Heretical Love

“You’re a heretic.”

I’ve had that label thrown at me in the past, so hearing it a few more times won’t get me down. Even Scripture uses this term—in its most basic sense—to refer to any group, even perfectly good ones. Hairesis. The Greek term just means “group,” unless surrounding context fills it with further meaning. For example:

• The Sadducees are a hairesis (Acts 5:17)
• The Pharisees are a hairesis (Acts 15:5)
• Christians are a hairesis to some (Acts 24:5, 14)

Now when Christians are referred to this way, it is never by Christians themselves (Paul says “which they call a hairesis” in Acts 24:14), so there is a sense in which it has a pejorative meaning. But just like the Jews ultimately erred labeling the early Christian movement as hairesis, so also you would be mistaken to refer to me that way.

But the fact that the Sadducees and Pharisees are both referred to as hairesis means that the word is mainly just a way to refer to groups/sects. So if I’m starting a movement, hairesis would be an accurate label, though it ultimately reveals nothing about my orthodoxy. At the end of the day, though, I doubt you can claim anything here as legitimately unorthodox.¹

But the term takes a darker turn when Paul identifies it as a work of the flesh. In Galatians 5:20, isolating and splitting off from others is wrong: “The church is supposed to signify unity, and [heresies] prove the existence of disunity.“²

Paul gives a tragic example of this in 1 Corinthians 11 (the only biblically defined use of hairesis beyond uses that would be better translated as “sect”), when he comments on the Corinthians’ practice of the Lord’s Supper by writing, “There must, indeed, be [heresies] among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you” (11:19). He goes on to describe how the rich were abusing the elements, resulting in the poor being neglected at the Lord’s Supper. Paul would not tolerate this. This lack of love was cutting people off from intimate access to God.

The only biblically defined example of hairesis is a lack of love that mistreats others because of their social standing—cutting them off from intimate access to God.

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This realization changed my life. At the end of the day, God doesn’t care what we believe, as long as we believe that Jesus is God and Savior (Titus 2:13). He cares how we live. He cares how we treat others. Now, sure, theology is important—I hope you see that here—because bad theology leads to bad living and the mistreatment of others. And God hates that. The Old Testament makes this clear, and Jesus reiterates it when he berates the Pharisees in Matthew 23 and describes the Final Judgment in Matthew 25.

So while I believe I present nuanced perspectives on topics here, I am rebranding back to “live in Love; find your true reward.” Because this is me. This is my heart. This is the vision God has given me. And it is sorely needed today.

This phrase encompasses a Christian view of the arts, dating, marriage (including sex), parenting, education, and politics—not to mention theology and biblical studies. Everything I love and everything I write can be better summed up by liLfytr theology than it can by “Nuanced Perspectives.”

The torch of Christianity I was handed was smoldering. Worse, it was used as a club to beat people (myself included) into compliance. Even apart from the abuse perpetrated in the name of “Christianity,” the torch was barely strong enough to keep me warm or light my path. But thankfully, Jesus is the light of the world, and Christianity is supposed to testify to him. So I am not at a loss, because I know him. And I want you to know him better too. This is not about gatekeeping knowledge or power but about breaking those gates down.

So come along for the journey, financially support if you feel led—but the gospel and God’s Word should never be for sale, so you don’t have to pay to access my biblical teachings³—and let’s grow in love for God and humanity together.

In this with you.

Thanks for reading.

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Notes and References

1. But read my work carefully, and keep me honest—please! Leave comments, send emails, shoot me DMs. I want to be above reproach, even theologically. ↩︎
2. Joshua Wingerd, Live Free or Die Lawfully: A Devotional Commentary on Galatians (Victorville, CA: FYTR Publishing, 2019), 191. ↩︎
3. Paid subscriptions unlock pdf copies of my nonfiction works and early previews of new music and fiction. ↩︎

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