"Counterfeit Christianity" (Roger E. Olson)

TITLE: Counterfeit Christianity: The Persistence of Errors in the Church
AUTHOR: Roger E. Olson
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2015, (184 pages).

Where there is truth, there will also be falsehood lurking around. Like the early encounter with the deceiving serpent, Adam and Eve faced trickery right from the start. The only problem is that they succumbed to the temptation and disobeyed God. Since then, heresies, half-truths, and lies have burdened the human race with grief and pain. Some Christians prefer not to talk about heresies, believing that as long as truth is studied, they will be alright. Begging to differ, Roger E. Olson, a Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University asserts that both heresies and truths need to be studied. That is why he devotes a chapter each to describe what heresies are and what orthodoxy means. We need to study heresies because of 1) Heresy exists; 2) It is important for discernment; 3) It helps us learn what ways they twist or deny orthodoxy; 4) It is important for Christian discipleship that helps us defend the truth; 5) It protects the Church; 6) It enables us to understand and appreciate sound doctrine. On criticisms at the title of this book, Olson defends it by saying that it exists, which is why discernment is needed. Like the existence of truth. If truth exists, heresy will also come about. If there is no truth, heresies will self-destruct as it has nothing to bend or corrupt. In Olson's words, "heresy depends on orthodoxy." Heresies covered in this book include not only the historical ones that go against the great tenets of Christian faith, but also the more subtle postmodern ones. Olson references heresy as the "mother of orthodoxy" because it was due to the existence of heresies that forces the Early Christian leaders to write clear statements of orthodox faith through the creeds and defenses of the truth. With the explicit statements of faith, heresies are shunted away as errors to beware of.

"Know the Heretics" (Justin S. Holcomb)

TITLE: Know the Heretics (KNOW Series)
AUTHOR: Justin S. Holcomb
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014, (176 pages).

Why should anyone be learning about the heretics? Are the heretics really as bad as the word "heresy" painted them to be? Are there any benefits to learn about the history of the fourteen major events that shaped Christianity into what it is today? The answers to these questions are provided in this very illuminating look on the history of the Christian Church as they fought with theological challenges through the ages.

Author Justin Holcomb has wisely acknowledged that heretics themselves are not bad people. In fact, they have often asked the right and truthful questions. They are people who were honest with their doubts and tried to find ways to address them. Unfortunately, it was the answers and conclusions that betray them. The Orthodoxy we have today has gone through the baptism of fire and has engaged the top theological powers through the centuries. As battles are fought through debates, councils, and messages given to the masses, readers of today have lots to be thankful for. In this book, we learn that some errors are more serious than others. We learn about what Orthodoxy (right teaching) is. We recognize that every teacher will have their versions of what is Orthodoxy and what is not. This is especially so in a pluralistic society in which tolerance is urged throughout various beliefs. As far as Holcomb is concerned, there are two major reasons why we ought to study heresy and the history of its development. The first is that amid the ambiguity, there are important truths that are never wishy-washy. God is not some image created in our image, but God is God and we can only discover Him for who He reveals Himself to be. The second is that if we love God, we will seek to know God in all His Truth. Knowing the historical developments of old can help us to appreciate the ways past generations have done just that. Holcomb weaves through the nuances of Orthodoxy, heterodoxy, variants, nuances, and of course heresies. He emphasizes the importance to differentiate between heterodoxy and heresy. The former is a belief that differs from orthodoxy. The latter goes beyond acceptable limits which Holcomb calls "a certain point." What are these acceptable limits?

"The Age of the Spirit" (Phyllis Tickle)

TITLE: Age of the Spirit, The: How the Ghost of an Ancient Controversy Is Shaping the Church
AUTHOR: Phyllis Tickle
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014, (192 pages).

This is the third book in the series of new shifts in the Christian Church arena. The first book, The Great Emergence looks at Christianity with the thesis that every 500 years, the Church at large will go through a great change or significant transition from one form to another. A religious trends enthusiast as well as Professor of religion, Phyllis Tickle reviews Christianity's shape and its impact on culture every 500 years. The second book, Emergence Christianity, continues where the first book left off, focusing on the concerns, organizational changes, and forms of the church for the next 500 years. My conclusion for that book was Tickle's prediction tends to be more "bird's eye rather than bull's eye," and how her book is high on demonstrating how the changes are happening and low on what exactly is the Church going to look like. This third book shifts gear a little bit. Instead of focusing on how the church is going to look like in the future, Tickle prefers to go back to the Holy Spirit, believing that once we understand the Age of the Spirit, we will get a better handle on how change is going to be happening for the foreseeable future. Simply put, Tickle believes that there is a sense that history is going to repeat itself. The question is, which part of history and when will that happen? It is the Holy Spirit that spurs all these great emergence or transformations.

Tickle begins with an investigation into Jewish perspectives of the Spirit according to the Scriptures and laid down four key guides.

1. Judaism is deeply monotheistic
2. Judaism uses many different ways to name the Spirit
3. Some of these uses are connected to how Christians use it
4. The Spirit as the Third Person in the Trinity.