Thursday, September 2, 2010

Heresy and schism

David Mills reacting to news about the most recent denominational split and a commenter's response that "schism is worse than heresy," makes this point:
...[T]he real problem with the claim was theological: that heresy is itself an act of schism. It is a break with the tradition, a rejection of what had been the shared and official belief, a willful refusal to remain in unity with one’s brothers, a transfer of allegiance and obedience to a new and alien ideology.

And it’s a more fundamental schism than schism, so to speak. The man who believes that Jesus Christ is "God of God" etc. and the man who believes He was a notably god-conscious mortal are much farther apart than the man who believes the Nicene Creed and also that our Lord gave us the papacy and the man who believes the Nicene Creed and also that the Lord gave us presbyteral government. ....
Heresy and Schism » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

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