Schismatics Pegged

Germ Watch
The church has long been plagued with troublesome divisive individuals and even heretics within. In that sense there is nothing new under the sun. In one way it has become easier to avoid the infections they can cause in the body than it used to be. With the multiplication of denominations and the splinters of independence corrupted individuals can find safe havens in which they can share their errors with others who are like minded. Those who cannot countenance their positions can simply avoid them. On the other hand there is a new difficulty that has come with a very broad based understanding of what Christianity is, especially in American evangelicalism. Authors and speakers who would once have been clearly marked as heretics (and rightly so) have become very popular. We don’t tend to burn heretics anymore, but we must continue to “avoid” troublers in the church like the plague. Protecting the church against divisive people and their tainted teaching is still a vital function of the local church. Without question that is the duty of church leaders, but it is also the responsibility of every member. When we take membership vows in our church one of the things we agree to do is “submit to the government and discipline of the Church, and we promise to study its purity and peace.”