Discussions on the Definition and History of Heresy in...

Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth written by Alister E. McGrath discusses the issue of heresy within the context of church history by dividing the book into three sections of equally important overviews. The first section reviews the definition of heresy by stating heresy as form of Christian belief that, more by accident than design, ultimately ends up subverting, destabilizing, or even destroying the core of Christian faith† (12). Rather than seeing heresy as originating from those who are unbelievers, it is contrastingly begun by those who claim to be Christians in the church and develop misrepresentative and misleading ideas or concepts regarding important Christian principles by no intention of their own, causing other Christians in the church to be led away from significant and core biblical truths. â€Å"For many, heresy is now seen as a theological victim, a set of noble ideas that have been brutally crushed and improperly suppressed by dominant orthodoxies and then presented as if they were devious, dishonest, or diabolical† (6). McGrath understands that in today’s western culture, heresy may be considered to be of interest and valued, maybe even accepted in some circles due to a â€Å"shift in the cultural mood† (1). McGrath states, â€Å"Today, people eagerly vaunt themselves as heretics, hoping that they will thereby prove interesting: for what does a heretic mean today but an original mind, a man who thinks for himself and spurns creeds and dogmas?† (2). Concerning,