Christian Heresies: Arianism

Heresy in Christian usage is when a person or church denies or distorts scriptural doctrines which are essential for a proper understanding of Christianity. Heresy is not just acceptance of odd ideas or even aberrant beliefs. Heresy involves changing the nature of the Christian message. We can argue among ourselves about some things, but we can NEVER accept heresy into the church if we wish to remain authentically Christian. 

We have to be careful about throwing around the “heresy label” and to do so, we have to be sure what is the authentically Christian message. A good discussion of this is here. There are a few doctrines on which there can be absolutely no compromise. They are false and it is important to know that they are false.

All of the classical heresies presented a different gospel from orthodox Christianity and should be rejected because they are inconsistent with revealed scripture. What may surprise many is that most, or even all, of the classical heresies are still in evidence in the modern world among professed Christians.

One of the most dangerous and powerful of the classical Christian heresies and one which is very evident today in the teachings of many “progressive” Christians is Arianism. This doctrine for a while threatened to gain ascendancy in the Roman Catholic Church but was condemned by the First Council of Nicaea in 324 and again at the First Council of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) in 381. Protestants would say Arianism was rightly condemned because it is at total variance with scripture and changes the essential nature of the gospel. It is a totally different gospel. (2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:6-9)

Arius (born about 250 in Libya - died 336 in Constantinople) was a priest in Alexandria (al-Iskaderiyah), Egypt. He taught that Jesus was not pre-existent but was the first created being.  Arius held to a monotheism which insisted that the godhead was unitary and could not be shared. The doctrine of the Trinity was rejected and Jesus, while still worthy of worship, was not God.

The teachings of Arius were rejected in 325 at the Council of Nicea (Iznik, Turkey) but were accepted in 357 at the Council of Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). The issue went  back and forth, sometimes violently. Constans, the Emperor of the West, was Nicene, while Constantius, the Emperor of the East, was an Arian. Emperor Valens (364-378) persecuted non-Arians in the East but under the teachings of the Cappadocian Fathers (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus) the Nicene definition began to gain ascendancy. Emperors Gratian (367-383) and Theodosiuis (379-395) were both Nicene and finally in 381, the Council  of Constantinople denounced Arianism. The doctrine survived into the seventh century among several Germanic tribes such as the Vandals under Genseric.

Variations of Arianism survive among the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Unitarians, the Church of God (7th day) Salem Conference, and in some Branhamite sects (followers of the Pentecostal leader William M. Branham, 1909-1965). 

Postmodern Progressive Christianity can be viewed as a modified form of Arianism. Man is the true measure of all things and Jesus's humanity is stressed to the near exclusion of his divinity. He is viewed as a brilliant moral teacher and a beautiful example of humanity at its highest. He was a human so full of God that He became "divine." He shows us the divinity within ourselves. This is just one baby step away from the neo-Hinduism of the modern New Age movement. It is certainly not orthodox Christianity.

Boy Scouts to Allow Homosexual Members

The Boy Scouts of America on 23 May 2013 voted (by a 60% to 40% margin) to change the organization’s regulations to allow homosexual boys to participate and be full members. Homosexual adult leaders will still be banned.  Since the Boy Scouts are a private organization they were not required to make this change but they have been under increasingly intense public pressure for years to take this step.  A problem is that many of the sponsors of scout groups are churches.  Not all of them are delighted with this development.  The only official church responses so far are from the Mormons, who say the change will not affect their involvement, and the Catholics, who say that they need time to consider their response.

My thinking on the issue: the Boy Scouts are a private group and can do as they wish.  Individual parents and individual denominations, congregations, synagogues, and mosques should decide for themselves if they wish to continue their involvement.  Hopefully, the Boy Scouts will allow individual local groups to decide whether or not they will implement the new policy.  That would spare them the decision of whether or not now to withdraw from the Scouts altogether.  

The pressure on the Scouts and on religious groups has been subtle and not so subtle.  An example can be found in this article from the USA Today newspaper for Friday 24 May 2013 on page 12A (the editorial page).  The editorial calls the prior Boy Scout stance a “wrong-headed ban on gays,” Two paragraphs later, it says this:

“Much of the angst that has riven the Scouts for the past year can be attributed to Scouting's close affiliation with churches, some with strong tenets against homosexuality. Fully 70% of troops are religiously sponsored.”

The logical implication is that the newspaper’s editorial staff is insulting the churches by calling them “wrong-headed.”

Some Reasons Why Mormons Are Not Christian

Mormons insist that they are Christians but there are many sharp divergences between orthodox Christian doctrine and Mormon doctrine.   Listed below are just a few of them.


Orthodox Christian doctrine:  Do not add to scripture. Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18-19
Mormon doctrine: The Mormon canon includes three additional scriptures: The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Doctrine and Covenants.

Orthodox Christian doctrine:  God is not a man, but a spirit.  (Numbers 23:19; John 4:24)

Mormon doctrine:  God was once a man like us and, even now has a physical body.

Orthodox Christian doctrine: There is only one God, who created all of existence. (Isaiah 44:6)

Mormon doctrine: There are millions of Gods, each of whom has created his own universe.

Orthodox Christian doctrine: God is pre-existent and eternal.

Mormon doctrine: God was once a man on another planet who earned godhood by his good works.  He and his wife populated this world with their spirit children (us).

Orthodox Christian doctrine: Jesus is pre-existent and was present at the creation. 

Mormon doctrine: Jesus was the first spirit child of God and his wife.  He married several of the Marys named in the New Testament.  His first brother was Satan.  We are subsequent sons and daughters of God.

Orthodox Christian doctrine: God is one God who exists as three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Mormon doctrine:The Trinity is three gods united in purpose.

Orthodox Christian doctrine: The ultimate destiny of individual Christians is sinless perfection in an eternal relationship with the Lord.

Mormon doctrine: Each Mormon man may become a god through his good works and create his own universe.  He and his wife will populate their universe with their spirit children.

Orthodox Christian doctrine: Salvation is by grace through faith based on the shed blood of Christ.  Good works are a result of salvation.

Mormon doctrine: Salvation is by faith and by following the commands of God.  The shed blood of Christ is not the source of salvation.  Salvation is conditional on faith, repentence, baptism, and keeping the commands of God.


"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23.

Other Sheep

There are multiple suggestions floating around as to the identity of the "other sheep" mentioned in John 10:16.

"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd"John 10:16

1. The other sheep are the Gentiles who will be grafted into the Vine.
2. Some, who deny the exclusivity of Christianity, say that the other sheep are righteous followers of other religions.
3. Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Chicago has implied that the "other sheep" are Muslims.
4. The possibility exists that the reference is to extraterrestrial life forms.
5. The Mormons say that the "other sheep" are the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, ie: polynesians, Native Americans, etc,)
6. The Jehovah's Witnesses declare the "other sheep" to be an earthly class of Christians numbering 144,000.
7. Other Sheep is an ecumenical organization which advocates for the inclusion in the Church of LGBT people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual).

Answer number 1 is the traditional and most likely meaning of the reference.

"Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Ephesians 2: 11-18.

Another Light Bulb Joke

How many Mormons does it take to change a light bulb?

Two.  One to change the bulb and a second to seal it for eternity.