An End to Heresy?

Since the 2nd century A.D., when the early Christians condemned the Gnostics as heretics for maintaining that salvation can be obtained through knowledge alone, many Christian faiths have found the accusation of heresy a handy tool to keep dissidents in line or toss them out. For supposedly challenging church doctrine, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431; so were Czech Reform Leader John Hus in 1415 and the impassioned Dominican Savonarola in 1498 (he was hanged first for good measure). In recent history, however, punishments for heresy have grown less brutal, and the charge has only rarely been invoked. Doctrinal disputes are increasingly resolved by debate within a church, or by the dissidents leaving of their own accord. The last time the Episcopal Church resorted to heresy procedure was in 1924, when it was employed to depose a retired and aged bishop.

Now Episcopalians seem on their way to almost complete rejection of the concept. This is one of the major recommendations in a report made public last week by the church's committee on theological freedom and social responsibilities, which labels the sin "anachronistic" and suggests that ideally it be abandoned except in the historical context "of the radical, creative theological controversies in the early formative years of Christian doctrine."

The committee was formed last Janu ary in the wake of Bishop James Pike's demand for a heresy trial to challenge those attacking him for speaking out against various hallowed doctrinal beliefs. The church was loath to take so drastic a step, instead named the committee of eleven clerics and laymen to advise the church's presiding bishop on the overall problem of freedom of inquiry within the church. It was headed by Bishop Stephen F. Bayne, Jr., 59, energetic former executive secretary of the Anglican Communion, presently director of the church's overseas department, who has long been known for his outspoken, often unorthodox ways.

A Delicate Balance. "Where there is an appeal to authority, especially institutional authority, in our time," says the report, "it is likely to be made for the wrong reason, to establish a refuge from the bewildering uncertainties of our life. Such retreat from encounter is an enemy to true theological or social inquiry."

"God makes men free. It does not behoove His Church to try to hobble their minds or inhibit their search for new insights into truth. The Church should not only tolerate but should actively encourage free and vigorous theo logical debate. Any risks the Church may run by fostering a climate of genuine freedom are minor compared to the dangers it surely will encounter from any attempts at suppression, censorship or thought control."

Despite its strong liberal tone, the report by no means suggests that there should be no limits to theological inquiry. The individual right of expression must be balanced by the "right of the Church to maintain its distinctive identity and continuity as a community of faith." This identity is threatened when a church member denies such "characteristic and indispensable terms" as "love of God, His truth and grace; His self-revealing action; the redemption in Christ." The report also cautions churchmen that they do not "enter the field of theological and social debate merely as inquirers. They are not neutral about Christ."

A Last Resort. In order to make the report acceptable to the majority of church officials, the committee does not suggest that heresy proceedings be abolished; nor does Bishop Pike, who served as one of the committee's ten advisers.

But the committee emphasizes that heresy should be invoked "only as a last resort" and that the initiation of such tri als should be made as "difficult as possible." Bishop Bayne thinks that the report's main points are very likely to be approved at the church's triennial general convention in Seattle next month.

Pike himself hailed the report as "a charter for aggiornamento [updating] in the Episcopal Church," encouraging "spontaneity and enlightenment." Pike, who resigned his post as bishop of California, said that if the report is adopted in Seattle he will withdraw his de mand for a heresy trial. But he will keep if This Be Heresy as the title of his new book. Bishop Bayne took the cool view. He disagrees with much of Pike's stand, but feels that his views come "nowhere near threatening the church's jugular."

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