Church Heresies Dr. Lewter Urges

¶ … Church Heresies

Dr. Lewter urges reflection on the paradigm shifts taking place in the Church in his lectures, noting that a modern-day Council of Nicea is needed to solidify the changes taking place in Christian consciousness. His lecture draws on everything from history to politics to faith. Lewter centers part of the lecture on the emerging trend of inclusionism, which he claims is an old concept draped in new terminology. According to Lewter, inclusionism is the same ideological concept as universal reconciliation: which was introduced into Church discourse 1800 years ago. Lewter also urges responses that are "steeped in tradition and history" and which "maintain the integrity of our faith and our traditions." In other words, debates and dialogue over Christian theology, Christology, and eschatology must be framed in current language and within current sociological and political realities.

The power of Lewter's lectures lies in his ability to weave context into Christian theology and Christian doctrine. With a large degree of Christian self-awareness and self-consciousness as well as a sense of historical context, Lewter lingers on issues of concern for the Church. The issues Lewter addresses include the nature of Christ, the nature of Christian worship, and the ways in which Christians are expected to come together to practice their faith. As Lewter points out, the very fabric of Christian discourse is changing and it is time to commence a new council that can address the issues and paradigm shifts taking place today.

Since the last Church council, 400 years have elapsed. Lewter deplores the lack of fresh discourse. Fresh discourse derives from conflict: internal clashes over core Chruch doctrines. Lewter also notes that Church councils are never isolated from the political realities that underlie them. For example, the first Council: the Nicean Council 325, was called by Constantine for expressly political reasons. Constantine believed that Christianity could and would become a unifying force for the Roman Empire (Lewter). Christianity was a "cement" and a "glue" according to Lewter, but not because of any spiritual blessing the religion possessed inherently. Rather, Christianity would be the last great hope of the Roman Empire because it would become a means to substantiate the Empire's power base. Lewter expresses Constantine's vision in terms of how Christianity was before it became the official religion of the Roman Empire vs. after: before Constantine, Christianity was clearly the religion of the repressed, the oppressed. After Constantine, Christianity became the religion of the oppressor and has remained so ever since.

Lewter comes just short of claiming that the new role of Christianity is to return humbly to its roots as a religion of the oppressed. Christianity began as a religion that helped the oppressed mitigate pain and suffering; it was a means to clarify the nature of pain and to frame pain in a new light. Christianity was a religion that inspired hope for people who had none. It was a subversive faith that denied power to those who possessed all of it: the politically strong and the materially wealthy. For the Roman Empire, Christianity posed a threat but it also posed promise. Constantine recognized the promise and potential of Christianity to serve as propaganda for the increasingly weakened Empire. The Council of Nicea, notes Lewter, marked the moment at which Christianity stopped being the religion of the oppressed and started being the religion of the oppressor. Changing the "very character of Christianity," the Nicean Council rested on political motives like imperialism and manifest destiny (Lewter).

Rediscovering the spirit of the religion's origins might help usher in a new world in which the tenets expressed by Jesus in His teachings can become an integral part of human consciousness. Lewter essentially suggests that Christianity might need to return to its roots as the religion of the oppressed; as the religion of the downtrodden and the helpless and the hopeless. Citing evidence that the paradigm shift taking place in human consciousness is manifested in the political candidacy of Barak Obama, Lewter states that the role Christianity will play in the future depends on whether the Church is able, ready, and willing to call a new Council and iron out some of the kinks in Church orthodoxy. Ideals like brotherhood and mercy can be incorporated into a new, fresh doctrine that -- although not wholly new or wholly fresh -- nevertheless seems so given what Christianity has meant politically for the past 1800 years.

What is heresy today might become doctrine tomorrow and what was heresy yesterday could be doctrine today. Doctrine and orthodoxy are arbitrary, suggests Lewter. The Council of Nicea, which was followed by twenty other official councils, were attempts to codify doctrine. The codes were themselves fallible, subject to changes that would emerge after the next convention. The Council of Nicea of 335 was followed closely by the First Council of Constantinople in 381. Both the Council of Nicea in 335 and the Council of Constantinople of 381 focused on the same core issue: the Arian Controversy. Lewter notes that councils are not necessarily etched in stone; they guide the course of Christian theology and official practice but they do not negate the possibility that change is possible and potentially positive.

Heresies are significant means of kick-starting theological revolutions. A heretical point-of-view can initiate a Church council, engaging Church leaders in debate, and transforming the meaning of Christian faith for its followers. Council upon council for the past 1500 years have focused on many of the same issues too, indicating the diversity of opinions within Christianity. Moreover, the various councils that have shaped Christian heritage and history address issues that modern worshippers take for granted such as the nature of Christ and the proper forms of Christian worship.

The term heresy derives from the Latin term "heretious," when means "having chosen to believe differently," according to Lewter. Lewter's use of the word "choice" means a lot, suggesting that free will and human consciousness play a major role in shaping Christianity. Heretics choose to think outside of the box; heretics did so in the early days of the religion and before the First Nicean Council was convened in 335. Since then, heresy was far more documented. In fact, heresy did not exist truly until the Council of Nicea because that council marked the first time in Church history that the major tenets of Christology were outlined and codified.

Heretics are worshippe who depart from the mainstream. Early Church heresies are merely departures from the codified dogmas set forth by Church officials after a council concludes its business. Heresies change with the times. The fact that a heresy exists does not necessarily means that it will never become an official part of the Church's worldview. What is heresy today may become orthodoxy tomorrow. The reason why Lewter weaves in political issues surrounding Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama is not to express his view on who to vote for. Rather, Lewter notes that fifty years ago it would have been unheard of to see that the top Democratic candidates -- and possibly the top candidates for presidency of any party -- include an African-American and a female. What is possible today was not possible yesterday; what is not possible today might be possible tomorrow.

Inclusion has become one of the latest "revelations" in the Church, according to Lewter. Inclusionism has been championed as a fresh idea. Yet according to Lewter, inclusionism is really an old concept cloaked in a new word. The first mention of inclusionism was in the 3rd and 4th centuries, when the ideology was referred to as "universal reconciliation." Modern-day media presents inclusionism as if it never existed before when in fact inclusionism is at the heart of Christianity since the 3rd century. Just as the media presents old gospels of Christ that resurface now as "new," so too does the media -- and even the Church officials themselves -- present old ideologies as if they were new. Lewter's goal in his lecture is to outline all of the major preexisting Church doctrines so that clergy and laypeople are not shocked and appalled when new concepts resurface. The content of new ideas or new gospels is not nearly as controversial as the fact that they were never before discussed openly. Practitioners and especially Church officials and theologians become suspicious of resurfacing thoughts because of the belief that those ideas were being purposely hidden. Lewter mentions that especially with the doctrine of inclusionism: nothing could be farther from the truth. Inclusionism is universal reconciliation, framed in modern language.