When I was a pastor in California, I got the distressing news one day that a family was leaving our church. It seemed like a sudden decision. I had not seen any hint of dissatisfaction. But when I talked with the man, he explained that he now understood the truth about our church’s teaching. We taught that all human beings were sinners in Adam, which he said was a false doctrine that had ruined the Christian faith for centuries. In fact, he said, human beings are condemned for their own personal sins, not Adam’s.
He was leading his family into a church that taught an ancient heresy called Pelagianism, the idea that human beings still have the ability to obey God and are responsible to do so. We can be forgiven for sins, but must ultimately gain salvation through obedience.
It was too late for me to change his mind. He had “done his own research” and concluded that I was part of a centuries-long conspiracy.
Our job at BG is to teach the Bible. Part of that job is to examine the Bible itself. But many churches neglect another part—teaching people how the Bible has been used and misused over the centuries. We didn’t start the conversation about Scripture. It has been going on for centuries. When we are ignorant of that conversation, we are vulnerable to old heresies that keep coming back, like Pelagianism.
So next Sunday we are starting a new set of classes for both adults and children in church history.
Among BG’s new teachers is Savannah Emmons, a PhD candidate at Cornell in medieval studies. She will be teaching a four-week class called, “The Early Church: How History Shapes Our Faith.” These same weeks, she will also teach Kingdom Kids about the same period, giving families the opportunity to discuss what they have learned.
I am grateful for the effort Savannah has put into creating these classes and for her energy in teaching both adults and children. Exploring our past as Christians is an important new direction for our church. I believe it will not only deepen our faith, but protect us against the return of old errors. I hope you will attend these sessions at 11:15 am starting next Sunday.