The Gospel according to Heretics: Discovering Orthodoxy through Early Christological Conflicts

by David E. Wilhite

Since what Christian doctrine denies can be as important as what it affirms, it is important to understand teachings about Jesus that the early church rejected. Historians now acknowledge that proponents of alternative teachings were not so much malicious malcontents as they were misguided or even misunderstood. Here a recognized expert in early Christian theology teaches orthodox Christology by explaining the false starts (heresies), making the history of theology relevant for today's church. This engaging introduction to the christological heresies is suitable for beginning students. In addition, pastors and laypeople will find it useful for apologetic purposes.

Genres: History, Church History, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2015

About the author

David E. Wilhite (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is associate professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. He is the author of Tertullian the African, coauthor of The Church: A Guide for the Perplexed, and coeditor of Tertullian and Paul.

Reviews

[Peyton Mansfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

A historical and theological review of early heresies that seeks to hear the heretics out without abandoning orthodoxy, written for a wide audience. I have some disagreements, but generally some good takeaways too.

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In each chapter, Wilhite presents the stereotype of a heresy, then works through the historical details (admitting when primary sources are too sparse to be certain), and finally presents a summary "gospel according to" that seeks to find the nugget of hope/truth in the heresy. That said, he readily admits that they fall short as valid alternatives to orthodoxy as we know it — a welcome commitment amidst other "recovery" efforts from liberal scholars.

I found his historical work approachable and mostly balanced, and it should provide students with helpful areas for further research. Theologically, while committed to orthodoxy, he did beat around the bush and leeave things unresolved at times, and this would likely make the book too mixed for lay readers. Some have critiqued his casual writing style, and while it may detract from the professional academic appeal, there was only once or twice his humor really took me out of it.

The best part of the book, to me, was his conclusion. While I didn't agree with all of his reasoning, I think his final definitions of heresy and orthodoxy are helpful, and his practical application matched my heart in this issue. Ultimately, individuals with concerning theology need to be approached personally in loving rebuke with intent to draw them back to truth, rather than be pushed away categorically in condemnation.

HOWEVER, this book would have gotten four stars from me if not for chapter 9 on iconoclasm. Wilhite, despite being Baptist, implicitly sided with Nicaea II. He wrote that iconoclasm is only needed when images lead to idolatry, but otherwise iconoclasm is heresy. On the other hand, he gave iconophiles the title of "orthodox" without even discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of veneration, or the fact that Nicaea II anathematized those who do not venerate images — he did not even distinguish between images used for veneration versus spiritual art used for cultural or teaching purposes. While I understand some of this was outside of his scope, it is an incomplete and unbalanced treatment of a controversy still going on today. And while some perspective on Islam in chapter 10 was interesting, ultimately the book would have been better with only 8 chapters.

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In sum, the book is a decent introduction to early christological heresies and heresiology, contributing some good ideas and direction for further research. However, his occasional inconsistency and unclarity, as well as his chapter on icons, really hold this book back in my opinion. I would still recommend it for students of theology and church history, but not lay readers.

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilhite has a unique talent for presenting church history in a humorous and sincere way, which I greatly appreciate. However, the way he approaches theological controversy is a little to noncommittal for me (though that might be more my problem than his). Read for a Challenges to Orthodoxy class.

[Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author takes what could be a pretty dry subject and explains it in a clear and engaging way. I enjoyed this a lot and learned a lot - wish the author had similar books on areas like the issues debated in later church councils or other aspects of early Christian history.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gospel According to Heretics is a wonderful book that propels the reader into the historical context of the early Christological conflicts of the church. This book, written by David Wilhite shuns the typical approach to church history in favor of one which makes the conflicts come alive to the reader. The most significant difference in Wilhite's book is his ability to tell the story of each conflict from a reasonably equitable perspective. Rather than leading the reader to take the church fathers words at face value, he points out that their arguments were often laced with hyperbole and ad hominem. However, he does this in a responsible manner, never once deviating from orthodox teaching.

I really appreciated his approach because it allowed me to be honest with evidence while also maintaining a high regard for the truth of orthodoxy which was discovered in the early centuries of the church. During the course of reading the book, it became evident to me that what really matters in the historical narrative is that the early conflicts forced the church to closely examine scripture in order to form the doctrines in question. In other words, regardless of how the heretics arguments were represented by the church the fact that orthodox doctrine arose from such confusion is a compelling argument for God's providential hand at work in the his church.

If I have any complaints about the book it is simply what I believe to be an over abundance of humor. However, I think this is a peculiarity to me and should not discourage you from purchasing this book. For me, it as simply too distracting. It isn't that Wilhite doesn't have a good sense of humor.. quite the opposite is true. I simply found it difficult to regain my focus after having a good chuckle. I think most readers will appreciate his use of humor however. It adds a much needed touch of flair to a topic which many see as dry.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to better understand the Christological heresies. Wilhite's ability to make the events come to life are sure to keep anyone's attention. This book would also be a useful addition to your homeschool curriculum and is written at a level which most homeschooled students will be able to comprehend and appreciate.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Baker Academic in exchange for an online review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Argum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book and I was very impressed by the author. Wilhite sets out to explain heretics in a fair and balanced way in so far as possible given what is left of their own voices. He does this so that as he says in the conclusion heretics can be the unpleasant midwife of orthodoxy. We can never find the bounds of orthodoxy and be forced to clearly describe what we believe until someone says something outside the lines. I find this idea second nature as a Catholic as the Church teaches that it doesn't ever teach anything new, as Protestants so often accuse, so much as find clear ways to describe apostolic beliefs. If no one questions the nature of Christ there is no reason to discuss it in exacting detail. This is what so impressed me about the author, he is a Baptist and not only does he make use of this very Catholic approach, he shows deep respect and understanding of the Early Church Fathers and the early Church Councils, but even says nice things about relics. It was refreshing to say the least. The approach itself is rewarding. I think I was at least somewhat familiar with all of the heresies covered and in every one I still learned something new. This is also all done in a spirit of openness and benefit of the doubt especially when dealing with still extant doctrines. Somehow a book about heresies, setting folks outside the norm, is one of the most inclusive friendly books I have read in a while. There is also a sense of humor and a nice balance of real technical words and lay readership. I will be looking up other works by this author.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this text. Not necessarily because of the information but for its' presentation. I had hoped this would be a good text to hopefully shed some background information on some of the viewpoints surrounding the early church that would be deemed heretical and specifically those relating to Sabellianism which is relevant to my thesis. And for the most part this book accomplished that. It made those approachable and helped explain them in easy-to-understand terms. However, sometimes it over simplified them.

I also was turned off quite a bit by the frequent jokes that the author would make throughout the text. One joke that seemed especially out of place in this book was when he a poop joke in rather crude terms. It further created an illusion for better or worse of distancing the text from other academic sources. Overall, I was hoping for a critical text that would be valuable in my research but the jokes and oversimplification of the issues at hand have encouraged me to look elsewhere.

This book might be a valuable resource for undergraduate introduction to Christian history courses though.

[Janelle Zeeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and fairly in-depth look at early Christological heresies. Wilhite attempts to examine what different ancient theologians said about Jesus through their own writings (or at least through what others said about them), and analyzes whether they were portrayed fairly or not. Then he analyzes their heretical views, compares them to the orthodox views, and shows why they were defective and were not accepted as orthodox.

Christology is always a complicated and nuanced subject which requires us to be very careful about what we say about Jesus. Wilhite's informal and often humorous style makes it easier to remember what each heresy was and what it taught. He also had some helpful ways of understanding what the orthodox solution was and how to describe it in ways that most people can understand.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in early church history and theology, Christology, or who is teaching about the nature of Jesus in church or bible study.

[Scott Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is much to commend about Dr. Wilhite's study of ten ancient Christian heresies. First, Wilhite finds a way to reach multiple audiences. As a fellow patristics scholar, I found this book to be well researched and insightful. Yet, I believe that a new student to early Christian history could find this book accessible.

Second, this is the funniest academic book I have encountered. Wilhite's humor helped him make his points about the great diversity and various distinctions between the many Christian factions. And if course, the humor helps the reader remain engaged in the text.

Third, (spoiler warning) I appreciated his conclusion that the modern church must choose grace and fellowship with heretics in our congregation today. I think many will bristle at his statement that heresies are a gift to the church. But if it is true that heresies help the church find the theological definitions for orthodoxy, then surely David must be right that the church needs heretics!

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. While each chapter focuses on an individual who was ostracized, excommunicated, or banned, it is more of a history of the construction of the Trinity doctrine. If examined as different philosophers trying to define the nature of Christ and God and the Holy Spirit, then those definitions are presented to a jury, and have a better understanding of the book. The book is supposed to be written for laymen, and maybe because I had read Bart Erhman, I had more background knowledge. I made assumptions (perhaps unwarranted) about the intended audience. It is still worth the read. The "take-home messages" are muddled, but I don't believe the Trinity doctrine.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilhite's book is a good overview of various heretical positions on Christology. By and large I am not sure his attempt to be "charitable" succeeds. At times he seems more so to be propping up Christian orthodoxy against historical heresies. This has been done many times over and need not be repeated. Personally I found his treatment of Islam the most informative and most sympathetic: not contrasting it as a competing faith but one with closer ties to Christianity than appreciated but with a significant difference in Christology.

Overall a good intro to heresiology and provides a helpful bibliography for further study.

[Vincent T. Ciaramella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great reference book with all the heresies faced by the early church. Funny thing is that some of them make perfect sense in when trying to wrap your mind our the difference between the Old Testament God of fury and vengeance and the New Testament of love and peace. I wouldn't say this was a page turner but a great source of information for the person wanting to read about a particular group, I'll hang on to this book in case I ever want to revisit a group for further study.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

Wilhite presents a balanced view of 10 christilogical heresies and their accompanying orthodox response. In addition, there is a well stated conclusion dealing with modern heresy and orthodox response. I found this book to be a refreshing perspective on heresy and Christilogical issues.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and generous in its dealings with views and beliefs in opposition to the writer's own.