Counterfeit Christianity: The Persistence of Errors in the Church
Historic heresies didn’t die or fade away. Each generation boasts its own. Even while these counterfeit teachings remain outside the accepted bounds of Christianity, modern-day versions plague churches.So how does a church leader or pastor understand and deal with these age-old controversies when they pop up in the congregation?
In this book, Roger Olson describes the curses but also gifts that heresies bring the Church. While heresies can occasionally correct a version of orthodoxy, they are not simple confusions or misunderstandings about impenetrable mysteries of divine revelation. Instead they undermine the faith and are dangerous distortions. The author describes major heresies and how the church dealt with them, the players, and what pastors can do to address these faith issues in order to educate congregations about Jesus, God, and salvation.
Also included are questions for individual or group study.
Also available - a Leader guide with DVD in which Adam Hamilton hosts on-screen conversations with Roger Olson (9781501806360)
Distorted Christian teachings continue to threaten effective and thoughtful faith.
Describes major church heresies, the players, how the church dealt with heresies in the past, and how they continue to live and affect the church today.
Shows how heresies can serve the church in constructive and positive ways.
Shows that heresies are not confusions or misunderstandings, but how they can undermine faithful living.
Top Highlights
“But perhaps the worst heresy of Gnosticism, in the eyes of early and modern Christians, was and is the idea that the human soul or spirit is a ‘spark of God’—of the same substance as God and therefore divine.” (source)
“is a member of a faith community and teaches against its orthodoxy, and” (source)
“The ancient Gnostics did not have a single, unified Christology (belief about Christ). However, they shared in common docetism—denial that Christ was truly human. To them, ‘Christ’ was a ‘heavenly redeemer’ sent by the true, high, purely spiritual God to teach the secret wisdom of humans’ inner divinity to those spiritual people ready for such knowledge.” (source)
“knows the doctrine he or she is teaching conflicts with the faith community’s orthodoxy.” (source)
“Christian orthodoxy protects the great mysteries revealed in scripture from rationalization and that heresies tend to make what is revealed about God, Jesus Christ, and salvation in scripture too pictureable, too comprehensible, too simple.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Counterfeit Christianity: The Persistence of Errors in the Church
- Author: Olson, Roger E.
- Publisher: Abingdon Press
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9781501805103