Heresy is a Problem

Whenever I’ve had the opportunity to learn about some theological controversy that formed some part of Church history, I can’t help sympathizing with the person or group who was found to be wrong.
This is especially true for the early Christological controversies when they were trying to understand more precisely who Jesus was and what the nature of the relationship was between Christ’s humanity and divinity.
Because whenever I’ve immersed myself in some of those original sources, my first reaction is usually surprise at how sophisticated and complex these early debates were to the point that I find myself admitting that, if I was involved in a controversy like that, I could have easily found myself on the wrong side.

One example that comes to mind for me was the controversy between Nestorius and St. Cyril and the rest of the Church. I won’t bore you with the details, but Nestorius in an effort to appease two theological factions under his care, tried to compromise between them with a proposal that within Jesus were two hypostases, hypostatises, hypostatic? Two substances! – one divine and one human.

In reality, there was one hypostatic union of humanity and divinity, but two natures, one divine and one human.

Now, as an average layman looking at a controversy like that, my initial reaction is often one of almost intellectual despair because if that’s how nuanced and dense our theology can get, and it does, what are the chances that any of us aren’t walking around with all kinds of muddled heretical ideas floating about in our heads? After all, it’s easy to make mistakes right?

In Nestorius’ case, he was removed as Patriarch of Constantinople and eventually exiled to a dessert monastery. And given how easy it appears to be to make intellectual mistakes like that, it’s hard not to sympathize with people like Nestorius who were on the losing end of these controversies.

So how do we reconcile the sever consequences that heretics like Nestorius faced in the history of the Church – sometimes with penalties as severe as death?

Well, the first thing to understand is that heresy, the kind that goes down in the history books, wasn’t a mere intellectual error. In the case of Nestorius, there were several gatherings and councils in which Patriarchs and bishops gathered to debate and discuss whatever controversy was at large.

And they did so with the intention of coming to an agreement about what the truth of the matter is – which is where we get doctrines and dogmas from.

After it’s all said and done, those who had proposed the wrong solution, the heretical one, are given the opportunity to accept the new dogma and this is what distinguishes them from people who have simply made an error to those who persist in heresy.

And in Nestorius’ case, he chose to persist in it. And it’s this audacious persistence that is the true revelation of how evil heresy is.

Heresy, at this point, becomes a rejection of truth and a rejection of your community. It’s the obstinate insistence that you and you alone are right and that instead of committing yourself to being reformed in the image of God through his Church, you want God and his Church to be conformed to your image and your ideas.

[silenciummortum]

Sir, whether I agree or disagree with you I must admit that you are an absolute treasure and I enjoy every minute of your content. I am converting to Russian Orthodoxy but will ALWAYS have a place in my heart for all Catholics and pray that the Traditional Latin Mass take hold even more and grow! Going to join your site now!

[g.weg.]

Hearing Brian start talking about Christendom is amazing. I knew this guy was awesome, but this idea of Christendom is absolutely misunderstood by modern people. So good to hear about it on a semi mainstream channel.

Brian... could you make a whole video on Christendom???

[bengoolie]

In my grade school catechism years (pre-vatican-2, so I'm no spring chicken), we were well instructed in the dogma of the Hypostatic Union. One instructor, a religious, saintly man, told me that if I held firmly to this dogma, that I would avoid so many of the heretical pitfalls which I would encounter in my life. He was right! The Dogma: Jesus is a Divine Person. He is a Divine Person with two natures, His Divine Nature, which He had from all eternity, and His Human Nature, which He took on at the Incarnation, which the Church celebrates on March 25th. If a man never forgets that Jesus is a Divine, not a human, person, that man will be served well in matters theological.

[celestialogian]

I have a youtube playlist entitled "Special Videos", that was made so I could easily find videos that struck me as moving, to my heart or mind. Taking a look at it today, I realized Mr. Holdsworths videos easily consist half of it!
I know you have the advantage of writing your script and editing, but your articulation carries constants of both justice and charity towards confusing subjects in a way I've previously only experienced with authors predating video capture.
You've become a strong model for how I want to speak on all occasions. Thank you for what you do!

[ModernPapist]

I noticed "Protestant Revolution." Glad you said it.

[arpandey]

Cardinal Richelieu was such a Chad. He put his country first and destroyed the Catholic Legue, allowing Protestantism to win. Him crushing the Catholics in the 30 years' war allowed France to surpass Spain as Europe's strongest nation.

[mrs.repucci]

Pray for discernment, brothers and sisters.

[danielm]

This is great you and Matt Fradd should consider doing a weekly spot together

[RodDop-usex]

I as a teen love your videos Brian. Thank You so much!🙏😇

[blusheep]

I really appreciate the conversation on heresy within the church. Galatians, 1 2 and 3 John, among others were written to address false teachers. Where this video falls short is in the assumption that the structure of the church and its culture can't be what is heretical. It assumes mother church is always in the right, but lets look at one of those NT books and see what it says about this.

Galatians 1:8 "But even if we, or an angel fro mheaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to, he is to be accursed."

Paul in Galatians isn't protecting the Catholic church. It is warning against false prophets even if they are the Catholic Church. We are warned that they can come from the very authorities we trust.
I'd submit that this is what has happened in spades and so the Bible commands us to flee from that church. You see the Bible is the authority. Not the church. I submit to Jesus. Not my pastor and not the Pope.
How did the church go from what it was in the early church to what it was in the days of the reformation. It did so because it hid the scripture from the people. Even did liturgies in languages they couldn't understand. So instead of having accountability to be faithful to the scripture they invented doctrines that had no place in scripture or was created off a single verse or an odd interpretation of a verse. The people didn't know better until Luther came around and started printing the Bible up in mass.

The sin of Eve was not that she ate of the tree. It was deeper then that. The tree was likely a good tree but Eve didn't want to wait on God's timing so she followed the serpents leading to take matters into her own hand and grab what she wanted for herself instead of waiting on the Lord. But there is something else as well. Something that we see in the scriptures from time to time. She added to the commands of God instead of trusting Him and His commands. God told Eve to not eat of the tree. Eve added to that by telling the serpent that God told her not to eat or to touch the tree. Instead of trusting in God, Eve created her own traditions in order to protect herself even further from sin instead of trusting God.

This is also seen with the Pharisees in Jesus's day. They were criticized by Christ for their legalism and their rules. They to did the same thing as Eve. They added and expanded the Law and built traditions to buffer themselves from sin but by doing so put their trust in their traditions instead of God.

Now the Catholic Church does the same thing. Not only have they distorted the gospel by returning to works as efficacious in salvation, they have added all kinds of tradition and commands to the scripture to buffer them from sin. Instead of putting their trust in God they put it in the church hierarchy or the traditions that the church has slowly built over time.

I'm not a hater of the CC but when someone wants to call me a heretic because I am no longer a part of its body, I shrug it off as nonsense considering what the church has done to scripture and in the fact that it seems more interested in people's acceptance of its authority then actually teaching the Bible.

[ToxicPea]

Don't you find it odd how the "Dark" Ages were the most peaceful and unifying times in all of history according to the Catholic Tradition? The word "dark" really doesn't do the age justice. I watched a PragerU video a few months back, and the speaker presented a different and more appropriate term: the "Brilliant Ages."

[Matrix-txff]

Where can I find the background music? 👀

[NathanielChristie]

Kinda wild how the first ad I see at the end of this video on heresies and rejection of truth is one of two married men advertising Hershies Chocolate... Ironic ad choice, algorithm 💀

[StoneAgeWarfare]

I find this topic interesting because heretical practices are slowly creeping into the church, either via Protestant beliefs disguising themselves as Catholic or just the general, subtle new-age spirituality. In addition, I understand that Gnosticism is making a slow comeback within certain segments of the Church as well, sadly.

[mikewalker]

I found Hilaire Belloc's book "The Great Heresies" a great help in understanding heresy.

[davidscholtz]

Thanks for the video. As a born and raised Protestant, there’s a tension in my thinking between agreeing with the problematic origins of Protestantism and perceived difficulties in accepting the Catholic Church such as the doctrines on Mary and papal authority. Perhaps you could recommend some resources dealing with these things? Always open to engaging and seeking to obey our Lord Christ.

[dandenrode]

Have you ever considered a 'Catholicism for Beginners' series or playlist? For people like myself who are very new to the faith, it would be an incredible resource for preparation and education.

[JeffreyCRickman]

I appreciate your humble spirit and fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church. I have often yearned to have such clarity. However, the reality of the continued existence of the Nestorian Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox Church, leaves me thinking that perhaps your clarity on the Protestant Reformation might be a little misplaced. Or perhaps the format and time constraints don't allow for the degree of nuance required to treat the subject fairly.

The underlying presupposition you carry, which I cannot share in, is that the magisterium of the RCC cannot depart from the gospel. I have tried to worship RCC, and though I find much to be beautiful and laudable, I also find much with which to take issue. It simply isn't sufficient to lean upon the dogmas of the church against scriptural critiques. I have appreciated the few RC thinkers who have it in them to appeal to scripture in justifying their distinctives. However, I guess I'm just too far gone; they always seem like they are jumping the shark to conform the RCC to what is found in scripture. Anyway, like I said, I really appreciate your videos. Pray for folks like me who want to be united with you in spirit, but who cannot yet cross the chasm between Protestant and Roman Catholic doctrines.

[alanisrivera]

Wow... Just yesterday and today I have been studying the Reformation and found myself feeling bad for the heretics and maybe even ashamed of my Church.. Thanks for this it has given me a lot of insight!

[CanditoTrainingHQ]

2:58-3:48 sounds so similar to communistic thinking. Apologize for thinking differently on the basis of just how rare your way of thinking is, and apologize to the organization. I find it strange that religious people are rightfully pro-individual when it comes to politics, yet concede such power to a corruptible organized body when it comes to religion.