren’t seeing the person face to face, often barely know them, and are very unlikely to be held accountable. In Facebook groups I help moderate, we have a low tolerance for such behavior, but many groups are not well moderated. However, just because it is on Facebook instead of in person, does not mean that the accusers will ultimately get away with such behavior:
CSB17 Matthew 12:36 I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.
CSB17 Matthew 7:2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.
I’m pretty sure the same thing will apply to every careless word people type.
What Prompted This
Up to now, I have purposely avoided making this specific to myself and some Christian brothers and sisters whom I know and love. That’s because the issues discussed above apply to many situations and not just ours. But I will mention my own situation. I used to believe in a doctrine often called eternal torment. As a result of Bible study, I now am convinced instead that the Bible teaches conditional immortality. Basically, I believe that unrighteous will be resurrected to face judgment. The judgment will be terrible for them. However, they will not suffer eternally. Instead, they will perish (John 3:16) as God destroys both their bodies and souls in hell (Matthew 10:28) and they are reduced to ashes (2 Peter 2:6). They will no longer exist as conscious people and will be gone forever.
I respect others when they disagree with me (I used to disagree with the view I now hold myself!) and argue against my view. In fact, I appreciate it when someone will discuss the biblical evidence. That can help us both find the truth. But it does bother me when people accuse me and other evangelical conditionalists of heresy (or use equivalent language, like saying I am false teacher, agent of Satan, etc.). Does this occasionally happen? That wouldn’t really be accurate. It happens often. I honestly believe such accusations have been made well over a hundred times against me, not to mention the thousands of such accusations against my brothers and sisters in Christ who share my view of hell. Does it bother me? Usually, it does not bother me very much in terms of how it affects me directly. But I am honestly always concerned about those who are committing such serious slander and potentially causing harmful division in the Church. I forgive them for any harm done to me. May God have mercy on them and gently correct them.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of actual heresy and false teaching out there. We need courageous Christians who are equipped to guard against these serious errors. At the same time, great damage can be done and serious sins committed when false accusations of heresy are made. Be courageous. Be zealous for the truth. But also be careful and humble.
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Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .
