It would be a surprise to denominational leaders what some of their pastors believe and, in some cases, no longer believe. That same surprise would occur for local pastors regarding some of their staff members or for their congregants who assumed their friends believed as they do.
Over the last decade, a subtle departure from orthodoxy has crept into the Church. I’m not talking about an unloving descent into legalism. To be orthodox is not narrow-minded or stilted. It is a belief in what has been traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved. It is the text of the creeds of the Church that has defined what it means to believe in Jesus Christ, His Church, and the Kingdom of God.
To want to know what someone believes, especially those we entrust to lead us is not heresy hunting. It is an act of love. This applies not only to the leaders who have succumbed to an error in hopes they can be restored but to those under their leadership who were misinformed and led astray from the great truths of our historic faith.
I have found the most egregious errors begin with not understanding the majesty and exclusivity of Jesus and the way of salvation. From that point, all forms of deception are birthed. If Jesus is not believed and affirmed as the only way into truth and life, false gods will step in to fill that void with deception.
There was a reason why the early creeds were short, concise, and to the point. Paul’s epistles were similar addressing errors in the Church with straightforward clarity. In matters of foundational truth, there is no room for error. Eternity is at stake. The consequence is too great for those who have been led astray and those who did the leading.
I was taught early in my Christian walk (1976) that the plumbline for orthodoxy is the Deity of Christ. My Pastor would say “there’s only one thing you need to know about a person’s theology-Do they confess Jesus is God come in the flesh?” I’ve held to this simple test these 4 plus decades now and it’s always helped me discern truth from error.