heresy is good

Sparked by remembering the Roman Catholic church’s original response to the alleged heresy of Galileo (see the recent BBC news story) I’ve been wondering if all heresy is wrong. Heresy, according my dictionary, is defined as opinion that is at odds with accepted Christian doctrine. What if said accepted Christian doctrine isn’t quite up to scratch? Think again of the old geocentric idea of the universe.

Perhaps it’s melodramatic of me to say I’ve been wondering if all heresy is wrong; it might be better to say I’ve been wondering if things I’ve been taught are correct. I belong to a Presbyterian church because I agree in the ideals of its form of governance – a democratic theocracy, where God alone is head and everyone has an equal say in the minutia. However, in PCI (the Presbyterian Church in Ireland) there is some baggage – for example, the Westminster Confession of the Faith and the Code, amongst others. I’ve recently been wondering if everything in those books is still worthy of application in today’s world.

For example, the Code talks about all things in a church service being under the control of the minister (a.k.a. the teaching elder). Another example: the sacrament of Communion (a.k.a. the Lord’s Supper) can only be conducted by a minister. The WCF says that baptism can only be administered “by a minister of the Gospel, lawfully called thereunto” [Ch. XXVIII para. II].

My question is are those things still worthy of application… because I do not think they are biblical. They are codified rules of man put together to help ensure proper practice and safeguard against ignorance. But I contend that they were written at a particular time into a particular context, which is not necessarily applicable anymore. (The whole idea of codifying the divine seems wrong to me… God is bigger than any book… but that’s a thought for another day.)

Why does the church forbid (I think that’s the right word) a member – nay, an ordained elder – from conducting the Lord’s Supper as part of a home group meeting? I know the pat-answer, but I ask is that answer biblical. Are we not all called to be priests? Members of a holy nation?

Is there not a conflict of interest where ministers adhere and push a Code that safeguards their power and authority over things? It seems, to me, to be un-Presbyterian; it looks a little more like the episcopalian model of church governance.

Our church is currently in a vacancy so my opportunity to discuss this with a minister is limited, but when we get a new minister I think I’ll raise this and start pushing against the grain. Not quite a modern day Galileo, but it’s a start…