Reformed Anglicans

7. The heresies of 2 Peter 2.1ff. are more severe than ordinary divisions because they involve divergent teachings insidiously introduced by false teachers. 8. 2 Peter 2.1-3: But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them, the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed, they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 9. 2 Peter 2.1-3: 1 Ἐγένοντο δὲ καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐν τῷ λαῷ, ὡς καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν ἔσονται ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι, οἵτινες παρεισάξουσιν αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας, καὶ τὸν ἀγοράσαντα αὐτοὺς δεσπότην ἀρνούμενοι, ἐπάγοντες ἑαυτοῖς ταχινὴν ἀπώλειαν.2 καὶ πολλοὶ ἐξακολουθήσουσιν αὐτῶν ταῖς ἀσελγείαις, δι' οὓς ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ἀληθείας βλασφημηθήσεται·3 καὶ ἐν πλεον...

Rev. Grahame Wray (FCE-EC) and Rev. Don Veitch (WCF-BCP) reminisce about the history of the FCE and REC. Both are troubled by their leading Bishops. It's lengthy, maybe 2.5 hours. Theology comes under review. We have discussed the fruits of our work in the United Reformed Synod on ecclesiology, apostolic doctrine, and apostolic succession. We discussed some abusive situations. One fruit of this discussion was an emerging plan to convene 20ish FCEers who are unhappy with the new direction of the FCE. Fenwick, a behatted Bishop, affirms justification by "infused grace," the Romanist and Tridentist doctrine. Further, he has convoked, convened, and supported the Tridentists in the Old Polish Catholic Church. Further, he is a 3-stool leg man, not a Sola Scripturist. This will be a solid development if we can gather disturbed FCEers and wounded sheep. The 2.5 hours was two Reformed brothers with the old REC-FCE BCP fellowshipped and encouraged each other. More to come, God will...

We continue our brief on the Greek word "airesis" or "heresy" in the New Testament and church history. We have seen a couple of narrower definitions and then a more technical one concerned with doctrinal deviations from Apostolic doctrine, thus compromising apostolic succession. Let us pick up with early heresies. The Judaizing movement mentioned by Saint Paul was roundly condemned as “accursed,” that is, works-salvation. This was the first heretical threat to Christianity in the New Testament. This was “heresy” in the doctrinal sense. It applies currently to all synergistic soteriologies like Rome and others. Gnosticism had many mutations and produced schisms. It reached its peak in the 2nd century. Its general teachings included separating the true God from the Creation and redemption of the soul, not the whole person. Irenaeus tackled Gnosticism. It denied the bodily resurrection at the final judgment, a "heresy." Marcionism was also a second-cent...

Let's start with the meaning of "heresy". It comes from the Greek word "hairesis", which is the root word of "airein.” The middle voice “to select a term. It has three meanings in classical Greek: (1) seizure of the city, (2) choice or selection, and (3) effort directed at a goal. In Hellenism, it acquired the related sense of teaching and a school. In the latter sense, it came to be used by philosophical schools and groups in a larger society that follow particular leaders in distinction from others. In Judaism, in the Septuagint, "airesis" was still employed in the original Greek sense and “choice” in Genesis 49.5. As one might expect, Philo used the term for the philosophical schools of the Greeks. Josephus reapplied it, however, by speaking of the heresy of the Essenes and the three religious heresies of the Essenes, Sadducees, and Pharisees in his "Antiquities" 13.59. So far, of course, the word had a neutral sense of a party with...